by Gilda Bonanno LLC www.gildabonanno.com
They
could be checking their watches because they have something important to do
after your presentation. Or they saw
someone else (even you) check their watch and they’re unconsciously mirroring the
behavior (like yawning, watch-checking is contagious – try it sometime in a
crowded room or elevator).
Gilda Bonanno's blog www.gildabonanno.blogspot.com
Recently, I presented Bold Presentation
Skills for Women in Business at a local business association meeting and someone
asked me, “If I see people yawning and checking their watches in the
audience while I’m giving a presentation, should I assume it’s me?”
Most of the time, it’s not all about you. People may be yawning because they didn’t get
enough sleep the night before or because the room temperature is too warm after
lunch and they’re feeling sleepy.
They
could be checking their watches because they have something important to do
after your presentation. Or they saw
someone else (even you) check their watch and they’re unconsciously mirroring the
behavior (like yawning, watch-checking is contagious – try it sometime in a
crowded room or elevator).
So, if you occasionally see your audience members yawn or check their
watches, it’s probably not you.
However, if these types of audience behaviors happen frequently during
your presentations, regardless of the time, topic or type of audience, then maybe
it is you.
Videotape yourself or get feedback from a trusted colleague to be
sure. And then, make some changes in how
you present so you can be more engaging:
- Make sure your content is relevant and interesting.
- Practice adding in audience interaction such as asking questions – not just rhetorical questions, but questions that you’d actually like some answers to.
- You can also have each person turn to the person next to them and talk for a few minutes about something related to your topic.
- Be aware of your non-verbals – be sure that you’re making eye contact with everyone and that you’re varying your voice to keep their attention.
Gilda Bonanno's blog www.gildabonanno.blogspot.com