Knee Bounce: [nee bouns] a nervous twitch occurring in one or both of the joints which connect the femur and tibia in homo sapien legs; en masse, a collective expression of boredom, restlessness, and “la la la, I can’t hear you.”
Granted, it can be a little tough to know how to interpret knee bouncing. In sports arenas and at rock concerts, fans will at times bounce their knees loudly to create a cacophony of excited anticipation. In this sense, it is the nearly uncontrollable nervous excitement of a large group of people that leads them to mindlessly bang their feet on the floorboards of bleachers and stadium seats.
Alternatively, it is also common for children trapped in school on a beautiful day to restlessly bounce their knees while clinging to their every belonging, counting the seconds until school is dismissed and they can propel their bodies away from the mind-numbing boredom at warp speed.
There is a simple checklist that you, the presenter, can employ to quickly ascertain whether you are the fortunate or unfortunate cause of knee bouncing. Are you: a) capable of a windmill dunk, grand slam, diving catch, or some other display of supreme athletic prowess, or b) the legendary singer/songwriter responsible for the anthems your audience came of age to, and the searing guitar riffs that go along with those anthems?
If you have answered yes to either of the above, excellent! Get out there and thrill them!
If you answered no, maybe you should wrap it up.
The Takeaway: If their knees are bouncing, you’ve probably lost them. Call a break, call it a day, or call out that clown you have on stand-by, but whatever you do, don’t try to press forward with more of a boring presentation. If knee bouncing is a repeated occurrence during your presentations, consider getting professional help to make them more enthralling.
