After I had been coaching speakers for a while, I began to notice a curious pattern.

Many of the better people I worked with would create a presentation that seemed out of order. These we often very skilled presenters. But they would pull their punches. They would take their best, most powerful material, which was often a killer story, and bury it in the interior of their presentation.

Maybe they felt it belonged there because it was solid proof of their point of view. Or maybe they didn’t think it was that powerful. Or maybe they were just not sure, not confident enough to make it work as the starring role in their presentation.

One of my guiding principles has always been a variation of that old show biz saw: “Start with your best. Finish with your best.”

When I would help my clients see the power of opening with their killer material, grabbing their audience’s attention and then delivering more of their solid content later, they would often gasp in amazement.

“I never thought of that!” they would frequently say.

I would like to think that this was my superpower, but it really is just the power of coaching.

As creators and practitioners of our own work we don’t know what we don’t know. We don’t see what we are surrounded by every day. We need a knowledgeable mentor or coach to help us find the confidence and the perspective to take the bold move and open as strong as possible.

I get it. I know that having confidence in your abilities and in your material is a process. It comes from the hard work of crafting a solid presentation, polishing and practicing everything until it is brilliant and then putting it in front of audiences to see what really works and what doesn’t. Confidence has to be earned – no participation trophies here.

But a good coach can help you short cut that creation and rehearsal process. Can give you valuable feedback when you cannot see things clearly yourself. And a good coach can help you decipher the results of your real work in front of real audiences and then give you the perspective you need.

That’s why I love coaching.

A simple concept today. I have heard them called “audience check-ins.” You have probably witnessed them dozens of times and never realized what the speaker was doing.

• How does that sound to you?
• Does that make sense?
• Do we have a deal?
• What do you think?
• Will that work for you?

Check-ins are just tiny questions that pause the action and bring the audience back into the conversation. And if you sprinkle them throughout your presentation at appropriate times they will also remind you, the presenter, of who this is all for.

Make sense?

To your success,
Tom

P.S. Every top-tier speaker, whether a pro or a serious business presenter, needs a coach to help them see the forest for the trees and become the best they aspire to be. I can help you find your blind spots and fix them. And I can help you take your strengths and turn them into superpowers. How does that sound? Let’s talk. tom@ready2speak.com

Having watched a gazillion presenters at all levels of expertise, I can tell you that one of the most difficult things to accomplish from the front of the room is a smooth, enjoyable audience interactive exercise.

It looks so simple. Ask them a question. Get them to talk with each other. Easy-peasy. They will love it.

In reality, successful audience involvement in your presentation has a lot of moving parts. You are dealing with a group of people who probably came to your meeting thinking that they would sit and listen. They thought that you would educate them.

Now you want them to do what?

Many interaction attempts are awkward and of little real value to the audience. They just create some momentary chaos.

Every experienced coach, trainer or speaker I have ever seen has their own special way of handling it. But there are some common techniques and strategies.

I want to break down a simple exercise the way I would do it. See if any of this would work for you…

1. Introduce the idea that you want them to think about. What is the particular issue? And then tell them you are going to ask them to participate. Don’t spring a request on them. Get them pre-thinking of how they might respond.

Example: “We have been talking about the idea that your presentation opening is the most critical 30-90 seconds of your speech. In a minute I am going to ask you to write down a few ideas about openings and then share them with a neighbor.”

2. Give them clear, explicit instructions. Putting them on a slide is a good idea.

Example: “Here’s what we are going to do. I will give you 2 minutes and I want you to write down on your worksheets 2-3 strategies for starting an interesting presentation. Remember we want to 1) grab their attention. 2) Get them thinking about our topic. And 3) maybe elevate the energy in the room. Remember the old show biz wisdom of starting strong. Then we are going to take some time and share our ideas with a neighbor.”

3. Start the exercise, repeat instructions and set the time.

Example: “We have 2 minutes starting now. Write down your 3 best ideas to start a great presentation.” Then give them a timing heads up. “Ok we have about 30 seconds left.”

4. Get their attention back to you. After a writing exercise this will not be too difficult, but you must be assertive. If there is random activity and talking in the room, make sure the audience knows that you want them back now. Many speakers use a chime or a whistle or some other device to get their attention.
5. Now it’s time to get them to turn to a neighbor and share their thoughts. Again, your instructions need to be specific. This is usually where the room explodes with talk and movement.

Example: “We are going to take three minutes for you to turn and share your ideas with your neighbor. At a minute and a half, I will ask you to switch so that each person gets a chance. Then we are going to have a little time to share with the whole group to see what we have all learned. Ok. Go.”

6. Get their attention back to you. This will be much harder than the first time. People will be engaged with their partner and not want to stop talking. You job is to actively control this and corral them back so that they are quiet and paying attention to you. You should do this assertively but as to not be overly offensive. Adding humor and a fun attitude is a big help.
7. Now comes what many consider to be the most important part – the wrap up or the debrief. Your writing and then sharing exercise will mean little unless you help them figure out what they just experienced.

Example: There are many ways to do this. Here is one.

“You have now had a chance to brainstorm a little with a partner some ideas for creating a strong opening for your presentation. Let’s take a minute to share our collective knowledge and see what we heard. I will ask a few of you to tell us what caught your ear, what you thought was a good idea.”

