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5 Strategies for Holding Your Audience's Attention
We’ve said it before, but it bears repeating: attention spans online are fundamentally different than in person. You’re not in a focused environment, and you never know what’s going on around the computers of your listeners.
That being said, you aren’t at the mercy of online. Here are a few strategies for keeping attention in your next virtual event, workshop, or talk.
Talk in Short Segments. Whenever possible, keep lecture-style talking to seven to fifteen minutes at a time. Break up your talks with activities, questions, visual or audio moments, and exercises for your audience to do.
Be Visual. Many people are visual learners and will get more out of your talk with something interesting to look at. In fact, online, the visuals will also hold your audience’s attention! Even if you don’t ordinarily use slides or photos, we recommend creating them to go with an online talk. Share your screen. Find ways to be visual in a way that changes, to keep peoples’ attention.
Practice Connection. Zoom can feel like you’re putting energy out into the void and not receiving anything back. Practice smiling, emoting, and connecting during your talk before you go online. Projecting emotion will be harder, but will connect with your audience far more.
Be Creative. Use technology--and creativity!--to help you. Zoom has an online whiteboard tool you can use or you can connect your iPad to draw during your talk. You might also try to go analog and write signs and hold them up in front of you as a fun addition to a talk. In one of our Conch Convos, Denise Jacobs shared she once attended a talk where the speaker brought a laugh track that she played after making a joke. What fun and promising things can you do to interact with and engage your audience?
Stay Calm. Don’t get overwhelmed or flustered--online speaking is a different version of the same speaking you’ve already been doing. You can do this!
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