Engaging online audiences

ffolliet January 24, 2022 1 Comment

Engage online audiences with a presentation is a real challenge. There is a multiplicity of distractions and the audience has learned, both quickly and sadly, that the majority of online presentations are worse than their in-person brothers. The challenge to engage the audience is essential and is multi-layered. Audiences want to be engaged. As presenters, we must meet that challenge.

Please write down your reason for failing to engage with the last presentation you sat through. It may be a challenge to even remember the presentation but try to identify the main reason. Was it related to the message, the media or the delivery. Now reflect on why you didn’t write down the answer to the question that you were explicitly asked to do. It’s odd isn’t it? We make decisions for many and complex reasons but if there is little perceived value in engaging, most online audiences will quickly make choices.

There is no single “way” to engage an audience in an online presentation but as presenters we must realise this is an additional and significant component of an effective online presentation. All three components of p cubed must be addressed and maximised; they all provide engagement. Each has been discussed before; please search for them. (PS this is engagement!)

The message must demand interactive thought leading to higher-order thinking. It must challenge, ask questions and seek to persuade. This is fundamental for all presentations but when attention may be rapidly lost online, it is essential to focus even more actively; hold their attention. Consider asking direct questions, have space for written reflection, summarise more frequently. It mustn’t be from fear but the audience must believe that you are invested in each individual.

The supportive media cannot dominate the presentation; the face of the presenter is more important. Consider TV news broadcasts. A talking head is always more interesting that a static image. The presenter must never become an icon at the bottom of their own slide set. Investigate the delivery platform ahead of time to practice the swap between face and media. Reduce even further the opportunity of the audience to observe; force them to watch. A handout, downloaded by QR code and advertised at the beginning, will release the audience to visually engage. (and please, never present in edit mode!)

The delivery must be directly into the camera and show a well lit face and upper torso. Consider a mobile phone camera instead of the laptop as they offer massively improved quality. The camera angle must be at eye level. The background must be actively curated, tidy, and not blurred. Consider using an audience member on video phone above your camera so you can present “to” them. Audio must be crisp. Test beforehand. Assign a wingman to mute accidental audience noise. The presenter’s speaking voice must be clear and at a slower pace than a live performance. The presenter should beseech the attention and opinion of the audience by their words and actions and expression. Test and maximise this before the presentation.

A presentation can only be engaging if the presenter signals that intention at the beginning of the piece and directly meets the audience with the question, interaction and challenge. It is up to the audience whether that is successful and sadly previous experience will colour that. Ensure that the p cubed set-up of the piece makes all this more likely. Plan, practise and stare into the green dot as though it is your front row. If you engage the audience, that is the first step.