E-Tips

How To Keep Them Awake

The CEO stepped up to the podium with a baseball bat in hand.

To his left was an empty 5 gallon plastic water jug. His speech rapidly gained momentum as he discussed the company's problems. Listing several things people had to put up with that they didn't like, he yelled, "Well just get over it!" and he hit the empty jug with the bat sending it clear across the stage. No one was sleeping.

We call this "Pattern Disruption." Recent studies at the University of Indiana show that brain attention span drops off rapidly after the first 15 minutes. Add to that the productivity pressures people are feeling plus the constant intrusion of pagers, cell phones, PDAs and other electronic distraction devices (EDDs I call them) we must do whatever it takes to keep their attention.

We may have great content and world class delivery, but uninterrupted PowerPoint slides for 45 minutes is going to put most audiences into the Land of Nod. Even all of PowerPoint's special features like twirling bullet points and special sound effects can have little effect against the biological and electronic sea of distraction.

So what's a presenter to do? Answer: build the elements of Pattern Disruption into all your presentations. From the audience perspective, there are two levels, passive and active.

Passive techniques involve things the presenter can do to break the pattern that do not actively involve the audience. Here are a few ideas you might try:

• A/V support. In PowerPoint you can use the "B" button to cause the slides to go blank. This returns total attention to you. Use this time to share a story or example without the visual distraction of slides. Hit the "B" button again to return to the slides.



• Movement. Move away from the lectern. Walk across the stage or into the audience for a moment.



• Stories. Add personal stories or customer examples to your presentation for impact.



• Props. Anything not slide related can create the effect of pattern
  disruption.

Active audience involvement techniques can enliven any presentation. Here you ask the audience to do something related to your presentation.

• Questions. Probably the easiest thing we can do. Ask them rhetorical or literal questions. Ask for a show of hands. Always acknowledge the answers you get and fold this information into your presentation.



• Draw out their experiences related to the topic. Ask people to share with the group either verbally or in writing relevant personal experience.



• Small group discussion. Take a break from your presentation by asking people to partner for a few minutes with others to tell a story related to your topic. Some of these can then be shared with the whole group.



• Interview audience members. Do a Phil Donahue type interview with selected people in the audience.



• Get a few people up on stage with you to discuss or illustrate critical points you want to make.

Most people hesitate to try these techniques for fear of losing control. Not to worry. Be crisp and clear. Clap your hands and yell, "Can I get your attention back up here, please." They will respond. Whatever the small risks involved with audience participation, the benefit for us as presenters far outweigh it. Involved audiences are not bored or sleeping. Typically, our audiences are bright, well educated people who want to participate, not just sit there passively looking at slides.

If you use these techniques, you will be a real audience pleaser. But more importantly, they will remember what you say because they are involved. And...you don't necessarily have to knock a five gallon plastic bottle across the stage to do it.