How to Keep Your Audience Engaged

The mark of a good speaker is the ability to keep the audience engaged from the beginning of the presentation until the end. All too often people attend a presentation and find themselves zoning out within the first five minutes. It’s easy for audiences to get distracted by checking emails, scrolling through social media, or responding to text messages. With so many distractions right at our fingertips, audience engagement is more challenging than ever. That said, a captivated audience equates to more efficient marketing and it has the power to make or break your brand. Therefore, it is critical to understand what audience engagement means and strategies for keeping your audience continually engaged in your presentation. So, how do you keep your audience listening, focused, and engaged? Consider these tips for delivering an engaging presentation. 

Learn About Them Beforehand

One of the most important things you can do to engage your audience happens before you even step foot on the stage. It involves getting to know your audience beforehand. It’s important to know as much as you can about your audience. Things you should find out include their general age, gender, education level, language, and culture. Analyzing your audience will help you discover information that you can use to create common ground during your presentation. For example, it would be helpful to know that your audience is primarily made up of men and women aged 55 and older before you start referencing current music and social media. They would likely feel out of place and have a difficult time connecting with you. Audience analysis allows you to tailor your presentation and adapt the content to meet the needs and interests of the audience. 

Interact with Attendees Early On

You can actually begin interacting with your audience before they even arrive at your presentation. Create an event on social media and invite your attendees to join. Include teasers about your upcoming presentation and give attendees a chance to ask questions or discuss your session beforehand. They are more likely to be engaged when they know more about the speaker and what they can expect from the presentation. This is a great way to connect with audience members and open the lines of communication. 

Have a Strong Opener

They say the first 30 seconds of your presentation will determine whether or not your audience is going to remain engaged. If you want to captivate your audience, you need to start with an attention-grabbing opener. You can do this with a shocking statistic, a thought-provoking quote, an interesting photograph, or even a funny joke.  Think outside the box an focus on grabbing your audience right from the start. 

Tell a Story

Storytelling has been around for centuries and is one of the oldest forms of communication. People love a good story because it brings the message to life. It makes information more relevant and interesting to listeners. A good narrative can tap into the emotions of your audience and even compel them to act. This is a great strategy for sharing content in a more engaging way. 

Make it Visual

They say “a picture is worth 1000 words†and this is certainly true. Include an eye-catching photo, an interesting video, or even a prop to capture your audience’s attention. Visually seeing something helps the brain make connections and it will make your presentation more memorable. If seeing is believing, give your audience something visual to help them understand your message. 

Interact with Your Audience

You are more likely to reinforce your message and keep audiences interested if they feel like they are actually part of your presentation. Invite them to participate by conducting a poll, asking for a show of hands, quizzing them, leading them in a game, or simply inviting them to ask questions. When audience members get to interact with you, they are more likely to remain engaged throughout the presentation.