What do you mean by 'audience engagement' ?
Audience engagement is when your audience feels that they are part of the presentation. Your introduction got their interest, you now have to keep them involved. There are several ways to maintain attention and keep your audience interested. These include:
Questions
Stories
Movement
Volunteers
What are some great questions?
Simple Question
The simplest question to ask is one that has only one answer and most people know it already. The purpose of this question is to get an audience-presenter bond. You speak, they respond and you verbally confirm that they are right. It is as if you are applauding them. That they are the centre of attention. This is no longer them listening to you. But you working with them. Engagement.
More difficult Questions
You can ask a more difficult question. But wait for a response. Sometimes the correct answer will come immediately. If this happens, make sure you congratulate and praise that audience member. Remember, you and the audience are a team. You need each other and this is a great way to strengthen the bond. Engagement.
If the answer to a difficult question is almost correct but needs more detail, praise the responder and ask the audience for further comments. It is amazing how often somebody can provide a better answer than we ourselves thought of. Working together, the audience can come up with the desired answer. Ensure that you praise all the contributors. You reinforce that you and they share a common purpose. Engagement.
Acknowledge and Praise
In all cases, repeat an answer to a question. This complements the person who answered, and we all like a bit of recognition. It also tells anyone, who missed the original response, what was said. It shows that you are sharing everything that was offered by your audience. The audience spoke to you, you share it with the audience, you are one unit. Engagement.
What type of stories should I tell?
Stories are valuable in that they provide images. Human beings are visually orientated and respond immediately to pictures. A picture really does paint a thousand words. Each story should be related to your topic and should illustrate the point being made at the time.
There are personal stories where you relate an event that happened to you. There are general stories, such as fables and mini-biographies, which describe circumstances that happened to others. Stories are a great way to get a point across without sounding dogmatic.
What about Movement?
Stage Movement
You and the audience are one. Reinforce this fact by moving from one part of the stage to another. You want to include everybody. You want everybody to know that they are important. And your physical presence near them confirms this. When a person is responding, move to that part of the stage. Some presenters move up and down the aisles to include each row. Some stay on the podium to include the group as a whole.
Body Movement
Use your arms to full effect when you invite an answer. Palm up, arm outstretched is a wonderful gesture to indicate you need help from the audience. It shows your confidence and willingness to be part of the group. When we are emotionally engaged with our speech, our body language will indicate an appropriate gesture. This makes us human and is appreciated by an audience.
Audience Movement
Sitting down and listening, for any length of time, is demanding. Our bodies were made to move. Asking the audience to give feedback by raising their hands is a great way to kill two birds with one stone. You not only give the audience a chance to physically move but also get a visible response to your question.
You must acknowledge this response. This is not just an exercise to wake the audience up. It is a sincere request for feedback. You are genuinely interested in their reply. Give them time to respond and thank them. Their feedback is an important part of your presentation. You and they are working together. Engagement.
Some presenters ask the audience to write something down. Again, if it is important enough to write down, give your audience time to write it down. And then thank them. They and you are there for a common purpose. Engagement.
Should I ask for a Volunteer?
A popular method for breaking down barriers between an audience and the speaker is to ask for a volunteer. The rest of the group identifies with the chosen person. They respond with them to the speaker's purpose. There is intrigue as the speaker makes a request to the volunteer. The audience wonders what the volunteer's response will be. Similar to a question, this technique raises the audience's curiosity and thus their attention.
Conclusion
I hope this session on audience engagement has been useful. You have learned that engagement is a sincere attempt by the speaker to unite with an audience for a common purpose. Every element of the presentation has a purpose: to help the speaker and the audience benefit from the event. When you work with the audience, rather than talk at the audience, you will be a great speaker. Every success.
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