How do you keep an audience involved in a performance?

Answer 1

Greetings -

While there are many factors at play when deciding on engagement methods for an audience - age group, speech topic, physical space, event time - there are a few efficient, universal tools that are sure to increase engagement for almost any audience. Here are two engagement concepts:

1. Questions are the answer. If ever there was a tool for increasing audience engagement, asking questions will surely do the trick. Whether its a rhetorical question that incites a mental, non-verbal response, or a question directed at a specific person, asking questions ensures engagement on some level, be it verbal/non-verbal. Think about presentations/speeches you've experienced. Reflect on how you felt engaged in those different presentations. You may find that questions were used as way to help you feel more connected to the presentation.
2. Call-and-response. Polling the audience throughout a speech is an effective way to achieve a number of things, namely a few: (1) Mental breaks. As speakers, it can be difficult to remember what it's like listening. No matter how great a presentation/speech is, its always good to include mental breaks. Whether you incorporate comedy, questions, or demonstrations, diversifying your approach is an impactful way to increase engagement.

There are various of examples for these two methods, and there are other additional ways of engagement. I hope these two suggestions provide some guidance. Do not hesitate to reach out for more insight.

Kind Regards,

Mr. B.