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How to Keep Audiences Awake

Secrets from the Pros!

Have you ever snoozed during a presentation?  Presentations Magazine finds that most executives have! In the December, 2005 issue, Presentations reported that seventy-one percent of 382 business managers reported that they have fallen asleep during presentations.

And the news gets worse: these managers reported that the most difficult types of presentations to stay awake for were speeches (35%), followed by training sessions (23%).

The challenge is obvious. How to ensure that absolutely no one falls asleep during YOUR presentation or workshop?

Three Rules that Keep Them From Snoozing

1.  Own the Real Estate.

This rule is all about ownership: of your physical space, of your material, and of your state of mind. Let's look at each:

Own Your Physical Space

In my workshops, we have a name for the physical space from which you will present. (No, this place is not called "Hell!") This area is called the Magic Circle.  In it, you must grow larger, more vivid, more animated, and more authoritative. The Magic Circle is space that you actively take possession of, and own, for the duration of your presentation.

The actual size of your Magic Circle could be restricted. For example, you may be required to sit while presenting. Or the area can be more spacious, as in the center of a training room. The size of the Magic Circle doesn’t matter. How you use it does.

When you present from the Magic Circle, you take on an intensified version of yourself. You should feel your posture become more erect, even if you are seated. Roll your shoulders into your back pockets; open your chest. Look people in the eyes. Be direct, calm, and centered, but also be aware of the psychic and physical space you are taking up. Fill it up! Stake your claim and OWN that space!

Own Your Material

If you haven't practiced your material, if it's not "in your body," you shouldn't be presenting. It's as simple as that. Even a five-minute speech to the City Council needs to be practiced. No material should ever feel rented, or like it belongs to someone else. Even if you're not happy with the numbers or news you must report, you own them for the duration of your talk. Your own credibility depends on it.

Own Your State of Mind

You may have had an awful day, and now it's time to present. Or you may be anxiously hyperventilating about doing a new training session. Your job now? It is to "get a grip." In order to release nervousness, breathe consciously. Move about and shake it out before your presentation. Breathe deeply into your gut, and envision total success.

By owning your physical space, your material, and your state of mind, you become more dynamic and animated. You are in charge. The good news is that 51% of the 382 executives mentioned above said the most important ingredient to keep them awake was "an animated and enthusiastic speaker!"

2. Break the Rules.

(Yes, this is the second rule, and it can be broken.)

Most organizations and systems are creatures of habit. In some systems, people always use the podium when they speak. In others, speakers remain seated behind a table. Perhaps the room is always set up in the same way. Or it has become a norm for the presenters to apologize before beginning--for their scratchy voices, or even their own nervousness. Or maybe it has become de rigueur to use hundreds of PowerPoint slides.

Whatever the norms are around training and presenting, it is wise to ask, "Is this necessary? How might it add to or detract from my 'owning the real estate' and being the best speaker I can be?"

Participants don't snooze when speakers and trainers judiciously break the rules.

3.  Make It So They CAN'T Sleep.

You must make it impossible for participants to sleep. You can do this in several ways:

• INTEGRATE "Question/Answer" sessions throughout your presentation. DON'T wait until the last 5 minutes to ask "Are there any questions?"

•  ASK the audience questions. They can either answer you or talk with their neighbor about the issue. Be ready to pull them back to order.

•  MINIMIZE your PowerPoint slides. A good challenge is to use only 3-6 slides for a 60-minute presentation. Instead, distribute and discuss relevant handouts, objects, materials, case studies, financial reports, etc.

• BREAK THE GROUP INTO SMALL GROUPS to discuss and solve a problem. Don't ask for reports from each group—3-5 top responses from the entire group may suffice. Remember, people can often learn as much by talking to each other as they can by listening to you—and they'll never go to sleep while doing so.

By putting these Rules to use, you'll make your presentations and training sessions much more dynamic and compelling. Instead of relying on a whip to keep people awake, you've employed powerful Best Practices from the presentation field.

Send me YOUR great ideas for charging people up and keeping them involved! I'll publish them in the next Training Tips Resource. Write to me at guila@guilamuir.com

About Guila Muir & Associates

Guila Muir and Associates is the premiere Train-the-Trainer firm on the West Coast. Using participatory adult education since 1981, Guila Muir & Associates has developed the skills of hundreds of trainers and facilitators in business and government. Enhance your organization's ability to transmit information the way adults learn best-actively! Visit our web site at guilamuir.com, write us at connect@guilamuir.com or call us at (206) 725-1994.

Copyright 2005 Guila Muir and Associates

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