Monday, June 8, 2015
PRESENTATION - IS YOUR AUDIENCE REALLY LISTENING TO YOU?
How many
times have you wondered if your audience was really listening or cared about
what you were saying when giving a presentation?
Obviously,
the goal is to be heard by your listeners, yet, are there ways you can be sure?
Yes and
here is how and what seasoned and expert presenters do!
ASK
It's so
simple, but very few presenters take the time to check in with their audience.
Periodically pause and ask your listeners rhetorical or open-ended questions
such as, "Do you agree?" "Have you seen this also?"
"What issues do you see?" A variety of open-ended and rhetorical
questions take people from being passive to being more attentive.
LOOK THEM
IN THE EYE
Sustained
eye contact cannot be ignored. Avoid scanning. Look at one person at a time for
a full sentence or thought. When you do, you will get some sort of reaction
from the listener. The individual will smile, nod or demonstrate through their
body language that they are listening.
MOVE
CLOSER
If you
come into the audience, people feel you have something important to say. You
connect with them. You have nothing to hide. Your proximity makes them set
aside their phones, laptops or tablets and listen up!
TURN UP
THE VOLUME
Louder
voices are taken more seriously. Softer voices lull people to sleep, and a
monotone really annoys them. An interesting voice with lots of highs and lows
commands attention.
AMPLIFY
YOUR ENERGY
Go bigger
with your gestures than seems comfortable to you. Let energy flow from your
face and hands. If you have a big point, let your audience see it. They will
respond to your enthusiasm for your topic.
TELL THEM
A GOOD STORY
A
personal story with a business point always draws people in. They envision what
you say and maybe even connect it to their own lives. As you think of the story
you want to tell, decide on what details to include or exclude to make the
story poignant or powerful.
SITE
RELEVANT EXAMPLES
If the
example is compelling, you win people over. You influence them and make them
see your point.
PUT
NUMBERS INTO CONTEXT
Statistics
come alive when you show what they mean to the whole scheme of things. "We
will save 4% in the next year or 5.4 million dollars. Steve Jobs once talked
about the capacity of an iPod by saying, "Imagine a thousand songs in your
pocket."
SPEAK IN
SHORT STATEMENTS
Do not
drone on. Say what you need to say in the fewest words possible. Use strong
descriptive adjectives and adverbs. Show criticality.
USE
ANALOGIES
When a
subject is over people's heads, attention drifts. However, with the use of
simple analogies, you can get people on the same page very quickly.
USE
HUMOROUS ASIDES
Season
your topic with humorous asides. Everyone responds to humor, but most speakers
think it is too risky. Listeners love humor when it is appropriate. It
re-invigorates the dreariest of topics.
Presenting
would not be so difficult if we could be assured our audiences were paying
attention. Do not make the mistake of thinking your words alone will make people
listen. About every four or five minutes, we need to change things. Do
something different. The best presenters incorporate all of the above
suggestions as often as they can in every presentation.
Posted in
Business presentations Conference presentations Facilitating meetings,
Business presentations Conference presentations Facilitating meetings Presentati,
Communication,
Conference presentations
by effectivecommunication.com.au
