As speakers, we want to excite our audiences. We would like them to be hanging on our every word. We like them to think “Wow!” throughout our presentations.

So, how can you excite your audience every time you speak? Consider the three strategies below:

Start with a Bang

Begin your presentation with something attention-grabbing. This will immediately capture your audience’s interest and set the tone for an engaging presentation. Try the following three attention-getters:

Start with a Provocative Statement or Question: Begin your presentation with a bold statement or a thought-provoking question that challenges conventional thinking or sparks curiosity. This will immediately capture your audience’s attention and encourage them to lean in and engage with your presentation.

Use Visuals to Create Impact: Start your presentation with a visually striking image, video, or infographic that sets the tone for your topic and captures the audience’s imagination. Visuals have the power to convey complex ideas quickly and emotionally, making them an effective way to grab attention and create a memorable first impression.

Tell a Compelling Story: Begin your presentation with a compelling anecdote, narrative, or case study that illustrates the significance of your topic and draws the audience into the story. Stories uniquely captivate attention, evoke emotions, and make abstract concepts more relatable and understandable. By starting with a story, you can immediately capture the audience’s interest and create a strong connection with your message.

You should start your presentation with a bang to get your audience’s attention and involvement.

Use multimedia and interactive elements during your presentation to further excite your audience.

Use Multimedia and Interactive Elements

Incorporate multimedia elements such as videos, images, animations, or interactive polls to make your presentation visually stimulating and interactive.

Embed Videos or Animations: Integrate relevant videos or animations into your presentation to visually demonstrate concepts, provide real-world examples, or showcase product features. For instance, you could include a customer testimonial video, an animated infographic explaining complex data, or a product demo video. Ensure the videos are high-quality and concise and add value to your presentation without overshadowing your spoken content.

Use Interactive elements: Use interactive elements to engage your audience and encourage participation. This could include interactive polls, quizzes, or surveys that prompt audience members to provide feedback, answer questions, or vote on options related to your topic. Tools like Mentimeter, Poll Everywhere, or interactive features in presentation software like PowerPoint or Google Slides can help you create engaging interactive slides that keep your audience actively involved throughout your presentation.

Incorporate Visual Enhancements: Enhance your slides with visually appealing elements such as images, infographics, or diagrams to complement your spoken content and make critical points more memorable. Choose high-quality visuals relevant to your topic and help convey information more effectively than text alone. Additionally, consider using animations or transitions sparingly to add visual interest and guide the audience’s focus without distracting from your message.

By incorporating multimedia and interactive elements in these ways, you can create more dynamic and engaging presentations that capture the audience’s attention and leave a lasting impression.

These elements can help break up the monotony of slides and keep your audience engaged throughout your presentation.

So, to excite your audience, start your presentation with a bang and use multimedia and interactive elements to involve your audience throughout your presentation.

Your goal in your presentation should be to hook your audience emotionally. The best way to do this is to tell a story. Humans have been doing this since prehistoric times. They keep doing it because it always works.

Tell a Story

Weave a narrative throughout your presentation to connect your audience emotionally.

Stories have a remarkable ability to captivate audiences and hold their attention. Here are three ways stories accomplish this:

Emotional Engagement: Stories evoke emotions, making them a powerful tool for connecting with your audience on a deeper level. When you share a story that resonates with your audience’s experiences, struggles, or aspirations, they become emotionally invested in your message. You can capture their attention and deliver a memorable presentation by tapping into their emotions.

Relatability and Relevance: Stories make abstract concepts more relatable and understandable by illustrating them in a real-world context. When you tell a story that mirrors your audience’s challenges, interests, or goals, they can easily relate to the characters and situations, making the message more relevant and meaningful. This relatability helps to grab their attention and keep them engaged throughout your presentation.

Narrative Arc and Tension: Stories are inherently structured with a beginning, middle, and end, often involving conflict or tension that drives the plot forward. This narrative arc creates a sense of suspense and curiosity, compelling the audience to stay engaged to see how the story unfolds and resolves. By crafting a compelling narrative with well-developed characters, plot twists, and resolutions, you can hook your audience and hold their attention until the end of your presentation.

Incorporating stories into your presentations in these ways can make your message more compelling and memorable, ultimately grabbing and holding your audience’s attention effectively.

To make your presentation memorable, you must excite your audience. Three ways to do this are (1) start your presentation with a bang, (2) use multimedia and interactive elements, and (3) tell a story; personal stories are the best.

Get your audience excited!

Call to Action

• Begin your presentation with something attention-grabbing, like a provocative statement or question, using visuals to create impact and tell a compelling story

• Use videos and interactive elements in your presentation, like embedding videos or animations, using interactive components, and incorporating visual enhancements in your slides such as images, infographics, or diagrams

• Tell relevant stories to emotionally engage your audience, make concepts more relatable and understandable, and create a sense of suspense.

Frank DiBartolomeo is a retired U.S. Air Force Lieutenant Colonel and award-winning speaker, presentation and interview skills coach, and Professional Member of the National Speakers Association. He was awarded Toastmasters International’s highest individual award, Distinguished Toastmaster because of his outstanding work in public speaking and leadership.

Frank formed DiBartolomeo Consulting International (DCI), LLC (www.speakleadandsucceed.com) in 2007. The mission of DCI is to help technical professionals to inspire, motivate, and influence their colleagues and other technical professionals by improving their presentation skills, communication, and personal presence. Reach Frank at frank@speakleadandsucceed.com and (703) 509-4424.

Don’t miss Frank DiBartolomeo’s latest book!

“Speak Well and Prosper: Tips, Tools, and Techniques for Better Presentations”

Available now at Amazon.com and BarnesandNoble.com