What should your role be while in front of an audience?

Maybe you see yourself as information-giver, imparter of knowledge within your areas of expertise? That's natural. We all have so much experience to share, and only a few precious minutes in the spotlight to do so.

The thinking is: "By gosh, I'm going to use that time on stage wisely." Slides get loaded with tons of detail—bullet points, tables, charts, and diagrams. We arrive at the speaking venue ready to fly through our material with a vengeance. Surely, somehow, we'll manage to cover all that content and still reach conclusion slides before time runs out.

That's a common attitude, but is it the best one? Think about this. Many presenters don't actually make it through all their slides on time because they try to pack in too much. Even if they finish, viewers are so exhausted and overwhelmed by the time conclusion slides role around that they don't remember even a fraction of what was said along the way—not six months or even six hours later. In that light, is spewing out a lot of facts and figures really an effective use of your (and their) time?

What viewers do remember, instead, are stories told and meaningful visual images shown. That fact says a great deal about our true role as speaker, or perhaps what that role should be. Rather than being primarily an information-provider, consider focusing on three alternative tasks: entertainment, motivation, and connection.

"What? Give me a break," you may be thinking. "You’re telling me that talks in my area of expertise (science, engineering, legal, business, or fill in the blank) are supposed to be primarily entertainment-like and touchy-feely, as though I’m some kind of motivational speaker or salesperson?”

Yep. That’s exactly right. Here’s why.

Audience members probably have a million things on their minds—a new girlfriend, a draining fight with a rebellious teen this morning, or how much they hate their blankety-blank boss. Plus, they got little sleep last night, skipped breakfast, and have had too much coffee already. Concentrating on a whole bunch of facts and details during your performance will be about as much fun as yanking out a tooth. They will endure you and fake it, to maintain proper protocol, but won't really listen or pay attention to what you are saying most of the time.

That's critical. Yes, the detail you have to share may be important, perhaps even critical. The audience needs it. They might even really want it. No one is questioning that fact.

The issue at hand is figuring out the best way of getting that wisdom into their heads. If they are bored, overwhelmed, or distracted ... forget it. They will not absorb your facts at all in such a state.

That’s where pictures, video, stories, and human interest components come into play because they make your talks more engaging and entertaining. These components capture attention, leading to better recall and understanding later.

Also, consider that a 30-minute or 60-minute talk is probably too short a time, anyway, for them to truly absorb and mentally process all the depth you wish to share. They might be better off exploring the concepts later in the privacy of their hotel room or office, while reading handouts, articles, books, Web pages, or while watching a DVD. In that case, you are indeed a salesperson and motivator up front, making the case that a more detailed exploration later is worth the effort. During the short time you have their attention, prioritize sparking their imagination and inspiring them to want more.

Said another way, your performance likely will be best spent connecting with people's needs and interests, one real human to others. Tell them about yourself and bring them into your world through the use of personalized visuals. Be conversational, responsive, and entertaining. They will remember those aspects of your performance and hopefully be more likely to heed your calls to action and learn more about the messages and products you offer—later.

Back to Top