Category: Soft Skills

Posted on

How to KEEP your Audience’s Attention in your Presentation

This blog post will share advice on not only how to CAPTURE your audience’s attention, but how to KEEP your audience engaged throughout your presentation.

This is especially important in the current culture we’re living in, where audiences have so many distractions, often even multi-tasking during our presentation.

Read on for some great techniques to avoid this during your presentation.

Audience interaction –  Make sure you interact with your audience as early as possible in your next presentation. Ask a simple yes or no question, get them to vote with hands up, or even try a thumbs up or down.

If you’re feeling more adventurous, try to build an interaction that will last all the way through the talk, for example by telling the audience “when I say … you must all say …” This is a creative way to get the audience involved with the performance and feeling engaged right from the first minute.

Change the tone of your voice – When making a presentation it’s really important that you don’t always speak at the same volume and at the same pitch, as the audience can easily tune out.

This is especially a problem for non-native English speakers when presenting in English. One method is to practise changing the volume and tone of your voice, record yourself speaking on your mobile phone then play it back. You will be surprised how effective this simple method can be!

Use body language – We’re not suggesting you need to dance or sing during your next presentation to capture your audience’s attention! But the use of body language is critical given that research tells us 55% of communication is from body language, 38% is from tone of voice and just 7% is the words we use.

Woman In Black Tank Top

Therefore, the gestures you make with your hands and way you use your body are essential tools to keep your audience on the edge of their seat.

The element of surprise – A famous example of using the element of surprise is when Steve Jobs pulled the new MacBook Air out of an envelope at Macworld 2008. No one was expecting it and it was most definitely a “wow” moment for the audience.

Which part of your next presentation will be a “wow” moment for your audience?

Variety is the spice of life –  During your next presentation, try to mix things up. Ask a question and get your audience to put up their hand if they agree with you. Show a short video clip or use an interesting photo or picture. Get your audience to stand up and teach them something.

Most people can only concentrate for a very short time, so you need to keep changing the way you deliver your presentation and the tools you use to ensure you maintain their attention from the beginning until the end.

Summary

Nobody wants to lose the attention of their audience during an important presentation. Try experimenting with the techniques above, and see what a difference it can make to the engagement and enjoyment of your next presentation, both for the audience and for you!

Posted on

Tips for Quick Problem Solving and Powerful Decision Making

Despite the increased use of virtual reality and artificial intelligence in creative thinking, problem solving and decision making are still some of the most in-demand skills needed by professionals in the workplace to maximise efficiency, productivity and both team and individual performance.

This article will explore 4 tips to help you solve problems quicker and make more effective decisions.

4 Tips to improve Problem Solving and Decision Making skills

4 Tips to improve Problem Solving and Decision Making skills

Define a clear problem statement

When trying to solve challenges, it is important to be clear of the issue that needs to addressed. An important first step is to write a clear problem statement. This is a critical 2nd step in the Design Thinking process developed at Stanford University.

According to the method, “A problem statement is a concise description of an issue to be addressed or a condition to be improved upon. It identifies the gap between the current (problem) state and desired (goal) state of a process or product. Focusing on the facts, the problem statement should be designed to address the Five Ws.“

Draw a Fishbone diagram

 A fishbone diagram, sometimes called a cause and effect diagram or an Ishikawa diagram, is a visual tool to understand the potential causes of a problem to help identify its root cause.

You can also use this diagram to ask Why? 5 times to try to understand more deeply why the problem occurred.

Benefits of a fishbone diagram include the following:
  • Highly visual brainstorming tool which can spark further examples of root causes.
  • Quickly identify if the root cause is found multiple times in the same or different causal tree.
  • Allows one to see all causes simultaneously. 
Brainstorm effectively

 Most people have heard of brainstorming and have taken part in a brainstorming session, however few do it effectively.

When brainstorming ideas, it is critical to not judge the ideas just write down as many as possible. The only person to ever win the Nobel Prize twice Dr Linus Pauling said “to have a good idea you need to have lots of ideas. “Too many people make the mistake of trying to think of one magic solution.

Furthermore, in order to facilitate the brainstorming process, it is far better to stand up around a flipchart or a whiteboard rather than sit down around a meeting table. It is scientifically proven that we are more creative when we stand up or move around as the blood flows faster in our body. 

Draw a Mind Map

Another great technique to solve problems, think creatively and to help you make decisions is mind maps. Research suggests that our brains work by connecting one idea to the next. Mind Mapping your thoughts will help you see the whole picture. See below 5 simple steps to draw a mind map:

  1. Take a piece of paper and turn it sideways – rectangle shape.
  2. Write your main idea or topic in the middle of the page.
  3. Then write other ideas that branch out from this main topic or idea.
  4. Use key words or as much detail as you like.
  5. Use different colours and images if you wish.
Summary

There isn’t just one approach to problem solving, and there certainly isn’t just one answer or decision. But imagine how much time you could save by tuning up your problem-solving skills… the sky is the limit! So try something new next time you’re faced with a challenge or a difficult decision.

To learn more about this topic, try reading our:

Ten Ways to Master Problem-Solving and Decision-Making