Depending on your presentation persona, you might struggle to come up with clever ways to engage your audience. Find out what your presentation persona is by taking our Badge assessment, and start discovering your full presentation potential. My presentation persona is the Producer; I tend to put most of my time into study and preparation, and overlook opportunities to ask my audience for their thoughts and ideas.
Find out your Presentation Persona with our new book, on sale now!
It’s one thing to make sure you know how to sell your message to an audience. But if you need help finding exciting and fun ways to connect with your audience, here’s some ideas you should try during your next presentation.
Ice Breakers:
Chances are you are not going to know everyone attending your presentation. It may be easy to chat with a friend or colleague, but you should also reach out to some new faces as well. Little games that allow everyone a chance to share something about themselves are a great way to break the ice. Maybe start off your presentation by asking who is new to the room, and get an idea of what they already know about you or your company. This gives you an opportunity to introduce yourself and share some background on what you are about to present.
Show of Hands:
Starting off your presentation with a question for your audience will get you a reaction. Ethos3 is passionate about the art of storytelling as a way to make your presentation more impactful. Asking a question is one way to open your presentation with a story. You could throw out a question like, “have you ever had this happen to you before?” and allow your audience to respond. By incorporating the experience behind the story into your presentation, your audience is more likely to connect with you and your presentation.
Read more about storytelling:
5 Storytelling Tips for Presentations
Storytelling Ideas for Presentations
Any Questions:
When your presentation is all said and done, resist the urge to pack up and leave right away. Always ask your audience for questions or comments before they head out. If you don’t get an immediate response, do a quick overview of what you just presented for them and ask if there are any points you need to clarify, or if anyone has some ideas they would like to share. And stick around to chat with audience members as they leave to make new connections.
Some presenters may be natural at audience engagement. But if you are like me and want to liven up your presentation in a fun way, give these exercises a try and find one that works best for you.
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