Category Archives: Tips for Improving Interactions
January 14, 2015 Create an Interactive Talk
You’ve all seen it—that mind-numbingly boring presentation that makes your thoughts wander and your eyelids droopy. Or maybe you’ve been the presenter and you noticed your audience’s attention slowly start to drift as they checked their cell phones or doodled in notebooks. But how to engage today’s audience with their short attention spans and long to-do lists? Here are five ideas for jazzing up your presentation and getting people interested:
1. Get people moving
I like to start my presentations by getting my audience up, out of their seats, and moving around. I usually start with some kind of prompt like, “Find the people in the room with the same birth month as you,” or “Find people wearing the same color shirt as you” and gather together. Then, I ask questions relating to my topic and have the group brainstorm answers. This gets people talking to each other and mingling and it energizes the audience for the rest of the presentation.
2. Show YOUR energy
An audience often follows its speaker’s lead. If you don’t seem excited about the topic you’re presenting, why should anyone else? Step away from the podium, use your hands to gesture, show excitement in your tone of voice. I periodically ask open questions to the audience to keep them engaged. Also, don’t forget to smile! Your positive energy has a direct effect on those watching.
3. It’s all about images
Have you ever seen a PowerPoint presentation that is filled with text? What do you tend to do when the speaker is speaking? That’s right, you read the text! Instead of filling your slides with words, use as many images as possible. Images keep people engaged without distracting them and they act as a prompt to help you remember your place. If you do decide to add some text, keep it to under 20 words per slide. Anything more is overkill and will most likely be too small to read anyway.
4. Use smart handouts
Handouts are nothing new—it’s useful to have a brochure or postcard about your presentation waiting at the seat of each audience member—but some handouts are better than others. The most effective handouts are the ones that keep the audience’s attention throughout your talk. I’ve found that fill-in-the-blank handouts work great if you want people to really engage with what you are saying. They force your audience to pay attention and listen for when you’ll give them the answer to the next blank space. Here’s an example:
5. Make it personal
Know your audience. If you’re talking to a group of teachers, make specific references to the educational field; if you’re talking to a group of bankers, reference finance in your talk. You don’t have to be over the top with your references, but you do want to make your audience realize the value of your words and understand how, specifically, your presentation relates to them. That way, they won’t be left wondering how to apply the information you gave them.
Take the boredom and drudgery out of presentations. Apply these five steps and I guarantee you’ll have a room full of alert, interested audience members and chances are you’ll enjoy the presentation as well!
Tags: interactive presentation, interactive speaking, keep your audience interested, keep your audience's attention, Margaret Smith, outstanding presentation, UXL
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December 31, 2014 Lessons from the Airport
I’ve been traveling quite a bit lately–standing in long lines at security, enduring cramped flights and noisy neighbors, hoping my bags make it to my destination unruffled. It is easy to adopt a negative attitude while flying, but I’ve come to realize it’s not worth it and it only brings other people down. When it comes to air travel, we’re all in this together.
Sounds kind of like office life, right?
A few bad apples can hamper an entire team or set a negative tone in the office. I encourage you to take the lessons learned from the airport and apply them to your daily office life. It’s amazing what being in close quarters with several hundred strangers can teach us!
1. Be patient
The airplane will arrive when it does, the maintenance crew will change that broken light bulb when it can, and you’ll get to your destination as soon as possible. It doesn’t help to gripe or be pushy. Wait your turn, make pleasant small talk with your neighbors, and focus on the amazing fact that you can fly from point A to point B in a matter of hours. Flying is still a luxury for many people and (as you shuffle off to business meetings or on little trips), it’s easy to lose sight of that.
2. Work together
Instead of bee-lining it to your seat, shoving your bag into the overhead compartment, and turning on your music as you ignore others, offer to help. Maybe someone needs an extra hand with their luggage or maybe a mother needs help situating her child. If we all work together (instead of focusing just on ourselves and our immediate needs), things will go much smoother and we can all enjoy the ride.
3. Be courteous
For some reason, air travel can turn some of us into monsters. We might shove others aside as we jostle for a place in line or we might fight for that last place for our bag in the overhead compartment. Or, we might do something even more common: completely ignore our neighbors for the duration of the flight. I know I’m guilty of it. It’s easy to just wrap ourselves in our personal cocoons and not exchange any pleasantries with our neighbors, but think of everything you might be missing! What if the person sitting next to you is your next big account? Or someone who can help you design that website you’ve always been meaning to build. Make an effort to initiate some small talk and see where things lead.
Wishing you a happy, safe, and prosperous New Year,
Tags: airport lessons, be patient, how an airport is like an office, lessons from the airport, life learning, Margaret Smith, travel lessons, UXL
December 24, 2014 5 Easy Ways to Show Gratitude
Last month’s newsletter was on the importance of gratitude, but I wanted to give you five quick ways you can show it. During the holiday season, it is easy to feel overwhelmed with a long list of things to do—buy presents, prepare food, clean the house, shovel the driveway, etc.—and it’s easy to forget our manners in the shuffle.
Think about the wonderful people around you and remember why we celebrate this time of year. Be grateful for those people and show them your appreciation when they open their home, share their food with you, or buy you a present. Here are five easy ways you can show your gratitude:
1. Say (and write) thank you.
Even if you act grateful (enjoying your meal, praising the gift someone gave you, etc.), it’s still nice to hear the words Thank You. They are worth a lot, especially when said with meaning. And don’t forget the power of a handwritten thank you note. It’s a gesture that shows that you cared enough about the other person that you took time out of your busy day to write something thoughtful.
2. Listen
Too often, we are so busy with all the thoughts in our own heads that we miss what others are saying. Show the person across the table from you that you are grateful for their presence. Sincerely listen to what they have to say before jumping in with your own story or opinion.
3. Extend an invitation and follow through
If there is someone at the office (or perhaps an old friend or relative) with whom you’d like to connect, reach out to them! Too often, we become comfortable in our own cozy bubbles and forget the people at the peripheries of our lives. It’s as simple as asking someone to lunch or a quick cup of coffee.
4. Lend a hand
Whether it’s cleaning up the dishes after a friend’s holiday party or offering to help your secretary prepare for the next office get together, it’s always nice to give others support by helping out.
5. Acknowledge others’ successes
It could be a co-worker, it could be your son or daughter—practice showing gratitude to others by acknowledging their good work. You could do this publicly (i.e. in a company meeting or when you’re gathered together at lunch) or privately. Share a specific example of what that person did or accomplished and let them know you appreciate their excellent work.
It is not difficult to show gratitude, but sometimes it does take conscious effort. Practice being mindful this holiday season and focus on the positive aspects of your life, rather than the negative ones. This way, gratitude will be at the top of your mind and saying things like “thank you” or “I appreciate you because…” will come naturally.
Happy holidays! I appreciate you taking the time to read my blog.
Tags: 5 ways to show gratitude, be thankful, Margaret Smith, say thank you, showing gratitude, UXL
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