How to Make an Interactive Presentation that Impresses

The venue and occasion: An educational session at a meeting of independent publishers. It featured two speakers, each doing an interactive presentation, and trying to involve the audience. Let's hone our communication skills by comparing how much engagement they generated.

The results were significantly different. The first speaker received some questions, but not many and finished before her allotted time had expired; apparently the audience had run out of interest in her presentation. The second speaker got a much better response, with more questions than he could handle in the available time.

So what were the differences between the two speakers? What interactive presentation tactics made one much more effective than the other?

For starters, the first speaker talked about what her business did (an implicit sales pitch), while the second speaker simply shared information he'd learned. The first speaker markets the books of other publishers, and her comments suggested (in a subtle way) that she hoped to recruit new clients from the audience. The second speaker, a fellow publisher, simply spoke about book marketing as he's experienced it.

Comparing the two, we see that you're much more likely to get a good response from sharing ideas, rather than trying to sell the audience.

Another difference saw the first speaker try to answer all the questions herself, while the second speaker frequently asked others in the audience to add their own answers. In other words, the second speaker positioned himself as a facilitator as well as an expert.

Comparing the two, we see that people in the audience gets more involved when they get to answer, as well as ask questions.

One more difference: the first speaker stuck to one spot at the front of the room, while the second speaker changed positions frequently. The first speaker mostly stood still, in much the same spot, throughout the whole session, while the second moved fairly constantly.

The lesson from these tactics? Your interactive presentation has a physical dimension as well as an intellectual dimension. Your 'stage presence' will make a difference.

In summary, you can make your presentation more powerful by using the interaction techniques of sharing ideas rather than selling, involving the audience in answers, and moving around the room.