No More Dumping
Your presentation is not the bed of a dump truck, waiting to get filled with everything you know. It’s not. Period. And your audience is not a dumping ground. Refrain from giving your audiences detail after detail with no opportunity for everyone to stop and think about what in the world the information means.
Here’s the solution …
To avoid information overload, use the 15-5 Provide-and-Process Model where you speak and provide information for no more than 10 to 15 minutes at a time, then, present the audience with a three to five minutes of time to interact, engage, and process. If you talk much longer than 10 to 15 minutes at a time, then the audience will start to lose interest and check out.
With the 15-5 Provide-and-Process Model, the body of a ~60-minute presentation follows this pattern:
1. Speak for 10 to 15 minutes.
2. Provide a question that has the audience engage for three to five minutes.
3. Speak for another 10 to 15 minutes.
4. Then provide another question that has the audience engage for three to five minutes.
5. Speak for 10 to 15 minutes more.
6. Then offer up a third question that serves as the foundation for three to five minutes of audience engagement.
(For guidance on how to design great questions to use during these times of engagement, grab your copy of REAL TALK: What Other Experts Won’t Tell You About How to Make Presentations That Sizzle and read “Why No One Responds When You Ask "Are There Any Questions?" And What to Ask Instead in chapter 3.)
If you plow through your content without incorporating audience engagement, the audience will not have the opportunity to think about what the content means, nor will participants connect the new content with prior knowledge. This is akin to having your audience drink from a fire hose without giving everyone the opportunity to stop and swallow. It becomes information overload for your audience.
After you have spoken for 10 to 15 minutes, have the audience think of what they will do differently with the information you presented to them. If you have a shorter presentation or if your presentation is part of a collaboration with other speakers, then this time will vary. However, you should always aim to end your speaking portion with audience interaction and processing. When you do so, you demonstrate to everyone that you will not merely talk at them. Rather, you will ensure that they fully understand the content and are in the position to act upon it as a result.
###
Did you enjoy this post? Get more presentation strategies in the award-winning REAL TALK: What Other Experts Won't Tell You About How to Make Presentations That Sizzle.
Are you an event planner looking for a speaker who will motivate your team with high-energy workshops, breakout sessions, keynotes, or interactive webinars? Do you need a go-getter for your next business meeting speaker, team retreat speaker, or company sales meeting—a speaker who will engage the audience, make them laugh, and give everyone real takeaways?
Bridgett McGowen is that speaker, and she is currently booking in-person and webinar engagements that will give your audience a different experience.
Click HERE to check her availability and to book Bridgett. It will be the best time you have ever spent in search of a motivational speaker. Guaranteed!
Image credit: Ronald Plett