Engaging the Audience During the Presentation

 

Best Practices to Keep the Audience Engaged
The last thing we want to see when we are making a presentation is individuals in the audience “tuned out” or falling asleep in their seats! It is essential to keep the audience engaged in the presentation so that they are listening and active in the presentation and you are able to accomplish your goals.

Here are a number of suggestions on how to keep the audience engaged and listening to you during the presentation:

• Use storytelling. For example, I might share a story during a presentation and then ask an audience member to share a story of their own.

• Ask for a show of hands. For example, I might ask how many of the audience members have managed through a particularly different change initiative in their organization.

• Maintain eye contact with the audience throughout the presentation.

• Regularly “check in” to see if anyone in the audience has a question. (I prefer to enable audience members to ask their questions as they think of them rather than feeling as if they have to hold them until the end of the presentation.)

• Use appropriate humor during the presentation.

• Utilize visuals that engage the audience.

• Engage the audience through asking a question and capturing responses on a flip chart.

What are some of your techniques to keep an audience engaged during your presentations?