Learn what kind of presenter you are and five methods to keep your audience’s attention during your presentation.
Work pressure contributes to a complete lack of preparation for important presentations
Business presenters are under a lot of pressure today. Workloads have increased as companies have frozen hiring during the global economic slowdown and with Blackberrys ubiquitous, executives are always “on” and subject to a constant flow of information. While they may be required to chair weekly meetings, participate in global conference calls, or provide regular updates to senior managers, very rarely are these frequent communication requirements fully prepared or rehearsed.
This means that many executives fall into the trap of simply walking by and filling their presentation time with a stream of data that may or may not be relevant to their listeners. Executives without the proper rehearsal and preparation have to focus so much on their content, to the point of having to think about each award before handing it out, that they completely ignore the fact that an audience is listening.
When your audience is peers or young people, no comment is made about your mediocre performance. However, when confronted with senior managers, often located in different countries, the executive may face question-and-answer interrogation, or a hostile reception with frequent interruptions. If they don’t face such direct confrontations, their line manager or HR. H H. they will receive the news that they do not possess the necessary communication skills to advance in the organization.
It does not have to be this way. Rather than focus on content, executives need to understand the benefits of audience-focused preparation.
Moving away from data dumping improves executive marketability
While work pressure and the inevitable lack of time are unavoidable for most executives, with a little preparation they can greatly improve the way your message is received. This has obvious benefits for senior managers. Being known as an executive who has mastered communication skills means that you feel fulfilled when you are able to influence important decisions that affect the future of the company. You are more likely to be called upon when key projects and high-profile pressure situations arise. These can greatly enhance the executive’s marketing within the company, as well as being immensely rewarding in terms of personal fulfillment.
So if you feel like you’re short on time and think you could benefit from learning how to adjust your presentation so it’s not too focused on the content, don’t worry, you’re not alone.
Your audience is in the same boat as you… too much information
If any of the above sounds familiar, don’t worry, you’re not alone. In fact, you are in good company. Many executives have similar problems. Today’s increasingly global workday means that work is never done and many executives feel overwhelmed by the pressure and information they need to absorb. You don’t need a scientific study to convince you that executives have to digest an enormous amount of information compared to ten or even five years ago.
Of course, this means that your audiences are often in the same boat. They have too much information and usually don’t have much patience for data dumps or irrelevant presentations.
Executives cannot be expected to automatically know what it takes to engage with their audiences. The good news is that help is here and you can learn these skills.
Go from content to audience focus with advice from The One Minute Presenter
To get away from data dumping and giving irrelevant presentations that are too focused on content and more tailored to your audiences, you first need to understand what type of presenter you are.
What kind of presenter are you?
Are blocked audience if you present without having any idea of what the audience is doing, thinking or feeling. You don’t see potential interruptions like pencil strokes or mobile message checking. You don’t hear exhausted sighs. You don’t feel when the audience is lost or doesn’t understand your message. In short, you give the same presentation whether the audience is present or not. Many experienced presenters and trainers still have this problem. In my train-the-trainer workshops, I am often amazed at how many “experienced trainers” get stuck when it comes to audience. They love their content and would deliver it to an empty room. Many technical presenters fall into this trap when they resort to the process when they are nervous.
Are audience connecting when you constantly need reassurance from the audience that you are doing a good job. You are aware of every movement of the audience. If an audience member seems unhappy, you are willing to stop everything and solve their problems. You’re not sure if you did a good job unless the audience tells you that you’re great. In short, the focus is on you and the audience is there to make you feel better.
This type of presenter often strays and is prone to stopping the presentation if even one person in the audience is breaking a basic rule, such as checking the mobile phone. While admirable, this often leads to confrontations that don’t move the presentation forward or put the presenter in a favorable light. Many novice presenters and insecure presenters fall into this category.
Are connected audience when you are aware of the sensation in the room. You can see how individual members are reacting, and while you don’t stop every time you get a negative response (like a yawn or a sigh), you correct course. You can stop and do a quick summary or ask checking questions. You are aware that the audience only has a limited attention span. You vary the pace of delivery and insert activities or interactive exercises every 15 or 20 minutes. Shares appropriate experiences and stories, and is open to audience feedback on the presentation. See the presentation as a shared experience and actively create the connection with the audience so they can provide feedback. The one minute presenter is always connected with the audience.
How do you interact with your audience?
Actively engage the audience
For larger presentations or trainings, adopt strategies such as games, role-playing, or other hands-on methods to engage your audience with the material or topic. For conference calls or smaller executive meetings, please use the verification method below.
mix your approach
To better reinforce messages and allow for individual differences in learning styles, use a variety of methods to present the material. When in doubt, use something visual that represents your message. A picture is worth a thousand words, and a video is worth a million images. Do I need to mention that the image should be relevant to your message? Other techniques include shortening your presentation (what a pleasant surprise!) and for larger groups using different learning formats, such as mini-discussion groups.
Use the appropriate humor
Maintain interest by using a small amount of humor (but not too much to be distracting). Always test this before your presentation. Ask three or five people you trust, and if they agree it’s funny, try it. Never cross the limits of taste and if you have doubts do not use it. Once again, all humor should be related to the point you want to get across, and not just a video clip of your cat on a skateboard.
Always give relevant and specific examples.
The more anecdotes and personal stories you can weave into your presentation, the more likely your audience will understand and remember your message. With clients and senior managers, open with the phrase “In my experience…” which establishes you as an authority in your area of expertise, which is exactly what they want from you. If you don’t have any of your own stories, you can reference other people’s stories by acknowledging them. This is not as powerful as something that comes directly from you.
Do your research and check back with your audience
Never assume that your audience understands your message just because they are not interrupting you. Many Asian cultures aren’t in the habit of directly challenging a presenter, but that doesn’t mean they’re listening either! Get in the habit of asking questions frequently and being mindful of your answer. Simple check questions, such as “Does that make sense to you?”, “Can you see how this relates to the problem at hand?” – allows you to see how the audience is digesting your messages and also gives permission for questions to be asked. With larger groups, you can create problems for the audience to solve, eg group work or case studies. The poorest technique I’ve seen is to deliver your presentation and then just ask one question at the end: “Are there any questions?” Invariably there aren’t any because the audience tuned out years ago. Insert questions every two to four minutes into your presentations.
Many executives have benefited from The One Minute Presenter training.
I work with many top executives from Greater China multinationals. Recently, after helping a senior executive become more aware of the type of presenter he was (blocked audience) and practicing some of the techniques mentioned above, he was able to interact more effectively with his audience, which meant his presentations were more nice since problems arose during delivery rather than a week or two later. He adjusted his interaction skills to be much more connected with his audience. He now tends to seek more audience participation as a way to test and strengthen his ideas, which has made him a more effective (and appreciated) executive.
And now that?
If you’re ready to take a step up in your career and want to learn how to be a more powerful communicator, visit us below and download a free chapter on how The One Minute Presenter system works to help you develop a more executive presence.
