I recently read an updated statistic about people’s attention span. According to research done at Kaiser Permanente, humans have an average attention span of 8 seconds [one second shorter than a goldfish!].
As presenters, this should be very worrisome.
We’ve known for some time that we need to capture our audience’s attention quickly and work hard to keep it by presenting our information in an engaging manner. Now it looks like that’s more important than ever.
Here are some techniques for extending that 8 second time frame:
1. Ask lots of questions. Our brain processes a question differently than a straight declarative statement. When someone hears a question they automatically start formulating an answer even if they don’t verbalize it. Use frequent rhetorical questions to create a break in your narrative and keep listeners involved. Use closed and open ended questions to generate real participation. If the audience is talking it’s much harder for them to dis-engage.
2. Don’t keep a slide on the screen for very long [8 seconds??]. This means that you can’t have a slide covered in bullet points [which isn’t a good idea anyway] because it will take you too long to cover all that content before moving to the next slide. Change the visual cues frequently to keep listeners’ attention.
3. Guard against information overload. Be quite ruthless in editing your content. Ask yourself, “What does my audience really need to know about my topic?” And then find another vehicle [handout, document on website, email] through which to share the nice-to-knows.
4. Organize your content into bite-sized chunks of information. These smaller segments will make it easier for your audience to follow and increase the likelihood they’ll stay engaged.
5. Make your presentations shorter. Just because you have an hour, it doesn’t mean you have to talk for an hour. See #3 above and plan to use at least a third of your allotted time to engage in dialogue with the audience. Let them ask questions; ask questions of them; ask them to share their experiences; ask them how they think your information will help them or how they will use it.
6. Incorporate interactive activities into your presentation. In addition to audience participation [see #5 above] use quizzes to test knowledge or present scenarios requiring a solution. Add video snippets to demonstrate how something should – or shouldn’t – be done. Leverage technology to poll audience opinions or solicit answers to questions [Poll Everywhere] or gather audience feedback through a Tweetstream.
No matter what technique you use – and I suggest using several – you’ll have a good shot at extending that attention span so your audience can triumph over the goldfish...and far more importantly, get maximum value from your presentation.
Photo Credit:
www.flickr.com/Three Second Memory C.C. 2.0
Dear Santa...
Dear Santa,
I know you are terribly busy at this time of year building and packing all the toys, motivating the elves, polishing the sleigh and grooming the reindeer. But I could really use your help.
Business presenters all over the globe need to make better presentations so that the power of their messages will be truly heard and their audiences will be engaged and take action. Here are the gifts I send to presenters everywhere this holiday season. And Santa, any assistance you could provide in getting these presents distributed would be greatly appreciated.
Gift #1: Commitment to The Audience: an unshakable belief that an audience deserves your absolute best and an unwavering focus on making each presentation a valuable experience for those listening to you.
Gift #2: Minimal Use of PowerPoint Bullets: the time and energy to develop more visually meaningful and helpful slides to support audience comprehension and retention plus the courage to NOT use PowerPoint when you, the presenter, can communicate the message more powerfully.
Gift #3: Management of Presentation Nerves and Anxiety: a willingness to invest the time in learning how to manage the fear of speaking in front of a group so your audiences can benefit from the full impact of your message.
Gift #4: Acceptance of the Value of Rehearsing: the resolve to commit the necessary time to practicing every presentation so that your audience gets your most competent performance.
Thanks, Santa, for helping presenters everywhere to be their best! And do be careful on those slippery roof tops.
May you all have a very happy holiday season, filled with peace and joy,
compassion and generosity.
Photo Credit:
Flickr/docjohnboy's photostream C.C. 2.0