How to engage with your audience sian hughes

How to engage with your audience

Sian Hughes -s.hughes@mmu.ac.ukThurs 26th May

The Hook – Start with impact• Be controversial• Create fear/anticipation• Be reassuring• Surprise the audience• Create participation• Quote a statistic• Tell a story• Ask a question

The Promise (INTRO)• I nterest – via the hook

• N eed – why do your audience need to listen to you?

• T itle – what’s it about?

• R ange – outline key themes

• O bjective – “By the end of this presentation, you will….”

End with a bang not a whimper!

• Revisit the promise• Provide a direction for your audience….what

should they do next?• A statement summing up your key message• A visual or verbal link back to the opening• Thank you for your attention, any questions?

4 things to remember about your audience

• They want you to succeed• You have the knowledge the audience want• The audience don’t know you’re afraid• The audience can be treated as an individual

Difficult Participants – The Whisperer

Identify by:• Don’t understand

what’s going on• Sharing anecdotes

triggered by your presentation

• Bored, mischievious or critical (rare)

Options:• Stop talking, wait

and non verbally ask for permission to continue

• Use your proximity

Difficult Participants – The HecklerIdentify by:• Aggressive• Argumentative• Insecure?

Options:• Never give a reaction• Find merit and agree on

something, then move on

• Wait for a mis-statement of fact and throw it out to the group for correction

Difficult Participants – The Talker/Know All

• Identify by:• “Eager beaver”• A show off?• Well informed and keen

to show it

• Options:• Slow down with a

tough question• Jump in and ask for the

group to comment • Wait for a pause, thank

and move on

Any questions?