Don’t Demand, Command
An article was presented by a training company last year that offered the “Seven Best Ways To Engage Your Virtual Audience.” It had the usual tips — take time for Q&A, use video, have a quiz, etc. However, the #1 thing on their list for engaging your audience was a little surprising. They suggested that before you use any tools of engagement you had to . . .
DEMAND UNDIVIDED ATTENTION.
That’s right. They said that the first thing you should do — and the simplest way to get people to stay focused — was to demand their attention by telling them to put away their phones, close the website browser tabs, and insist that the participants take your presentation seriously.
Seriously! They said you should demand their attention.
I understand the intent of their advice came from a good place and that they believe somehow appealing to the viewer to get serious will make it so.
But, speaking as a participant I can tell you that when the presenter starts with a demand, I put up my guard and start searching LinkedIn to find out why I should care.
Here is a statement that we need to keep in mind:
People would rather be invited than be told.
Drop the demanding posture (even if it is sugar-coated with nice emotional-intelligent phrases) and command their attention by starting with something that invites them in to your world. You could:
Begin with an unexpected surprise that makes them smile.
Offer some information that catches them off guard.
Ask everyone to pick up that cell phone and do a quick Google search for a specific topic or article.
Twenty-four hours before the presentation, invite a couple of participants to visit with you the topic and then have them share their key ideas from that conversation in the first 5 mintues of your virtual meeting.
Tell a brief compelling story that aligns with your topic and would resonate with your viewers.
Invite your audience to want to give their attention by simply being worthy of listening to!