When we prepare a presentation, in our enthusiasm for and expertise in our topic, we often disregard our audience's capacity to absorb information. We operate from a "more is better" mentality, reluctant to leave out any detail that somehow, possibly, maybe could be relevant.
The result, however, is far different than what we intend. Instead of dazzling our audiences with our knowledge and depth of understanding, and motivating them to buy into our message, too frequently we create audience confusion and overload.
WHAT AFFECTS AUDIENCE ABSORPTION?
Certainly the sheer volume of information included in a presentation has a big impact. As you prepare your presentation, ask yourself, "What is my critical message?" "What is the one thing I want people to remember once they leave the presentation?" If you filter all your data and information through those questions, you will become clearer on what content is critical and what is just nice to know and could be provided in handouts or as a follow up after the presentation.
Other variables that affect audience absorption are:
- Rate of Speech. If you speak too slowly, listeners may get bored and take mind vacations. If you speak too quickly, particularly if your material is involved, listeners may not be able to follow. Audio record your presentation when you rehearse and see what the pace sounds like when you play it back. Since it is sometimes difficult for us to be objective about our own voice, ask a colleague to listen.
- Complexity of Information. The more complex your data, the more challenging it will be for your audience to absorb it. In your preparation, research what your audience already knows about your topic to help you determine the appropriate level of complexity to present. Be sensitive to non-verbal clues from the audience (frowns, confused looks) and be ready to re-explain a point or give an example to enhance understanding.
- Language Choice. Choose words that make it easy for the audience to grasp your information and remember it. Stay away from jargon unless it is well understood by the audience. Use descriptive, colorful words. Speak at a vocabulary level that is appropriate for your audience. If the audience has to invest a lot of energy in deciphering what you're trying to say, they will have less to invest in comprehending your meaning.
- Organization of Material. Even the most complex information is easier to absorb when it is presented in a logical, organized fashion. Create an outline of your presentation when you are initially designing it because an outline more clearly shows flow and progression. Chunk your material so that it falls into logical modules. Use transition statements between modules to help the audience move into a new section. Summarize frequently.
3 KEY TECHNIQUES TO HELP AUDIENCES ABSORB
These techniques can make the difference between an audience internalizing your information and being able to recall it or not being able to remember what you said five minutes after they leave the presentation.
- Pictures and Graphs on Slides. The more you can use relevant and engaging images or charts on your slides, the more you enhance the audience's ability to absorb your message. Slide after slide of wordy bullet points not only becomes boring, it makes it more difficult for the audience to pay attention, as they are splitting their focus between listening to what you're saying and reading what's up on the slide. Images can aid understanding and memory yet not distract, like printed words do, from the speaker's verbal delivery.
- Stories. Stories are an exceptionally powerful tool to help an audience retain key points because they are filled with human interest...characters, scenarios, tension and resolution. Craft stories that strongly support your key message and then practice them numerous times until you have the timing and intonation perfect.
- Examples. Closely related to stories in terms of impact, examples can help the audience understand relevance and application. When you are preparing your presentation, develop numerous examples that will resonate with this particular audience, perhaps using people or work situations that are familiar to them.
What other techniques have you used to help your audiences absorb your message?


In Presentations, Audiences Have Responsibilities Too
I'm a huge proponent of audience rights. I believe every presenter owes his audience complete focus and the respect of being well-prepared, interesting and relevant. However, audiences have some responsibilities in this partnership called a presentation. There is an implicit contract between presenter and audience, where each gets from, and gives to, the other. Too frequently, I have observed audiences just not living up to their end of the bargain.
Here are the key obligations an audience has in order to fulfill their "contractual" responsibilities:
1. PAY ATTENTION. Give the presenter the courtesy of paying attention, at least long enough to determine if you are going to receive value. If you feel compelled to multi-task while in the presentation (e.g., checking or sending e-mail [I'm not talking about Twitter here], surfing the web, reviewing documents you brought with you, taking a phone call) consider not attending the presentation at all. You won't get much out of it, you'll be distracting to the speaker and other audience members and you certainly won't be able to provide constructive, meaningful feedback at the end.
2. ANSWER QUESTIONS. When the presenter asks a question, volunteer an answer. Don't sit like a lump, averting your gaze to ensure no possibility of eye contact. The more you engage in the conversation, the more value you are likely to get out of the experience. Obviously you're off the hook if you have no idea what to answer, but in most cases, you're likely being asked for an opinion...so share.
3. ASK QUESTIONS. Unless everything is crystal clear to you, ask questions and challenge the content being presented. Ask for clarification, ask for jargon to be explained, ask for an example of how this would work in your situation. Not only will this make it more interesting and relevant for you, it's quite possible that others in the audience may have the same questions, so you're helping everyone by asking.
4. RESPOND. Be involved rather than sitting passively. When appropriate, laugh or smile in response to what the presenter says. Maintain eye contact to capture the nuances of meaning on a given point.
5. EVALUATE. If you engage in the above four behaviors, you will be in a great position to provide meaningful, specific feedback to the presenter which will improve his skills thus ensuring better presentations for future audiences. Take the time to fill in that evaluation sheet thoughtfully. Even if you're not an expert in assessing presentations, you know what worked for you and what didn't. Make some notes throughout the presentation about areas or techniques you found useful and other areas where you wish the presenter had covered something in more depth or used more examples or made eye contact instead of reading from his slides. The majority of presenters want to hear how their audiences felt about the information they provided, even if the feedback points out some weak spots that need improvement.
So what's in this for you, you ask? As Seth Godin says, being a responsible audience member has big paybacks -->> more energy and insight from the presenter and more focused answers to your questions. And by raising the bar for the presenter by evaluating critically, you will contribute to a better presentation the next time around.
So, audiences, make the choice to hold up your end of the bargain. The rewards will definitely be worth it!
Posted by Kathy Reiffenstein on September 23, 2009 in Commentary, Presentation Feedback, The Audience | Permalink | Comments (4) | TrackBack (0)
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