Professional Development: Dynamic Presentations

Think back to a presentation or seminar you attended that you felt was effective, informative and enjoyable. Most likely it included audience participation. This is a basic learning principle: If you engage a person in an activity, he or she will learn better, be motivated and feel a positive affinity toward the speaker. Marketers understand that conducting seminars, presentations and client pitches are key to gaining clients.

A speech should be informative, but has its limits because it is strictly an auditory experience. A slide-show presentation has more impact because it adds a visual component. However, when the audience is involved in the presentation, you connect with them kinesthetically. Kinesthetics involves the range of sensory perceptions derived when the body moves or is engaged. In other words, when the body shifts toward the speaker, when a head tilts up and when a person answers or asks questions, those sensory experiences are registered in memory. If the overall experience is pleasant, the audience will correlate the speaker to the positive reaction.

Learning Modes

Most people have three learning modes: auditory, visual and kinesthetic. You have a better chance of your message sticking when you address all three modalities. Most of us are experienced with the auditory and visual aspects of a presentation, so let's concentrate on the kinesthetic mode triggered through audience participation.

The Kinesthetic Mode

There are a variety of methods with which to engage the audience, none of which are goofy ice-breakers or activities that make people uncomfortable. The simplest is to get more out of your Q & A session. Often, a speaker will ask if there are any questions and then blankly stare at the audience while everyone sits in silence. Planting a few questions among people you know in the audience will get the ball rolling. An excellent way to help engage the audience is to ask them to raise their hands or clap in response to a question. For example say, “Raise your hand if ' ” or “ By a show of hands, how many of you ' .” If you engage people in this non-threatening manner, they will feel more comfortable responding to and asking questions. If you want to ask the audience a direct question, be sure it is an open-ended question that will create a thoughtful response, but wait for a response or call on someone you recognize to get the dialogue started.

Getting the Audience Talking

What you are trying to do is get the audience talking. Watch experienced salespeople; they are always asking their prospective buyers questions, not necessarily because they really want to know the answer (the question may be on a completely different topic), but because they understand that engaging the person is half the battle. A technique that is successful in a seminar atmosphere is to get people talking to each other one-on-one or in small groups. If you have just shared an experience or story with an audience that is seated at tables, ask each table to share similar experiences among themselves. You can pose a problem or situation and ask the table to talk about it. If the room is theater style, ask those sitting next to each other to engage in conversation via a direct assignment such as asking them to discuss an issue related to the topic of your presentation. Shortly the room will be filled with the buzz of conversation.

Brainstorming

Brainstorming is a common way to involve an audience. Ask the group to come up with answers, ideas, definitions, just about anything, and list their responses on a flipchart. Or, if you have technical acuity (or an assistant) type responses directly into your slide presentation. The key to successful brainstorming is to not allow any judgment or evaluation happen while people are responding. If someone throws out an idea and someone else discredits it, quickly offer support of the idea which will send a signal to the group that negativity is not permitted, otherwise no one else will offer a response. Once people start generating ideas, even outlandish ones, the energy in the room will heighten.

When an audience sees microphone stands scattered in a room, they will know that the program is intended to be interactive. The question is, should you relinquish the microphone? There is always the risk that one or two of the attendees will get out of control. We all know of certain individuals who will consciously or subconsciously take over when a microphone is in their hands. If you find yourself in this predicament, use recognition or humor to regain control in order to continue your presentation. For instance, you can say, “Excellent points, thank you,” while acknowledging the next person to speak. There are risks when you relinquish the microphone, so be sure to pick your level of participation wisely.

Conclusion

How successful you are as a speaker is tied to your style and command of the audience. By adding a kinesthetic component, you will spice up your presentations and be known as a dynamic presenter.

Sharon Meit Abrahams, Ed.D., has been training lawyers in law firms for over 20 years.

Think back to a presentation or seminar you attended that you felt was effective, informative and enjoyable. Most likely it included audience participation. This is a basic learning principle: If you engage a person in an activity, he or she will learn better, be motivated and feel a positive affinity toward the speaker. Marketers understand that conducting seminars, presentations and client pitches are key to gaining clients.

A speech should be informative, but has its limits because it is strictly an auditory experience. A slide-show presentation has more impact because it adds a visual component. However, when the audience is involved in the presentation, you connect with them kinesthetically. Kinesthetics involves the range of sensory perceptions derived when the body moves or is engaged. In other words, when the body shifts toward the speaker, when a head tilts up and when a person answers or asks questions, those sensory experiences are registered in memory. If the overall experience is pleasant, the audience will correlate the speaker to the positive reaction.

Learning Modes

Most people have three learning modes: auditory, visual and kinesthetic. You have a better chance of your message sticking when you address all three modalities. Most of us are experienced with the auditory and visual aspects of a presentation, so let's concentrate on the kinesthetic mode triggered through audience participation.

The Kinesthetic Mode

There are a variety of methods with which to engage the audience, none of which are goofy ice-breakers or activities that make people uncomfortable. The simplest is to get more out of your Q & A session. Often, a speaker will ask if there are any questions and then blankly stare at the audience while everyone sits in silence. Planting a few questions among people you know in the audience will get the ball rolling. An excellent way to help engage the audience is to ask them to raise their hands or clap in response to a question. For example say, “Raise your hand if ' ” or “ By a show of hands, how many of you ' .” If you engage people in this non-threatening manner, they will feel more comfortable responding to and asking questions. If you want to ask the audience a direct question, be sure it is an open-ended question that will create a thoughtful response, but wait for a response or call on someone you recognize to get the dialogue started.

Getting the Audience Talking

What you are trying to do is get the audience talking. Watch experienced salespeople; they are always asking their prospective buyers questions, not necessarily because they really want to know the answer (the question may be on a completely different topic), but because they understand that engaging the person is half the battle. A technique that is successful in a seminar atmosphere is to get people talking to each other one-on-one or in small groups. If you have just shared an experience or story with an audience that is seated at tables, ask each table to share similar experiences among themselves. You can pose a problem or situation and ask the table to talk about it. If the room is theater style, ask those sitting next to each other to engage in conversation via a direct assignment such as asking them to discuss an issue related to the topic of your presentation. Shortly the room will be filled with the buzz of conversation.

Brainstorming

Brainstorming is a common way to involve an audience. Ask the group to come up with answers, ideas, definitions, just about anything, and list their responses on a flipchart. Or, if you have technical acuity (or an assistant) type responses directly into your slide presentation. The key to successful brainstorming is to not allow any judgment or evaluation happen while people are responding. If someone throws out an idea and someone else discredits it, quickly offer support of the idea which will send a signal to the group that negativity is not permitted, otherwise no one else will offer a response. Once people start generating ideas, even outlandish ones, the energy in the room will heighten.

When an audience sees microphone stands scattered in a room, they will know that the program is intended to be interactive. The question is, should you relinquish the microphone? There is always the risk that one or two of the attendees will get out of control. We all know of certain individuals who will consciously or subconsciously take over when a microphone is in their hands. If you find yourself in this predicament, use recognition or humor to regain control in order to continue your presentation. For instance, you can say, “Excellent points, thank you,” while acknowledging the next person to speak. There are risks when you relinquish the microphone, so be sure to pick your level of participation wisely.

Conclusion

How successful you are as a speaker is tied to your style and command of the audience. By adding a kinesthetic component, you will spice up your presentations and be known as a dynamic presenter.

Sharon Meit Abrahams, Ed.D., has been training lawyers in law firms for over 20 years.