One of the most important challenges for a presenter is to first capture and then hold the audience’s attention. If the presenter cannot do this, the presentation may not be successful, no matter how valuable the content is. When a presenter is waiting his turn and slyly glances at the crowd before having to intervene, panic tends to overwhelm. This is a feeling familiar to many.

Audiences may seem intimidating or too chaotic at first, but there are ways to capture and hold their attention. We must remember here that getting their attention is not enough. We must keep your attention throughout our presentation. Many speakers try to get attention in many ways, for example by telling the latest joke or making a quirky entry. This can attract attention but does not establish relevance, so after a while people may drift away or fall.

This kind of attention-getting trick, which isn’t really relevant to the topic or theme of the presentation, can be effective in getting the presenter’s attention momentarily, but then people see them as gimmicks and rarely remember the presentation. real or the message it had. for them. Jumping on the table or landing on stage from a helicopter would definitely grab the audience, but if your presentation isn’t as flashy and captivating, the effect wears off quickly.

These are some of the most used methods to get and keep the audience’s attention.

1. Ask a question.

You can ask a rhetorical question or something that involves everyone by getting them to think about it.

• How many of you in this room have hated filling out tax returns?
• How many of you drive a German car?
• Are our competitors taking us out of the market?

You can wait a bit after the question to get information about your audience, but don’t wait too long as audience members feel stupid if no one knows the answer. Avoid open-ended questions and ask only questions that can be answered with a simple yes or no, unless you are sure to use such questions skillfully. If you ask overly general questions like “What is the purpose of life?” people may get the impression that your presentation is very general.

2. State an impressive fact.

Start with a shocking, unusual, or impressive event related to the topic of your presentation.

• We will be out of business in six months if we allow our competitors to overtake us in this way.
• Market demand has doubled in the last three years and our market share has increased by just 1%.

3. Tell a story.

Telling a personal story closely related to the topic of your presentation is a great way to start. People tend to like to hear personal stories, that are not too long or that try to glorify the narrator too much.

Example:

“Dear colleagues, before we begin, I would like to tell you a short story about how our service got its name. Don’t worry it’s not too long“.

A tale from India

Three fish lived in a pond. One was called Plan Ahead, another was called Think Fast, and the third was called Wait and See. One day they heard a fisherman say that the next day he was going to cast his net into his pond. The advance plan said: “I’m swimming down the river tonight! Think Fast said “I’m sure I’ll come up with a plan. “Wait and watch lazily he said,”I can’t think of that right now!“When the fisherman cast his nets, Plan Ahead was gone. But Think Fast and Wait and See were caught! Think Fast quickly rolled onto his back and pretended to be dead.”Oh this fish is not good!“said the fisherman, and tossed it safely into the water. But, Wait and See ended up at the fish market. That’s why they say,”In times of danger, when the net is thrown, plan ahead or plan to think fast!”

4. Get a quote.

Quotes are widely used for presentations and add a colorful touch to your personal style.

“A short saying often contains a lot of wisdom.“Sophocles (496 BC – 406 BC)

“No culture can live if it tries to be exclusive. “

Mahatma Gandhi

Although they can be impressive, quotes don’t have much of a shock value and could be quickly forgotten. Therefore, they must be complemented by other methods to attract the attention of the audience. Also remember to use quotes sparingly. If you use too many quotes, people start to think that you have nothing original to say as you are always borrowing other people’s sayings.

5. Tell a joke.

Jokes are wonderful for relaxing audiences and creating a happy atmosphere. Relaxed audiences tend to be more interactive. This could make the presenters’ job easier.

The joke must be appropriate. People have very different senses of humor and you have to be very careful with jokes. What might produce laughter in one audience might cause stunned silence in another.

Experiment with the joke first with people you know to see how it works and if poor language skills make it difficult to understand the joke. It is very embarrassing if you are the only one who understands the joke and no one can laugh for the right reason. Some jokes to avoid are sexual, religious, ethnic and political issues, as people are very sensitive in these areas.

One thing to watch out for is the cultural relativity of humor. In many cultures, locals make jokes about many things and everyone laughs, but the moment a person from another culture or from the foreign head office makes the same joke, it can stop being a joke and become a cultural affront.

6. Go among the audience.

Presenters generally stay in the front area, near the laptop or overhead projector. This creates a comfort zone for many people in the audience. Some brave presenters disturb this audience’s comfort zone by stepping in or going all the way to the side. Then the primitive instincts of people in your comfort zone begin to wake them up. “The presenter is so close and then he will even ask me something, so you better be alert.“.

Attention-grabbing skills are important in establishing relevance to your audience. Most of the people in the audience are often not mentally present or not with you when you start speaking. Even if they are physically present there and are trying to appear interested, they are actually in their own worlds. They are thinking about work matters, planning the rest of the day, thinking of a problem of their own, or just daydreaming. You have to bring them into your world and get them interested in your topic.

Attention Skills are your tool to help your audience tune in to your topic. These audience-grabbing skills aren’t about your ego, you’re just helping them tune in. When you have something worth saying and your audience feels that you are really guiding and helping them focus on your topic, they will appreciate it and reward you with enthusiastic attention and active participation. Then at the end, you will feel euphoric as you clap your hands to show your appreciation.

The best place to make a presentation is a prison; they already have a captive audience.

Enjoy your presentations!