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Reading Audiences

By Karl Walinskas, P.E

Did you ever have one of those presentation experiences where you hit everything just right? You were really in the zone, firing up your audience while disseminating all of your valuable content. How did you know it was working? The answer is fairly obviousthe audience was giving you clues to their appreciation. Their applause, body language, and other signals told you that your presentation was a winner.

One dual training session that I gave involved a bit of a character act on the part of my partner and I, sort of a good cop/bad cop thing. My co-presenter was playing an overbearing boss bent on whipping employees into shape during this fictitious company training session. I was the informational guy, the kinder, gentler, not-as-fun speaker, and I had the good fortune to watch the audience response during my counterparts opening tirade. He was doing a fine job and most of the people were in fun, but one dude wasnt buying. His arms were crossed, his face wore a disgusted look, and he was shaking his head side to side. During the break I approached him and asked him what was wrong. He explained that he has had his fill of tyrannical superiors and had some baggage from them, so this act was not funny to him. In fact, in one more minute he was about to walk out. My co-instructor and I worked our way through the situation using a bit of professional tact and turned this potential disaster into a tremendous win, receiving laudatory evaluation comments from this man, who noted that we cared enough to notice and address the situation.

But thats the trick isnt it? Whether you confront someone at the break that you were losing or if you make adjustments on the fly, the key is to read your audience well enough that you can sense how theyre feeling and respond appropriately and instinctively.

The Eyes Have It

The first clue you want to be aware of is the eyes of each audience member. It may be hard to see the eyes of people more than 20 feet away, so start with them. First check to make sure theyre eyes are open! Unless you give instructions to close your eyes and imagine, shut eyelids mean a bored crowd. Check to see if the people are following your actions with their eyes, that they are focused on your actions, and that folks are making a conscious effort to see the presentation. In other words, that eyes arent wandering about the room. Questions about not being able to see your slide text, for instance, are a good sign of audience interest, although it means your visuals are improperly prepared. Thats a whole different article.

Actions Speak Louder Than Words

Look for critical body language from the crowd. People ducking out the back door en masse is never a good sign, because it means youre not interesting enough to keep them around or youre too long between breaks and they have to go to the bathroom. Even how people sit in their seats is important. You want to see people leaning forward with erect posture, not leaning back getting comfortable enough for a catnap. Watch out for crossed arms (see earlier example) that paint a clear portrait that this person is resistant to what you are saying. Purposeful positive head movement is an excellent signal, like nodding indicating agreement or that a person has just had an Ah-hah! experience. Shaking heads are not necessarily bad, depending on other signals. Its OK to be controversial and get the audience thinking, but I would suggest complete disagreement on all points is a bad thing.

The Engagement Factor

The level to which your audience participates in your presentation is a critical factor in determining how well they are receiving you. I call this the engagement factor. Even if you have told them to save questions until the end, in every crowd there are always one or two ham-actors who start asking questions during the show. You have to deal with them and direct them to the conclusion of your talk, but this is a great signal. They are telling the rest of the audience that your subject matter, that you, are engaging. Are they laughing heartily at your well-placed and relevant humor? Good sign. Do you get a lot of questions during the Q&A? Excellent! What about your audience involvement bits? You want to see people who play along and have answers when you ask them questions. During group exercises you want to see people who actually did what you asked them to do. Theyre engaged. If you stick a microphone in front of someones face and ask her opinion on what she just heard, or ask her what she has learned so far, I dont know is not a good answer. This lady is disengaged.

Ive summarized the cues that your audience might be giving you in the following table, along with what these signals mean and how can you make adjustments in your presentation.

Notice how often in the adjustments that some form of humor can be an appropriate remedy. People, even in the stuffiest of business presentations, like to laughat you, at themselves, at life. Well-placed and timed, tasteful, and relevant humor is something every presenter should have in his arsenal of speaking weapons.

If you read the audiences eyes, watch what they do as you are presenting, and check their engagement factor, youll be able to make minor adjustments throughout any talk that will ensure it turns out to be a home run event, every time.

CREDITS  Karl Walinskas is an expert at organizational communications; a Chief Operating Officer, speaker and freelance writer in Pennsylvania who helps businesses and individuals who want to communicate more effectively through his company, The Speaking Connection  www.SpeakingConnection.com.