Five Tips to Maintain Your Audience’s Attention While Presenting
Whenever you give a presentation, you need to keep your audience’s attention so they leave informed and excited, not confused and bored. Try implementing the following suggestions to keep your audience captivated throughout:
- Personal Story/Anecdote: Tell a brief (under two minutes) and relevant personal story to increase your own enthusiasm and connect with your audience. Make sure to tie it in to the point you are trying to make.
- Startling Statement or Statistic: Say something that might surprise the audience or cite an unexpected but relevant statistic. This will both inform and excite them.
- Use humor: If you share something funny that is related to what you are presenting, you can keep your audience engaged. Don’t use offensive humor.
- Quotation or Familiar Saying: Use a universal saying or quote a recognizable figure to help your audience identify with your information.
- Question: ask an open-ended question. Even if you don’t have anyone answer, your audience will at least be thinking.
Using these tools throughout your speech helps keep your audience interested, excited, and on-track.
Make Every Presentation Great,
Sheri Jeavons