We are usually asked to speak at events by some hosting organisation and these can be breakfast, lunches or evening occasions. Each has its challenges. Not that many people seem to be great in the early mornings and the energy level of the audience can be very low, as they are still sleepy. This sleepiness is definitely a problem for after lunch presentations too. Many are ready for a nap after hoeing down a big meal in the middle of the day. In the evenings, people can be tired after a hard day’s work and their concentration spans can be limited.
As the speaker, we may suffer the same issues, but the adrenalin kicks in and we become sufficiently energised to complete the presentation. There are issues around how much information an audience can absorb when attending our talk. We, of course, are sold on the topic or subject because we have prepared a presentation on it. We have gone to a lot of trouble and have been highly motivated to give the talk. We may let that enthusiasm blind us to the reality of what it is like on the receiving end.
This is where presentation technique become very important. I see so many speakers who ignore half their audience when they present, by simply not getting the feet placed at the correct angle – ninety degrees to the audience. These speakers get their feet angle at forty-five degrees and without releasing it, they are now only talking to one side of the room and are deleting the remainder from their view and attention. Don’t do that.
Another issue is they lose sight of their audience. They are looking over the heads of everyone or looking at the screen or looking down and not making any eye contact with the attendees. This is a massive mistake. We have to make sure we are watching our people like a hawk. If we see they are losing interest or their energy is flagging, we can take remedial actions to fix the problem. By looking at members of our audience for six seconds each, we can make sure we not only engage the listeners, but we can always gauge their interest levels in what we are saying.
If the energy goes down, we may need to get them physically involved by raising their hand to a question. This question should be designed so that basically everyone has to raise their hand. This way we get the maximum involvement and this helps to wake up those who are drifting off into slumber, with their eyes open. As we say “the lights are on, but nobody is home”.
Another method is to pause and stop speaking for about ten seconds. Actually, ten seconds can feel quite long, as we are used to continuous palaver from speakers.
This is called a “pattern interrupt” because we provide a consistent audio rhythm when we are speaking. When we turn it off, the sleepy attendees wake up because something has changed. They become alert again, springing from a deeply rooted and basic survival tactic.
If we have been going hard with our delivery, we can wear some audience members out. We are hitting them with so much energy, it is thrashing them.
This is something I have to be careful about, because I am a very high energy presenter. If I see I am wiping people out with my overpowering energy, I need to bring in more lows and reduce the crescendos. This is not that easy, because as the speaker, we get into a rhythm too with our pacing. We are up and away and it is hard to rein yourself in, especially when you are enjoying yourself.
One of the unnecessary pressures we place on ourselves can be too much content for the time available and we rush. This gets very ugly, very fast. The audience realise immediately that the speaker has screwed up the time allocation for their delivery and now panic is setting in, as the presenter races through their slides. It looks very unprofessional, and as it comes at the end, it poisons our final key impression with the crowd.
We may have been doing very well and everyone is enjoying the talk and getting a lot of value. We suddenly go crazy and start rushing. Effectively, we delete all that good will we have built up during the presentation and we replace it with a negative recollection of ourselves.
Rehearsal is the cure for the time control problem. However, if you cannot do a rehearsal and you realise during the delivery that you have to stop, don’t rush through the slides. When you do that, the jig is up and everyone is on to you.
Instead, just stop on the slide you are on, wrap it up and call for any questions they may have. Remember, only you know what is in the slide deck. When you race through and show them what they missed out on, the unhappiness is increased. It is better to not reveal the gap.
When doing the Q&A, don’t forget to repeat the question, so that everyone can hear it, as long as it isn’t a hostile question. Never repeat or amplify an incoming unfriendly missile. With that situation, we always paraphrase to take the heat out of the question.
Don’t just look at the questioner either. Give them some eye contact and then share your answer with the rest of the audience as well.
Finally, close it all out by repeating your main message and take your bow, enjoy the applause and finish on the mark. Everyone will be very happy you respected their time and they will regard you as a professional.
