Thursday, January 3, 2013

 Before Sesame Street popped up on your television screen more than 30 years ago, audiences could tolerate boredom. Now, if there aren't flashes, explosions or car chases every few minutes, audiences nod off. Unless you are into delivering your message subliminally to your somnolent listeners, add hot spice to your presentations.

Studies show that you have to wake up your audience every six minutes. Here are some ways to jolt the troops so your message can be heard and acted on.

1. Change your voice pitch, speed or volume. Pause. Be dramatic. On a recent flight, the flight attendant read the safety instructions at lightening speed. Every passenger listened.

2. Move your body. Come out from behind the lectern. Gesture wildly. Move into the audience. Phil Donahue built a whole career on running into the audience to retrieve comments.

3. Use an unusual prop or visual to illustrate a point. When I spoke for an advertising specialty association, I pulled my notes out of a logoed bag that was in another logoed bag that was in another logoed bag. I revealed personalized pens, key chains and mugs. I got a laugh, established my credibility by demonstrating I knew what the group sold and kept them awake. When I spoke to educators, I showed a slide of the second grade class I taught in the 20th century.

4. Ask the audience a question. This can be a rhetorical question such as, "Have you ever wondered what it takes to keep an audience interested?" Have the audience write down the answer to a question. Ask them to tell their audience neighbors the answer to a question. Ask for a show of hands. Have them fill in a blank, estimate something or record their feelings. Get feedback.

5. Ask the audience if they'd like to have a piece of information. I have a list of the twelve most important words according to Yale University. Who wouldn't want to know the most important words you can use when communicating? (Let me know if you'd like this list.)

6. Have a stretch break. People can't sit for more than 30 minutes before the chair cuts off the circulation to their brains.

Why call this hot spice? Consider a meal that is healthy but bland. The food may be good for you but you have no desire to ingest it. A sprinkle of black pepper or Tabasco can make all the difference. Too much pepper or hot spice makes the food inedible. Too much hot spice in a program causes indigestion, too. So, be judicious, but do spice up your presentations.

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Karen Susman coaches smart people on presentation skills. She helps them be at ease communicating with humans.

Karen is the author of the forthcoming book, "Connect or Die: The Secret of Making Compelling Presentations"