“It is not the strongest of the species that survive, nor the most intelligent, but the one most responsive to change.” – Charles Darwin (1809–1882), naturalist, geologist, and biologist

Have you ever considered that adaptability is key to you delivering an excellent presentation? How do you develop the ability to be adaptable “on the fly?”

Seamlessly adaptable speakers can adjust their delivery, content, and engagement strategies based on the situation, ensuring their message remains impactful.

Below are three essential techniques for you to be adaptable during your presentations.

Reading and Responding to Audience Cues

Expert speakers continuously assess audience engagement and adjust their approach accordingly. This skill ensures that their presentations remain relevant, engaging, and effective.

One way to read and respond to audience cues is to observe their body language and facial expressions.

If an audience appears disengaged (e.g., slouched postures, lack of eye contact, fidgeting), speakers should adjust by adding movement, changing vocal tone, or introducing interactive elements.

As a speaker, you must become an expert in reading your audience’s body language. How do you do this?

The best way to do this is to become a body language expert. Buy a good book on body language, study it, and apply what it says. One of the best books on body language is Body Language by Julius Fast. This book has been in print and revised since the 1970s. It is a classic on body language.

You must listen to verbal reactions from your audience and be sensitive to energy shifts in them.

If the audience responds unenthusiastically or seems confused, adaptable speakers can clarify points, modify pacing, or introduce humor to re-engage listeners.

Some speakers tie themselves to how they practiced their presentation. The phrase “no plan survives first contact with the enemy” is attributed to Helmuth von Moltke the Elder, a Prussian military strategist from the 19th century.

The plan for your presentation will have to be altered during your presentation to react to audience engagement.

You also have to learn how to make real-time adjustments.

Adjusting content mid-speech, such as simplifying complex topics or expanding on key ideas based on audience reactions, makes your message more effective.

Your ability to change course and make it seem to your audience as if it were your plan will significantly contribute to the success of your presentation.

It is beautiful to see a speaker changing course and constantly adapting to their audience. Be one of these speakers.

So, reading and responding to audience cues is one way to be adaptable in your presentations.

Another way is to master the art of improvisation.

Mastering the Art of Improvisation

Unexpected challenges, such as technical failures, disruptive audience members, or unforeseen questions, require speakers to think on their feet and respond confidently.

As in many endeavors, it pays to stay calm and keep speaking.

My daughter Jackie played flute in her elementary school band. They inevitably would err in their playing music. They wore T-shirts that read, “Stay calm and play on.”We, as speakers, can take a lesson from these elementary kids.

When you encounter a spot in your presentation that doesn’t go according to plan, stay calm and keep speaking.

Instead of panicking, adaptable speakers acknowledge the disruption with humor or a smooth transition. If a microphone fails, for example, they might project their voice or use the moment to make a lighthearted remark.

You may also want to use the PREP Model (Point, Reason, Example, Point) for quick thinking.

PREP is a communication structure often used in public speaking or impromptu situations, where you start by stating your main point, then provide a reason to support it, give an example to illustrate the point further, and finally reiterate your main point to conclude effectively.

The PREP structure helps speakers respond immediately and coherently to unexpected questions or challenges.

Taking a lesson from comedians who use improvisation can also help you respond to unexpected events in your presentations.

Techniques such as “Yes, and…” (borrowed from improv comedy) will help you handle surprises while maintaining engagement.

Observe on YouTube.com various comedians and how they improvise in response to the reaction of their audience.

So, reading and responding to audience cues and mastering the art of improvisation are two ways to be adaptable in your presentations.

Another way is to customize content in real-time.

Customizing Content in Real Time

Rather than delivering a rigid, pre-rehearsed script, adaptable speakers tailor their message dynamically based on their audience’s background, knowledge level, and interests.

Before speaking, gather information about your audience’s demographics, expertise, and expectations. If they notice confusion or disengagement during your talk, you can adjust accordingly.

Even if you are only a casual reader of these articles, you will know that the first step in creating a presentation is knowing your audience. Not knowing who they are is like flying an airplane while wearing a blindfold. The event planner is the place to start your research on your audience.

Information about the audience’s average age, expertise on your subject, and opinion of your subject are good places to start, but not to end. Finding out as much as you can about your audience will pay great dividends.

Another great way to customize content in real-time is to tell stories, preferably personal ones.

Your audience will better connect with you through real-world examples or anecdotes. Adaptable speakers seamlessly integrate them to reinforce key messages.

There are few things in this world you can always count on. Telling stories in your presentations is one of them. There is a reason movies are still a hit with people. It’s the story that draws people in. No one can resist a good story.

You can reap the same as movies in your presentations. Stories arouse the emotions of your audience. The key to using stories in your presentations is to make them relevant, act out the dialogue and body language of your story, and make them concise.

Telling relevant stories in your presentations is always a winner.

There are also interactive methods you can use to be adaptable.

Asking questions, conducting live polls, or encouraging audience participation allows speakers to gauge engagement and adjust content in real-time.

The average attention span of the average person is twenty (20) minutes. What does this mean for you as a public speaker? It means you must change your speaking method every twenty minutes.

Speaking methods include lectures, Q&A, small group discussions, group discussions and many more. Any pertinent activity where your audience has to do something is positive. Change your speaking methods every twenty minutes (20), and your presentations will receive rave reviews.

Seamlessly adaptable speakers excel at (1) reading and responding to audience cues to maintain engagement, (2) mastering improvisation to handle unexpected situations confidently, and (3) customizing content in real time to ensure relevance and impact.

You can deliver powerful, engaging, and flexible presentations in any setting by developing these skills.

Become the powerhouse speaker you were meant to be!

Call to Action

• Become an expert at reading and responding to your audience’s cues. Reap the many benefits of doing this.

• Master the art of improvisation. There will be many opportunities when you speak to practice improvisation. After each of your presentations, review what worked and what did not. Continue what worked and revise what didn’t.

• Customize your content to fit the audience you encounter. Deviate from your planned presentation when it makes sense to do so.

References

• Gallo, C. (2014). Talk Like TED: The 9 Public-Speaking Secrets of the World’s Top Minds – Highlights how TED speakers maintain adaptability by continuously assessing audience reactions and shifting their approach dynamically.

• Knight, R. (2016). Harvard Business Review: How to Improve Your Ability to Think on Your Feet – Suggests structured improvisation techniques, such as PREP and maintaining composure, to handle unexpected situations seamlessly.

• Duarte, N. (2012). Harvard Business Review Guide to Persuasive Presentations – Explains how great speakers modify their content dynamically to keep audiences engaged and make messages more relatable.

Being a confident, engaging, and effective technical speaker is a vital personal and professional asset. With more than 40 years of engineering experience and more than 30 years of award-winning public speaking experience, Frank DiBartolomeo can help you reduce your presentation preparatory time by 50%, overcome your fear of public speaking and be completely at ease, deliver your presentations effectively, develop your personal presence with your audience; and apply an innovative way to handle audience questions deftly.

Working closely with you, Frank provides a customized protocol employing the critical skills and tools you need to create, practice, and deliver excellent technical speeches and presentations. Connect with Frank and explore how he can help you become the exceptional speaker you were meant to be. Please reach out to him at frank@speakleadandsucceed.com or 703-509-4424 for a complimentary consultation. Schedule a meeting with him at calendly.com/frankdibartolomeospeaks. Listen to his Successful Speaking for Technical Professionals podcast