Working as a writer in the meetings and events industry, I was an early adopter of blogging and social media. In 2005, I was asked to speak and present a breakout called “Blogging for Business” at the Site International Conference in Toronto, Ontario.
I prepared my material with the same consideration I used as a journalist—facts first. I loaded my deck with information on platforms and posting, then dove into site metrics, page impressions, and unique visitors. Before long, I noticed attendees looking down at their phones or staring back at me with cartoon crazy eyes. I was bombing.
Then, I changed it up. I bounced a live internet feed to the audiovisual monitor and began visiting blogs. I clicked from Mark Cuban and Martha Stewart to my own blog, which featured content and photos from the previous day’s familiarization trip to Niagara Falls. I saw people begin to lean in, take notes, and nod as I showed how blogs connected people. By reading my audience and adjusting on the fly, I went from a talking head to an engaging expert.
While a keynote speaker is a welcome addition to any conference or event, the reality is that a speaker who leaves your attendees asleep on the table isn’t winning you any meeting-planner brownie points. Choose wisely when selecting your person of interest, and look for those who employ the following practices.
It’s All in the Delivery
“Audience engagement is when a speaker ensures everyone from the front row to the back feels involved, invested, and part of the presentation,” says Tracy Stuckrath, president of Thrive Meetings & Events based in New Bern, North Carolina, and host of the popular podcast “Eating at a Meeting.” She adds, “The speaker should understand the audience they are speaking to, so they can provide nuggets of information each can take away.”
Bob Pacanovsky, speaker and chief hospitality officer of the Black Tie Experience in Akron, Ohio, believes two things are key to maintaining audience engagement:
- Varying the delivery method: This can be achieved by asking questions of the audience, showing a video, playing music, telling stories, not having a lot of text on your slides, or even stepping off the stage and interacting with the audience.
- Involving the audience: Get them to stand up during the presentation and go talk to other attendees, have a small group or table discussion, or use interactive software to answer poll questions, among others.
“In [this day and age], it’s easy to assume technology makes a difference in the selection process, but for me it doesn’t,” says Kathryn Short, sales manager for Visit Raleigh in North Carolina. “While some topics require the use of technology, others do not. It’s all about finding the right balance and using the best approach for each topic.”
Science has proven brains learn best when stimulated by visual and audio prompts, making PowerPoint decks the gold standard for audiovisual support. Drilling down to the basics, encourage your speaker to keep words to a minimum, use images to reinforce concepts, and avoid slides that distract attention from them.
Dean Savoca is a longtime hospitality consultant and coach based in Denver, Colorado. He says, “While I have used slides, videos, polling, surveys, word clouds, [and the like], I enjoy the challenge of engaging an audience without using technology and believe, as a professional speaker, I have to be able to deliver without it.”
Speaking From the Heart
Tom Flick, former NFL quarterback and now a leadership coach based in Redmond, Washington, shares his emotion-centered approach. “When I speak, I aim for the heart—where real change occurs,” he explains. “I’m a storyteller. Stories that capture the mind and the heart are ‘sticky.’ The audience will remember a powerful story and its concept long after I’m gone.” Savoca agrees. “People love a good story speckled with humor,” he says, “and brain science supports how sharing a story or anecdote drives emotional connection and deeper learning. I like to share a pertinent story, then emphasize a key point and tie it back to why it’s important to the members of the audience.”
Flick keeps three core principles in mind every time he speaks to an audience. Encourage your keynoters to do the same, or seek individuals who also already embody these philosophies.
- Authenticity: This means being genuine, transparent, and vulnerable. By doing so, the audience will feel your speaker is honest, safe, and can be trusted.
- Humor and humility: Learning should be fun, and a speaker not taking themself so seriously allows the audience to relax into the message.
- Openness to learning: Find a speaker who joins the audience in the journey. Flick likes to tell audiences they are walking this path together, learning, and growing along with them through the presentation and welcoming their input.
“I think humor and an energy-rich speaking style with stories the audience can relate to are the best tools,” says certified speaking professional Thom Singer, based in Austin, Texas. “Another important thing to remember is that humor is interactive. If you have a speaker who is engaging and can make people smile and laugh, that is success [when it comes to] getting the audience to lean in.”
Singer emphasizes that while engagement is great, it has to be meaningful. “A few years ago, there was all this advice in the meetings world that every seven minutes speakers should have an interactive exercise,” he says. “This led to a lot of silly things that did not engage the audience (speakers saying things like, ‘Repeat ‘Yes,’ or, ‘Fist bump your neighbor’). That is goofy and not really interaction. Real interaction is about getting people to think and feel they are part of the conversation.”
Measuring Engagement
“Measuring engagement can be done in several ways, which is probably best, because not everyone engages the same way,” says Stuckrath. She suggests analyzing:
- Polls and surveys given during the presentation—digital or physical
- Social media posts published by audience members during and after
- Responses during Q&A segments of the presentation
- Post-session feedback—verbal comments as people are leaving or ones given via electronic survey
“We survey attendees to gather their feedback on different aspects of the speaker’s performance,” says Short. “We ask attendees to rate the speaker’s relevance, engagement, and impact. These responses help us measure the speaker’s engagement and effectiveness with attendees, and provide us with valuable insights for future events.”
It has never been easier to select high-quality speakers. Watch online videos and listen to their talks. Do they fit the vibe of the event you’re planning? Are they fluid in their delivery? Do they speak with expertise and present with passion? Audience engagement isn’t a perk—your attendees deserve to leave feeling empowered, encouraged, and supported.
bobpacanovsky.com
savocaperformancegroup.com
thomsinger.com
thrivemeetings.com
tomflick.com
visitraleigh.com
