Session 2 :Use strategies that capture and retain the interest of an audience

1. Strategies that capture and retain the interest of an audience

The material of your presentation should be concise, to the point and tell an interesting story. In addition to the obvious things like content and visual aids, the following are just as important, as the audience will be subconsciously taking them in:

Your voice: How you say it is as important as what you say. Throughout your presentation, try to convey your enthusiasm and belief in the topic. The use of your voice establishes……

• Rapport,
• Maintains interest,
• Emphasizes points and assists comprehension of the information by the audience.

This can be achieved by THE FOLLOWING:

• Varying volume, 
• Pace,
• Pitch,
• Pause and
• Tone.

Talk at a moderate pace if you have excellent content. If your arguments are weak, speak at a faster pace as this will give people less chance for developing counter arguments. Fast talkers are regarded as more competent, truthful, fluent, energetic, enthusiastic and persuasive. By talking fast, you move the attention from the content to yourself. This being said, it is important to match your pace to what needs to be said – important instructions or explanations need to be presented at a moderate pace, whilst general information could be presented at a faster pace.

Use a quiet, reasonable tone for the content, but still show some energy and interest. Pauses of two seconds before key points are recommended to create interest and attention in what follows. Pauses after key points allow people to reflect on what was said.

Body language: Your body movements express what your attitudes and thoughts really are. Your movements attract attention and give the audience something to follow. The following tips can assist you.

• If you have been standing still or behind a podium, move to the right or left or toward the audience.
• Use gestures to emphasize a point.
• Facial expressions also help to convey a message.
• Maintain eye contact and don’t forget to smile!

Different body posture

Appearance: First impressions influence the audience’s attitudes to you. Dress appropriately for the occasion and to show you respect the audience

As with most personal skills, oral communication cannot be taught. So as always, practice is essential, both to improve your skills generally and also to make the best of each individual or group presentation you make.

2. Planning

Initial Planning: This is where you begin to tailor the talk to the situation, and for that reason, this stage is very important for a successful presentation. Begin this stage early, the more lead time you allow yourself, the more time you will have to think up potential approaches to the topic and the more interesting and substantial your presentation will be.

Before you begin preparing the presentation, you’ll need to determine:

The type of talk you’ll be expected to give:

• Will this be an informal chat, a seminar discussion, or a more formal presentation?
• Different talks have different purposes.

The composition of the audience

• Will you be speaking to a general audience or specialists?
• How many people are expected to attend?

The time allotted for the talk

• The longer the talk, the more freedom you will have to explore the topic.
• A short talk needs to be very clear and to address the topic directly.
• Let your audience know that you regard their time as precious and have no intention of wasting it.
• Keep to your allotted time – do not extend it and do not keep rambling on just to fill your time slot. “If you haven’t struck oil in five minutes – stop boring!”

Expectations for information content

• What is the purpose of your talk? Clarify the expectations beforehand and plan to address them during the presentation.
• Will you be presenting novel concepts to this audience, or building upon their prior knowledge? Either way, make sure you cover the basics clearly, and early in the talk, to avoid confusing the audience.

3. Visual aids

Visual aids enhance the presentation, the transfer of information and the understanding thereof. They do, however, have to be appropriate to the topic and the context.

Cue cards: These are a visual aid for you, the presenter. The notes must be written boldly, in print not script, and must list key words only. The cards must fit in the palm of your hand.       

Handouts: Do not hand out material to read when you begin the presentation:

• It may cause the listeners to get out of step with the speaker, unless the handout contains information that needs to be referred to during the presentation.

The purpose of this material is to:

• Convey information more clearly and concisely than can be transferred orally.

Do not include anything that is unnecessary. All tables, charts, graphs, maps and diagrams should be made simple and as clear as possible. Too much detail will make them difficult to understand.

It is a good idea to include your references on a handout, so that people can follow up on them later. A paper record (handout) tells your audience that you are serious, responsible, exact and credible. It gives the audience something they can read, take away, make copies of and refer to at a later stage.

Multi-media and visual aids: PowerPoint presentations, transparencies, or flip charts can help people follow the talk. This is especially important to show organization, present lists, highlight illustrations and exhibits, and summarize data. People think in pictures. Say Nike and people “see” the swoosh. Say Energizer and people “see” the bunny. Say (your name hear) and what do people see? That is why logos and other graphical elements are so important. Tapping into the visualization part of the brain is probably the most powerful way to communicate with anyone. When putting together a PowerPoint presentation, keep the following in mind:

• key words on bullet points – this helps to retain audience attention and gives you a reason for being there (anyone can read, so you do not want to read to them).
• Omit anything that is not vital. PowerPoint often leads people to include irrelevant things (only if you have nothing important to say, should you use lots of bells and whistles).
• Only use colour when the colour has a meaning. Keep in mind that some people are colour-blind and others may make black and white copies of the slides, in which case the colour would be meaningless

Continuity and interaction

Continuity and interaction are vital for a successful presentation. It is imperative that the speaker/presenter be very well prepared. This will ensure a smooth presentation and good timing. It will allow the speaker to pick up on any confused or perplexed listeners, as well as check understanding by asking questions. If questions and answers follow your presentation,

Remember to always repeat the question for the entire audience.

Then look at the questioner when answering. If you are unsure, don’t make up an answer, rather say you don’t know and say you need to get back to them