Is This Thing On?: Keeping Your Audiences Attention

First and foremost, you must deal effectively with your own emotions, ego, hang-ups, inhibitions, and fears. This will release you to focus on the audience is their attention level. A trainer must prepare thoroughly, believe in the message behind the words, and be committed to attaining his or her objective. But most important is a continual awareness of the audience members as individual persons, and not as merely a faceless mass.

There is only one way to find out whether or not an audience is paying attention. That is to look at them, not through them. The best way is to look at individual faces and directly into their eyes. This reveals whether they are looking and listening, and forces them to do so if their attention has wandered. A trainer should make every effort to get and hold eye contact with the audience, since it is the only way to talk directly to people. This may be difficult with larger groups. Sometimes it is necessary to concentrate only on the first few rows and use them to gauge the rest. Yet it is possible with a little practice to look into the eyes of people fairly far back even in a large audience, or to make them sense eye contact.

During a presentation, if possible, physically arrange the audience so that they're less distracted by late arrivals. Try to group them so that there is a minimum of space between them. Do not permit guests to remain on the podium during delivery. While setting up and choosing a room, remain aware of audience comfort-ventilation, heat, and cooling. Eliminate unnecessary material from the podium such as flowers, signs, or unused equipment. Keep visuals covered unless they are actually in use. Keep the chalkboard clean. Check lighting to be sure that it focuses on the podium and directly on the speaker. The podium should be the best lit spot in the room. Dress conservatively and impeccably. Be pleasant to look at! Do not wear highly reflective colors or jewelry. Stay on schedule so that the audience will not be distracted by time pressures.

Gauges of how well an audience is listening are such things as shuffling feet, movement, scribbling, and general restlessness. All of these must be circumvented if you are to get and maintain attention.

You can deliberately elicit feedback to provide data to measure your progress through the use of "predetermined response points". An example is the "double-answer" technique, recognizable in many sales presentations, which essentially asks a question that gives a choice between two "yes" answers with no negative responses. Such questions can be subtly interwoven into a training presentation without a trainee being aware of the affirmative net being woven. For example, "Do you like the first method of time management or the second better?" or "Which long-term range planning goals would best suit your office?"

Keeping control of your audience and eliciting honest feedback will help your presentation in the long run.

Copyright AE Schwartz & Associates All rights reserved. For additional presentation materials and resources: ReadySetPresent and for a Free listing as a Trainer, Consultant, Speaker, Vendor/Organization: TrainingConsortium

CEO, A.E. Schwartz & Associates, Boston, MA., a comprehensive organization which offers over 40 skills based management training programs. Mr. Schwartz conducts over 150 programs annually for clients in industry, research, technology, government, Fortune 100/500 companies, and nonprofit organizations worldwide. He is often found at conferences as a key note presenter and/or facilitator. His style is fast-paced, participatory, practical, and humorous. He has authored over 65 books and products, and taught/lectured at over a dozen colleges and universities throughout the United States.

---

Painless Presentations

Did the "Painless" part of the title get your attention?Speaking... Read More

Show the World Your Wares Easily and Inexpensively

You've spent a lot of time preparing your PowerPoint presentations... Read More

Total Recall: How to Remember Your Speech Without Memorizing

We all fear that moment. You look out on a... Read More

Six Marketing Tips for Trade Show Success

A trade show is an ideal way of showcasing your... Read More

8 Ways to Improve Your Presentation Skills

8 Ways to Improve Your Presentation Skills 1. Join Toastmasters.... Read More

Media Training Tips: Maximising Your Media Moment

Media training is a 'must do' professional development program for... Read More

Guidelines for Rehearsal Criticism

It is both good planning and considerate to provide auditors... Read More

The Who, What, Where and When of Color In Your Documents

This article will help you to assess and maximise the... Read More

10 Profitable Tips for Creating Better Sales Presentations

No matter what your business is, you will enhance your... Read More

A Powerful Presentation Technique-Story Telling

Appealing to emotions is the most powerful way to transfer... Read More

Present for Success: Simple Strategies to Add Confidence and Credibility to Your Next Presentation

Tomorrow's the day and you're dreading it. You're scheduled to... Read More

Seven Tips for Coping with Pre-Stage Jitters

Whether you need to address large groups or small, familiar... Read More

Tips to Energize Your Presentations

"There can be no knowledge without emotion. We may be... Read More

Eight Success Tips for Your First Trade Show Booth

Exhibiting in a trade show can involve a major investment... Read More

Clear Communication: The Benefits and How to Achieve Them

Communication is a complex and often difficult process for both... Read More

Be Bold, Branded, and Bespoke - Your Customers Want You to Choose

I had been working on a logo idea for several... Read More

The Seven Deadly Sins of Presentations

Every day, so many tens of thousands of innocent clients... Read More

Just Say No to PowerPoint: Enough is Enough!

Have you ever been slideswiped? You walk into a meeting... Read More

Dump Your Speeches For Leadership Talks

The CEO of a worldwide business asked me to help... Read More

How Storytelling Can Grow Your Business

People love stories. We love to hear about other people,... Read More

Facilitating Panel Discussions

A client recently called to say she was going to... Read More

Choosing a Company Shirt vendor

Where can you choose a company shirt vendor? There are... Read More

Can Stage Presence be Learned?

What is stage presence? Can it be learned?There are, undoubtedly,... Read More

Creating a Powerful Sales Presentation

The quality of your sales presentation will often determine whether... Read More

A Discussion about Facilitation Skills

Interview with Julia Apple-Smith, Manager of Employee Development at Sauer-Danfoss... Read More

Create A Better Impresion With Your Emails

How do you come across in your emails?As I receive... Read More

Incorporate Humor in Your Next Speech

Some speakers say, "I could never use humor in my... Read More

Quick and Easy Rehearsal Tips

Never rehearse at the last minute. This creates undue tension... Read More

Presentation Paranoia

"The human brain starts working the moment you are born... Read More

Planning a Group Meeting

CHARACTERISTICS OF AN EFFECTIVE FACILITATOR: As chairperson, focus on the... Read More

35 Surefire Ways to Kill a Meeting

1. Play "find the meeting" by changing the location and... Read More

The Upside to an Auditory Rehearsal

Many experienced trainers feel that there is something lacking in... Read More

Top Ten Tips For Better Business Presentations To Asian Audiences

Audiences around the world are all different. Cultural, social and... Read More