Gauging Engagement: The Key to Sustaining Your Audience's Attention

 By:Monica Guzman

The truth about great speakers is that they're not great speakers; they're great engagers. Even if what they're saying isn't particularly clear or original or correct, they will succeed if they make you feel that their message is important and that you, YOU, are the person made to hear their message. They do this by performing  and  - this is the key -  adjusting their performance to maximize their audience's engagement.

Let's review the components of a good performance: eye contact, movement and style.

1. Eye Contact: Eye contact can make or break interviews, pitches, dates, meetings, speeches, or any other miscellaneous, important encounters. For instance, it's not a good idea to look a pacing tiger or bonobo monkey in the eye unless you want to engage in a potentially lethal rumpus. Straight-up eye-to-eye contact can sometimes be intense and isn't necessarily required for connection - you don't need to scan every pupil in the audience in order to connect. Eye contact means looking at and being aware of your audience. You already know this from experience. It's hard to enjoy a speaker - a teacher, a preacher, a politician, ANYONE - who takes only occasional split second glances up from his or her notes.
2. Movement: A cat isn't interested in the red laser point on the wall unless it moves. Your audience will lose interest if you stand in one place or look stiff. Moving and gesturing purposefully can make a huge difference. That doesn't mean flail; utilize your space and appendages.
3. Style: Think of your audience members as your friends. You will communicate your message infinitely better if you allow yourself to relax and be yourself. That means practicing your presentation like a ballerina preparing for Swan Lake. If you want to be yourself, you're gonna have to feel comfortable, and if you want to feel comfortable, you're gonna have to log serious time to practice.

All right, you think you've got your performance down. You feel confident. You are making eye contact and moving around. Now is the time to gauge your engagement with your audience. This is your one shot and you want to make sure you're not missing any opportunities. So... how is it really going?

It takes less than 30 seconds for people to decide whether or not you are someone they want to listen to. How many cell phones do you see? If you see a lot of cell phones, you've already lost their attention and need to re-engage. Use proper techniques to get their attention focused back on you - walk in their direction, stand next to them, or ask them a question. Don't break your cool; just adjust by honing in on those holding a bright, beaming cellphone until they put it back in their pocket.

Notice your audience's posture. Are they sitting slouched backward or leaning forward? If you're not seeing engagement, either you're not putting on a 5-star performance or you've begun presenting to the wrong audience. If you didn't identify your audience correctly, adjust your message to increase its relevancy. If it's a matter of your performance, reanimate yourself and move.

Gauging your engagement with your audience maximizes your chances of making a solid connection and communicating successfully because it allows you to adjust and improve your performance, ensuring you're making the most of your presentation.

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