20 Audience Engagement Tools for Speakers, Trainers & Presenters

Speaking Coach Toolkit
For Audience Engagement

If you want to be a more engaging speaker and presenter and unleash your potential, then review the 20 point checklist below from Speaking Coach, Professional Speakers Australia ‘Hall of Fame’ speaker and PSA ‘Educator of the Year’, Ian Hutchinson.

 

How often are you required to speak?

Usually the reason you’re asked to speak is because others believe you have something valuable and useful to share.

Let’s face it, you probably wouldn’t be asked to present in the first place if you didn’t have some expertise in a topic.

Perhaps you have experience in your field, are an expert in your industry or maybe were just the ‘last one standing’.

 

The Speakers Anxiety

The main reason most people feel anxious or nervous about an upcoming presentation is usually not because of their content, but rather more commonly because of confidence in their delivery style.

 

Gee, I Wish I Could Be More Like Them

Most of us have seen great speakers, trainer and presenters and thought…“Gee, I’d like to be more like them!”

But the fact of the matter is, these days, conveying your message isn’t about copying someone else’s style, it’s about discovering and further developing YOURS! It’s about discovering and becoming comfortable with your authentic self. The key is finding your unique style and using it to its full potential.

 

Magnify Your Unique Strengths

Finding your uniqueness and magnifying your authenticity will allow you to let your true personality shine. The good news is… it’s then easier for you to connect and engage with your audience than you think!

I’ve seen the most introverted presenters own their authentic self and be amazingly engaging, while at the same time I’ve seen extroverted speakers crash and burn because they were trying to be someone they are not.

 

Many Aspiring Speakers Don’t Know What They Don’t Know

Sometimes we are too close to our own presentation and can’t see the trees from the forest. As such, we sometimes don’t always fully see our opportunities, strengths and blind spots to reaching our potential.

From my 20 years’ experience as a full-time industry professional, the majority of speakers and presenters, trainers and industry experts want to be able to:

  • Distil their message into something valuable
  • Engage and influence their audiences with greater confidence and less anxiety
  • Maximise their humour, comedy and audience impact
  • Magnify their pre-existing authenticity, personality and strengths
  • Dramatically upskill themselves with a fun toolkit of surefire engagement strategies and techniques
  • Improve their stage performance skills and storytelling ability
  • Fast-track their speaking and presenting in a progressive, non-confronting enjoyable way

 

Your Message vs Method

Whether you believe it or not, some research studies suggests that over 90% of how your audience perceives you and your message is not in your material, or your content, but rather in your delivery method.

As mentioned earlier, you wouldn’t have been asked to speak in the first place if you didn’t have topic expertise to share. So the factor that is ultimately going to take you from an average speaker, to good, or even great, is going to be your delivery style and your speaking method.

 

20 Years of Insights

Over the last two decades I have been a full-time professional speaker and presenter.

I’ve been to countless numbers of conferences and events around the world, so I’ve seen a lot, and am happy to share some insights that you might like to consider to help you unleash your speaking potential in the year ahead.

 

20 Speaking Techniques, Tools and Strategies To Engage Your Audience

So, if you or your team are serious about unlocking your speaking potential and learning key dynamic delivery techniques, tools and tips, here is a list of insights, strategies and techniques focusing on audience engagement to consider.

 

Your Personal Audience Engagement Audit

To what degree do you currently use each of these techniques to enhance audience engagement and impact? Give yourself a score out of 5 for each of the 20 strategies below.  That will give you a total score out of 100.

  1. PowerPoint (or Keynote) purely for the ‘theatre’ experience
  2. Music to energise a room
  3. Humour, comedy and joke links
  4. Audience use and interaction
  5. Videos and YouTube
  6. Physicalisation and stagecraft
  7. Research, stats and testimonial credibility
  8. Themes, gimmicks, pull-through phrases
  9. Energisers and state changes
  10. Quick quiz and reinforcements
  11. Voice dynamics and pacing
  12. Stories and examples
  13. Images, visuals and cartoons
  14. Recalls and incorporations
  15. Laser summaries
  16. Shock tactics and the unexpected
  17. Give-a-ways and prizes
  18. Visual aids and props
  19. Handouts, worksheets & activities
  20. FAQ management and open forums

 

Your Current Audience Engagement Audit Score

Add up all your 20 scores out of 5 and that will give you a total score out of 100. So how did you go?

Being an engaging, fun and confident speaker and presenter can be an important life skill that can also help progress your ability to influence, no matter what your area of expertise.

Speaking Coach

 

Ever Considered a Speaking Coach?

Your speaking ability, no matter what level you are at, can always be improved with the guidance of an expert.

Let’s face it, virtually every top performer has had a coach in their lives at some time or another.

So, regardless of what level you are at, having a speaking coach can dramatically fast-track your progress, confidence, impact and even your career.

As you’d expect, over the last 20 years, to get to the top of my game, I’ve invested hundreds of hours specifically in coaching and further training to constantly improve. So if you want to be the best or even just better, it’s something you may like to consider.

Learn how to discover your speaking message, and your authentic unique way of delivering it, so that nerves convert into confidence

1-on-1 Speaker Coaching