You're faced with a packed presentation schedule. How do you keep your audience engaged throughout?

Understanding who you're presenting to is crucial. Tailor your content to their interests, knowledge level, and expectations. Engage with them by addressing their specific needs and preferences, making your presentation more relevant and compelling.

Stories are a great way to capture the imagination and focus of learners. The characters within a story can help learners to feel connected and build emotional ties. Studies have shown this to be an effective way to engage audiences and support memory recall. Within the story, having an element of problem solving, even in the initial opening, will get the learners thinking critically from the start. It can also be used for learners to identify gaps they will be seeking to fill throughout the session resulting in a more engaged learner.

Start your presentation with a strong opening to capture your audience's attention immediately. This could be an interesting fact, a compelling story, or a surprising statistic. A powerful opening sets the tone for the rest of your presentation and encourages your audience to stay engaged.

Build engagement before the presentation. I find opportunities for interaction with each other in every talking point. Nobody should feel they must simply sit and listen to a speaker. To experience the material, they need to ask questions and make the information relevant to their lives. For a conference this week, I have built in an activity for passing notes by following a series of rules. They will experience communication within computer networks by making the connection with postal delivery. Observing the movement of notes or mail provides insight into why things take time and where to identify risks within the system. We will finish with a full group discussion to provide a better explanation than a graphic or my explanation.

To keep your audience engaged during a packed presentation schedule, use humor wisely. A well-placed joke or a light-hearted comment can make your presentation more enjoyable and help break the monotony. Just make sure your humor is relevant and appropriate for your audience to keep things professional and engaging.