If you were to ask people about presentations they have attended, most of them would probably admit to doing something other than listening during the presentation. Whether its texting, checking emails, sleeping, or glancing at their social media account, the fact is it can be very difficult to capture an audience’s attention. One of the best ways to engage your audience is to make them feel like they are part of the presentation. There are a few things you can do to get your audience focused by making your presentation more interactive.
Share the Stage
Don’t steal all of the limelight. Share the stage with other presenters or ask audience members to come up and help you narrate the story or talk about the topic. Great speakers aren’t afraid to pull executives, designers, or experts to the front to introduce their latest product or to help explain a particular topic. The audience will be much more engaged if there are various speakers. Bring someone from the audience onstage and get them to do something relevant and fun. This is a great way to peak audience interest and keep them guessing “what will happen next?†This is a great technique for interacting with your audience, but make sure you arrange with any volunteers in advance.
Ask Questions
Presentation experts have noted that audience attention drops to almost zero after just 10 minutes of talking. In order to get their attention back, you need to take breaks from talking and start interacting with your audience. Ask the audience for questions or give them a question to ponder and allow them to break into groups to discuss the answer. Incorporating Q&A into your presentations is a great way to get your audience involved while also reiterating your main points. You can also use social media channels such as Twitter to allow audience members to Tweet their own questions during the presentation. This is a great way to involve those people who might be too shy to speak out in front of the group.
Use Props
You don’t have to be launching a new product to incorporate products into your presentation. Think outside the box and come up with a prop or two that is relevant to your discussion. This is a great way to grab your audience’s attention and allow them to absorb the information. You can also have small props or handouts for each audience member. Not everyone is an auditory learner, so tangible props will tailor your presentation to those kinesthetic learners. Props can be a great way to help the audience visualize what you are talking about it. When chosen carefully, the right props can leave quite an impression on your audience, making your presentation more memorable.
Audience interaction is the key to delivering a compelling presentation. So, instead of boring your audience with endless slides, engage them by incorporating these interactive techniques.