Audience Alignment: The secret to a talk that will stick with your audience.

Recently, for date night, Corbin and I went to see Glaswegian comedian...

Recently, for date night, Corbin and I went to see Glaswegian comedian Kevin Bridges at the OVO Hydro, which is the largest venue in Glasgow, with capacity for 14,300 gig-goers on any given night.

Kevin Bridges is the first act to be inducted into the newly-formed Hydro Hall of Fame. In fact, the Hydro Hall of Fame was created because of Kevin Bridges, and the ridiculous success of his shows.

Kevin Bridges holds the record for:

• Most sold-out nights at the Hydro. His shows The Brand New Tour, and The Overdue Catch Up sold out 35 nights in total.

• The highest attendance for any act at the Hydro.

• The most money made at the Hydro.

• The highest-rated show at the Hydro.

Now, bear in mind that Kevin Bridges is a comedian who grew up in a fairly rough borough of Glasgow called Clydebank.

He got kicked out of school. He is only 35. He doesn’t have social media. And he still lives in Glasgow (with his 70-million-pound-fortune).

Acts that have played at the Hydro include:

The Eagles

Lady Gaga

Beyoncé

Prince

Dolly Parton

…and they have been able to sell out one, or two nights maximum at the Hydro. None of them have been able to come close to Kevin Bridges.

So what made Kevin Bridges such a runaway success?

Whenever I go to see a speaker live - be it a comedian, a spiritual teacher, or a business coach - there is a part of me that is simply enjoying the show, and there’s a part of me that’s analyzing what they’re doing, gauging the audience’s reaction, and banking tips and techniques for my own talks.

As I laughed my ass off from a dizzyingly high seat, among a packed crowd of 14,299 other people, it came to me that the secret of Kevin Bridges’ success is that he is profoundly aligned with his audience.

His jokes, for the most part, are pretty tame and good natured. But what makes them so hilarious is that they speak directly to - and from - the hearts and minds of his Glaswegian audience.

Kevin Bridges knows us, his audience, so well, that each of his jokes reflect something we have seen, heard, felt, thought, and discussed with our friends (while quietly snickering).

He has a gift for picking out the Glaswegian sensibility, nurturing it into a set up and punchline, and delivering his observations with such glee and good-spirited warmth, that everyone sees themselves in what he has to say.

Watch the following clip, and pay particular attention to the peaks in laughter, and see if you can spot what I mean. (NB: Strong language and adult themes throughout).

As I looked round the audience, I could see couples and friends giving each other knowing looks. A look that says. ‘We were just talking about that last week!’

This is the magic of audience alignment.  Kevin Bridges has mastered it, and it’s made him the Billy Connolly of our generation, and a multimillionaire.

That’s how deeply people respond to feeling seen, heard, acknowledged, and understood.

So how do we, as speakers, access this kind of alignment with our audience?

It happens in three steps.

Step One: In some sense, you have to be your audience.

There really is no substitute for direct experience. Kevin Bridges just is a Glaswegian with the same sense of humour as us. He sees what we see, he knows what we know, and he thinks the same thing we think when faced with the idiosyncrasies of our local lives.

Think:

What do you have in common with your audience?

In what ways are you them, and in what ways are they you?

Perhaps, if you’re a spiritual coach, your audience is you, three years ago. And they are currently facing the struggles that you have already overcome.

If you’re a medium, maybe the audience’s grief and desire for connection reflects your own experiences with loss.

Or if you’re an author, maybe the stories and advice in your book is the advice you wish someone would have given you when you were starting out.

Find the most fertile common ground you possibly can with your audience, and place it at the heart of your talk.

Step Two: Get inside the audience’s heads

Questions to consider:

• What does your audience member most want out of life?

• How can you help them with that?

• What does your audience member most fear?

• How can you alleviate that fear?

• Where, in their lives, is your audience lacking encouragement?

• How can you give them that encouragement?

Find the irrefutable answers to these questions. The content of your talk should address them directly.

Market research can be a powerful tool for finding out what people want, but an even more powerful tool is called ‘social listening’.

The one drawback of market research is that the context affects how your audience answers the questions. Often, when asked directly, people will give answers they think are socially acceptable, believable, agreeable to the questioner etc. But they don’t say what’s truly on their minds or in their hearts.

This is where social listening wins. When people feel they can speak freely and (often) anonymously on forums such as Reddit, or Facebook, they tell the truth about what they think, how they feel, and what matters to them.

Find your tribe online and discover their most asked questions, and most hotly contested answers. Address these in your talks.

Study your audience. Research what really matters to them. Find the patterns. Find the truth. Discover what is really in their hearts. Find out what they really need, and what they think about at 3am, and describe it from the stage.

Step Three: Devote your talk to giving your audience what they most want.

When I go to see Kevin Bridges, I want to laugh at being Scottish and Glaswegian. I want to forget my worries. I want to picture familiar things in a new and funny way. I want to feel a sense of belonging and camaraderie with my fellow Scots. I want to see other people enjoying themselves. I want to be told a hilarious and vivid story. I want my ribs to hurt. I want to cease breathing. I want to be part of a shared experience. I want my loved ones who are with me to have a good time - for us to laugh and feel good together. I want to hear some coarse truths. I want to marvel at the ridiculousness of life.

What do your audience members most want when they come to hear you speak?

Hint: If they have gone to the trouble to put clothes on and leave the house. If they have paid for tickets, then something you have to offer is so important to them IT BURNS. It may be more than one thing.

Get clear on their true motivations and amplify them.

How can you give them what they want, alleviate their fears, and shift them emotionally?

Every single thing you say in your talk should aim at transforming your audience the way they most want to be transformed.

Master these three steps, and you will find that your audience, your message, your brand, and your talk align. And that opportunities, sales, and attendance at your talks increase as a result of that alignment.

I can’t promise 35 sold-out shows and 70-million-quid. But I can promise you that audience alignment is the root of these amazing results, and it will be the root of your success too.

Ps. Do you dream of sharing your ideas on big stages such as TED, Mindvalley, or Hay House events?

Do you want to teach exhilarating seminars that have audiences running to the back of the room to sign up to work with you?

Do you want to massively boost your income and influence by speaking on high-profile podcasts?

If you answered YES, then I have a limited time opportunity for you.

Work with me 1:1, online or in person, to craft an incredible talk that serves and delights your audience, and positions you as a person of influence.

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