“Raise your hand and give us a very quick sentence of something either you thought of or your partner thought of. Remember — be quick – we want to get in as many as we can. What did you learn?”

Depending on the group, you may need to encourage them to raise their hand and participate. Be sure to reinforce the “be quick” rule.

After each, make sure you thank them for their contribution and make a short comment about what they said. Put your brief spin on it. You might want to repeat their words so the entire audience can hear it.

Take 4 or 5 contributors. Make sure you thank each and comment. Then say “We have time for one more.”

You may want to make a quick comment on the overall value of the exercise, give them some addition ideas or things they can think about later and then move on.

Surprise! This simple exercise is not so simple when done correctly is it?

A few final thoughts:

• As you can see, even this simple exercise can take a fair amount of time from your presentation.
• Be sure, at all times, to give the audience specific instructions and to thank (and respect) them for their participation.
• Audience exercises can quickly get out of control — especially if you have a larger group. Be prepared to be gently assertive.
• Bear in mind that some of your audience may be extreme introverts and will be very reluctant or even uncomfortable. It may be a good idea to acknowledge this and suggest that this will be a very relaxed and low stress activity.

And here is what I think is the most important point of this whole audience interaction thing. Audiences initially are reluctant to participate – but in the end they generally love it. Even though you may have had to reduce the overall content of what you present so that there will be enough time for the exercise, your audience will feel like they have received so much more. It is very powerful stuff.

So, if you are game, give it a try. Make sure you are prepared. Make sure you are respectful and care for your audience. If done well, they will think you are the smartest speaker they have ever heard when, in fact, they have done much of the work.

To your success,

Tom

P.S. Need to craft specific exercises for your presentation and your audience? I can help you get there. Sign up for a strategy session with me at: https://calendly.com/ready2speak/review

I quickly learned 3 things when my wife and I greeted our first-born child into the world many years ago.

• The first was I found a well of love in myself for my wife and my new daughter that was deeper and richer than I ever thought possible.
• The second was that we could stand by her crib and watch her for hours just purring and breathing and looking like the perfect being that she was.
• The third was that the stuff that fills her diapers is very hard to wash out from under your fingernails.

The above is an example of a humorous list of 3. It is one of the simplest and most powerful tools a speaker can use. It should be in everyone’s toolbox.

In the case of my daughter’s example above, I used it to make a quick, easy joke. Maybe not a super funny joke, but one that would loosen up an audience if I were to use it. The format was very easy: Use the first two examples set up a pattern. Use the third to break the pattern in a humorous way. The more dramatic the break the funnier it will be.

Like this: There are three rules for preparing to begin a speech.

1. Loosen up your body and voice.
2. Make sure you check all your technology including sound and visuals.
3. When you step in front of your group — don’t throw up.

The first two in the list are serious tips to help someone prepare. The last is an acknowledgement of the worst thing that might happen – the thing we all might secretly fear.

Try making a few lists yourself. You’ll see … they really are easy.

Note: A list of two doesn’t work — you have not set up a pattern yet. A list of three seems to be the magic number — just enough to be funny at the end. And a list of 15 will drive your audience into a coma.

Some points to consider:

• The first two points work best if they are delivered with your normal tone and demeanor. Don’t let your style telegraph that you are about to dramatically change pace. Remember you are leading them down a serious path.
• Your third point should be a dramatic reverse of the direction you established in the first two.
• And it wouldn’t hurt if you didn’t throw up.

To your success,

Tom

P.S. There are three things you will get from a free coaching call with me…

Set it up https://calendly.com/ready2speak/review

A disclaimer: Below are the definitions I use to keep all this stuff straight in my mind.

Amateur: Someone who does something for the love, joy, excitement of doing it. It’s fun. That’s the big reward. They are not the opposite of professional — they are a whole different animal.

Non-professional: These people are kind of the flip side of the professional coin, but they are either not there yet or they are satisfied to be where they are. The big point is, again my opinion, they are not fully committed to their art, craft or calling.

Professional: These people are committed. When they are doing the thing, they are determined to be the best they can be and to getting better. I think they can be described as fully committed to their chosen profession or craft. The definition on the street is that they are the ones that make money doing the thing. I beg to differ. I think there are a lot of people who make money doing something who, in my mind, fall far short of professional.

OK.

I saw a brilliant example of professionalism this past Saturday at the National Speakers Association Georgia chapter meeting. It was something my friend David Greenberg did.

Everyone who knows or who has met David knows he is the complete committed professional, perhaps the best presentation coach there is. That is not in doubt. But what he did, this little, maybe unnoticed, switch, showed how devoted he is to his profession and his audience.

He gave the main talk. The piece everyone comes to hear. And he did it brilliantly. A hundred take-away techniques and ideas. He told stories. He had examples. He brought people on stage for coaching. He gave formulas and step-by-step blueprints. All the stories, jokes and examples.

But he also did this…

He made it all about the audience. Everything he said was in their terms, for their use and their benefit. Right from the start. Right to the close.

That is what a professional does. Those of us who speak, love to be on stage. We love to get the attention. We love the applause. We love to sign the books. But when we make it all about what we can do to ultimately help the audience reach their goals, I think, we have stepped into the world of the true professional.

There is a challenge in there somewhere for anyone who wants to take it.

Speak on friends…

Tom