The closeness factor is simple: the nearer you are to your audience, the faster you connect.
I was reminded of this at the Edinburgh Fringe recently, where I watched the same comedian perform two shows.
The material was almost identical – but the laughs didn’t land in the same way.
There is a key presentation lesson to learn.
The lesson hinges on the distance between the speaker and the audience.
In the first show, the room was small and the audience was tightly packed.
He was very close to the audience.
He made a connection (and therefore got laughs) quickly.
The second show was at a different venue.
This time, the room was bigger and there was a larger gap between the stage and the audience.
His material was broadly the same.
But it took longer to make a connection and the laughs came later.
He still got there, but he had to work harder for the same result.
What do I invite you to draw from this?
In presentations, the same rule applies: the closer you are, the quicker the connection.
Make it easy on yourself by having a set-up where you can get near them.
What if you can’t?
Be aware of the potential headwind you may face.
Put in some extra energy in the early part to help ‘close the gap’ with the audience.
And if it doesn’t work as well as you hoped, keep going.
Do not allow it to hinder your delivery.
With good content, strong delivery, and genuine care, connection will come – even if it takes a little longer.
Looking for more presentation tips, why not check out the following article on an alternative lifeline to help you overcome online presenting challenges…
