Pique Their Interest

3 strategies to help you connect with your audience

Imagine you’ve been invited to give a presentation to update some executive leaders on a project you’re working on. The thought of having to present for this group conjures an interesting combination of emotions. You feel everything from fear and anxiety to excitement and pride. Your thoughts are all over the place. You love the idea of getting exposure with the executives but what if you screw it up or they just don’t get it? The pressure is on to crush this presentation. This is your one shot to make a good impression with people that really matter.

You’ve seen your colleagues give boring presentations time after time. The ones where they present complex content that seems to have no real direction. They move without purpose and probably have no idea they’re doing it. They sway, rock, or shift their weight, unconsciously illustrating their anxiety. They turn their backs and read slide after slide of text straight from the screen. It takes every ounce of your focus and energy to resist the temptation to pull out your phone and check your social media, or worse, fall asleep.

You don’t get much from those presentations and certainly can’t remember what you were supposed to have learned. You’ve always felt sorry for those people, and if you’re honest, you’ve probably laughed to yourself at how nervous they looked.

Now it’s your turn. The fear of being judged is wreaking havoc on your nerves and you can’t help thinking about the possibility of failure. You can’t afford to let your nerves kick in and give a boring presentation. You need to engage this audience and make sure they connect with your content.

Here are 3 strategies to help you connect with your audience

1. Know Your Audience

How many times have you sat down to start preparing for a presentation, opened your favorite slide creation tool, and thought: “What do I want to say?” The fact is,

nobody cares what you want to say.

We’re all naturally wired to care about our own needs. What you want to say is important but if it doesn’t make sense to your audience, your change-inspiring message will never be heard. To ensure they understand and relate to your message you must know who they are and what will inspire them. The question you should be asking is:

“What does my audience need to hear?”

The only way to know what they need to hear is to get to know them. Whether you’re presenting in person or virtually, you need to make it easy for your audience to understand, relate to, and respond to your message. Don’t worry about what you want to say. Know your audience and make sure your presentation gives them what they need to hear.

Do some analysis. It’s acceptable to call or email someone who will potentially be in your audience before the presentation. You may even send them a survey. You can also ask the organizer of the event or the person who asked you to speak about the people attending the presentation.

Online reviews are another excellent resource for discovering what your audience is thinking. Find books on your topic on Amazon and read the reviews. Look up your topic on sites like Quora or Reddit. Facebook Groups are another way to find discussions about your message. Find out what real people are saying about the subject and when you develop your message, use those words.

Your audience will feel like you’re reading their minds.

If you’re unable to get a good understanding of your audience before a live event, you can build some flexibility into your presentation. Greet some of your audience as they arrive and get to know them. Ask them questions that will help you determine their level of knowledge and gain some perspective about their expectations. You can then adjust your presentation using what you’ve learned. It will also allow you to get to know them on a personal level. Having some friends in the room is always nice and will help reduce any anxiety.

2. Don’t Be Boring

Ok, this one seems obvious and you’re probably thinking I’m wasting your time with stuff you already know. If you are thinking that, I have one question: if everyone knows this, why are boring presentations delivered at an alarming rate?

You have about sixty seconds to capture your audience's attention and really engage them. You have to keep them engaged throughout but if you don’t get their attention in the beginning you’ve lost them and it’ll be almost impossible to bring them in later. They’re never going to get what they need to buy into your message take the action you need them to take.

That means you should start your presentation with something that will get their attention. You have to get them interested early. That means don’t start your talk with the standard introduction:

Hi, my name is Russell Rowe and I am here to speak to you about, blah, blah, blah…..

Boring, right? I mean who wants to listen to that? I know, sometimes you have to introduce yourself. Just try to make it interesting and do something different they aren’t expecting. My favorite introduction of myself is:

“Hi, my name’s Russell Rowe. I know, I know, it sounds a lot like Russell Crowe. Well, the fact is I’m a lot like Russell Crowe, only I’m a better actor and way better looking. But you can call me The Gladiator if you want.”

Neither of those things is true, but I get the audience’s attention with something they aren’t expecting. Yes, it’s silly but it works because it gets them interested in me. They still got my name and now they’ll remember it. They’re now interested in me and want to listen to my story.

I know, your name may not rhyme with a celebrity but you can find an interesting way to introduce yourself. Even if you put your name on a slide or handout and never mention yourself. Start your presentation with something your audience is interested in or something that will surprise them. A thought-provoking question or a shocking fact work well also.

I’m often asked if telling a joke is an acceptable way to start things off. The answer is, it depends. You could tell a joke, but the fact is, most people aren’t funny when they’re trying to be. Jokes don’t always land the way you want them to. If you're a professional comedian, or if you know your audience well enough from the analysis you did in tip one, a joke could work. If not, I would stay away from jokes to be safe. Just be natural, and your sense of humor will come through without seeming contrived.

Once you’ve captured their attention, you still have to keep it throughout the presentation. That’s another tip for another time, but if you get them interested early, it will be much easier to keep them engaged throughout.

3. Tell A Story

Most people see a presentation as the information they’re sharing. The problem is, the information we need to share, in many cases, is boring. For your audience to receive your message in the most impactful way, it’s imperative to transform it into a story they can relate to. The first thing your story needs is a powerful opening.

Think about any movie you’ve enjoyed. How did it start?

Have you ever seen the movie, The Dark Knight? It’s one of the highest-grossing movies of all time. Can you remember how it begins?

Imagine Batman walking the streets of Gotham City, and all is well. There are no real problems, so he approaches some citizens on a street corner. The conversation might sound something like this:

Batman: Do you guys need anything?

Citizen: Nope, we’re good, Batman.

Batman: Ok, umm….I’ll just be over here if you need me.

They don’t need Batman! How boring would the movie be if the superhero wasn’t needed? The movie starts with the Joker robbing a bank and killing people. Now we need Batman.

When you structure a presentation you should think of it as a movie. Your solution is Batman and if your audience doesn’t feel there’s a problem, they won’t have any interest in it.

Don’t start your presentation by introducing the solution.

Your presentation should start with a need. You have to paint a clear picture of the current state, emphasizing the problem that your message can resolve. Help your audience feel why they need to listen to you and accept what you have to offer.

From The Beginning

These three tips will help you get off to a good start and when you draw them in from the beginning, it’s easier to keep their attention to the end. You need the audience with you when it counts. When you give them a call to action or drop the important part of your message on them, they need to be invested and listening.

Do some analysis on your audience, don’t open with a boring introduction, and tell a story that starts with a problem you need to solve. Use these three tips to pique their interest next time you prepare to deliver a presentation, and you and your audience will likely get exactly what you need from the experience.

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I’m passionate about helping people become better communicators. Join my community at theroweco.com for tips and insight on becoming a powerful presenter. You can also follow me on Instagram and Twitter @therowecompany and Facebook @theroweco