Sales Presentation Skills | Public Speaking Skills | How to Keep Participants Engaged in Your Presen

Now that you’ve gotten everyone’s attention, you need to think about how to keep the energy going. No one said presenting was easy. It can be one of the most draining activities you will experience. In fact, if it’s not, you may not be putting all that you should into your presentations!

Keeping an eye on the level of engagement can be tricky, but it’s very important. There are several techniques (like ice- breakers) to help get the participants engaged and keep them there—but you’re not likely to think to use them if you’re not picking up on a potential lack of engagement.

Many times your personal “radar” will pick up on the fact that you may be losing people. When this happens, don’t second-guess your instincts—react!

However, your radar will not catch everything. So, rather than relying on it to detect when you’re losing people, include checkpoints in your presentation. These could be in the form of slides or simply notes on your personal agenda.

Here are some ideas for keeping participants engaged in your presentation:

1) Do the participants understand the information?

• Ask two or three questions to verify understanding. This shouldn’t take more than two minutes. You could put the questions on a slide or just ask them orally.

• Have a participant recap a section that has just been covered. Ask for a volunteer first, so as not to embarrass anyone. Help the volunteer if he or she gets stuck and, if need be, get others to jump in and help.

2) Do the participants understand why this information is important to them?

• I mentioned the radio station WII-FM, whose call letters stand for “What’s in it for me?” In many cases, people must get an answer to that question before they’ll engage. So ask participants to comment on what they’re getting out of the presentation. Also, ask them what they’ll gain by using the information presented thus far.

3) How are you doing in terms of your agenda? Are you on track with time goals you’ve set?

• Some participants will watch the clock and check the agenda. If you’re running behind, they may worry about other things they need to do and how their schedules may be affected. Those thoughts distract them. If you’re off track and you need time to regroup, take a quick break. Then tell the participants how you plan to cover the information necessary and end on time. If it’s impossible to finish in the allotted time, allow a break so they can make any needed arrangements.

Another way to verify that participants are engaged is to check in with the participants during breaks and lunch to see what they’re getting out of the meeting. If this is a meeting with your subordinates, breaks are a great time to chat with them to check their level of understanding and retention.

Participants may also approach you between sessions and want to know if you have a few minutes after the meeting to talk. If you have time right then, don’t wait; take them aside immediately and find out what’s on their minds. If they have questions or concerns, they’re less likely to be fully engaged in your presentation. Even if you just listen to them and promise to get back with them later to finish the discussion, they’ll have it off their minds. Also, try to prepare them (and yourself) for the rest of the session. Mention some of the points to come and get them thinking in that direction.