“Gavin, I tried audience interaction in the past and it didn’t work.”
I hear this a lot from new clients when I start working with them.
Like me, you will have observed some fantastic audience engagement.
And you will have witnessed some shockers!
Avoid these two audience killers to improve your odds.
Firstly, avoid getting the audience to do anything that is unclear.
Too many speakers, for example, ask a convoluted question.
By the time the audience has gotten to grips with it, too much time has passed.
One well-meaning speaker asked his audience recently who had ever been to China or not been to China.
Everyone has either been or not been!
Nobody raised their hand because there was a complete lack of clarity.
Secondly, do not make it more difficult to take part than to hold back.
At a recent comedy gameshow I attended, the compère invited people to raise their hand if they thought a joke was lame, corny or unfunny.
If a hand was raised, the comedian had to do a forfeit.
Over the next 45 minutes there was a multitude of corny jokes that failed to raise a laugh.
But they also failed to raise a hand.
It was too awkward for people to engage.
What if other people don’t agree with me…
What if the comedian gets annoyed with me…
What if I upset someone…
Easier to do nothing.
In general, most audiences want the speaker to succeed and they want to engage.
But there is a natural hesitation, especially early on.
So make it clear. Make it easy.
And remember: clarity beats confusion every time – to stop the audience killers.
For more helpful presentation tips – why not check out the following article on how to stand out from other speakers…
