How to get audience’s attention during your presentation?

Written by rinki

According to a recent survey, half of the audience  said they did something other than listen during a co-worker’s presentation, including:

  • Sending a text message (28%)
  • Checking emails (27%)
  • Falling asleep (17%)

This summarises how difficult it is, to hold your audience’s attention for the entire presentation.  Once you see that your audience is rather somewhere else, you will start feeling anxious and try to speed up the presentation.

Here we are few strategies which will help your audience feel fully involved during your presentation :

  1. Break the ice: A simple ice-breaker can put everyone on the same level and energise them for your presentation. Get your audience to do a simple exercise to reset their minds and refocus on your talk. For example, ask people to stand up and introduce themselves to their neighbours. By starting with an ice-breaker, you show your audience that your talk will be interactive and require their participation.
  1. Use the technique of storytelling to your advantage: According to professional public speaking coach Nathan Gold,  “Stories are food for the brain when it comes to the presentation”. Storytelling is the most universal way to captivate your audience’s attention, no matter where they are from or what they do for a living. People automatically tune in when you start telling your story because they want to know what happens next.
  1. Include video in your presentation: Videos are a great tool when it comes to giving an engaging presentation. Videos can evoke emotions in an audience that could be otherwise quite difficult to induce. Find the clip that will put your audience in the right mood and that reinforces your story.
  1. Ask questions during your presentation: As said by Carmine Gallo (Presentation expert and best-selling author), “the audience’s attention drops to zero after just 10 minutes of your presentation”. That’s right, 10 minutes. To get their attention back, Gallo advises creating soft breaks within your speech. Therefore, take a break from your presentation from time to time and interact with your audience.
  1. Let the audience poll: Live polls are an incredibly effective tool for instantly engaging with your audience. It  helps create mental breaks, so your audience can regain attention and stay focused throughout your presentation. By including everyone in answering the question, you also create a group experience that leaves the audience feeling like they all have been part your presentation.