Heckler Inoculation

In our Toastmasters club, there is someone who I feel does not like me.  I don't know why, as we have never had much interaction.  In fact, she rarely attends meetings.  And yet, she manages to express her disdain through sarcastic remarks made soto voce, not acknowledging greetings, and other cold-shoulder mannerisms.  I have had the pleasure of her mocking at our last meeting.  Thankfully, I managed to grin and move on.  But I felt stung and diminished nonetheless.

The following day, I chatted with a friend about the previous evening, and she immediately recognized the offending person.  It occurred to me, therefore, that I should not take it personally, especially since we had had so little interaction beforehand.  Moreover, it also occurred to me how fortunate I am to have that lesson squarely before me.  It is good training against hecklers.

Public speaking is most effective when you reach your audience at a certain level.  Some members of an audience look for instruction, new information; other members seek entertainment; still others are there out of obligation.  Regardless, it would be rare that all members of an audience approve of the speaker wholeheartedly.  There are bound to be folks who are sleeping, others who are texting and still others who may well be vocal and rude.  This is the true test of a good public speaker: keeping one's cool, remaining "professional," remaining on task, and not responding to the heckler in kind.  The public speaker may well "respond" (emotionally at the very least), but it is better if the speaker not reply and get off point and begin interacting with the heckler.  Do you know what staying on task accomplishes?  It conveys self-confidence.  And acting "as if" is known in the world of cognitive psychology as eventually imparting and infusing that behavior onto the actor/speaker.

In other words, as you stand there, perhaps angry and embarrassed by the heckler, perhaps a bit less confident in your message or delivery, and even if you are flustered enough to have lost your place, remember that if you learn to take that heckling in stride and overcome it, returning your focus to your message as soon as possible, such exercise in time will amplify your self-confidence and increase your sense of self. 

So, c'mon, hecklers, bring it on!