Sheila and I are finishing up the manuscript for our forthcoming book, The Engaging Expert: A Fieldbook for Occasional Presenters and Accidental Trainers. The book walks you through all the steps from the moment you are asked to share your expertise with a group through proving it had an impact afterward.

Below is a quick excerpt from the chapter called “Wow Your Audience.”

These techniques add more than just polishing touches to your presentation. They recapture audience attention, which must be re-won regularly throughout your session.

“Better attention always equals better learning,” explains John Medina, director of the Brain Center for Applied Learning Research at Seattle Pacific University . “We have known for a long time that ‘interest’ or ‘importance’ is inextricably linked to attention. … [Marketing professionals] have known for years that novel stimuli – the unusual, unpredictable or distinctive – are powerful ways to harness attention in the service of interest.”


Establishing Groups

You can squander an awful lot of time having participants group themselves with no guidance from you. Speed it up, make it genuinely random, and add an element of the unexpected by using categories like these.

• “If you have been in this industry less than one year, go to this corner. If you have been in it for two to five years, go to that corner. If you have been around longer than five years, come to this corner.”


• “Look at the playing card you drew when you came into the room. Form a group with the people who are holding the same suit as you are.”
• “If you listened to the radio on your way here this morning, raise your hand. You are the ______ group.”


• “Look at the amount of green, yellow and/or black you are wearing. If you have more green than the other colors, go to this corner of the room; if you are wearing more yellow than the other colors, go to that corner of the room …."


• “If your birthday is in the first half of the year, go to this side of the room; if your birthday is in the second half of the room, go to that side of the room.”


• “You can also divide groups by which quarter of the year their birthday falls in, or even which month to get lots of groups. You will probably need to adjust the group sizes after the fact with these options, but it’s plenty easy to do.”


• “Who is your favorite James Bond? If you prefer Sean Connery in the role … Roger Moore …” etc.


• “Everyone choose a [candy bar] from the pile on your table.” (Wait for everyone to select an item from a pre-defined variety.) “All the people who chose [Milky Way], gather over here. [Salted Nut Rolls] gather over there, …” etc.

Choosing Individuals for Specific Roles

Often in small-group activities you need someone to serve as the leader or table spokesperson or as the recorder taking notes or writing answers.

Randomizing how you choose an individual within a small group relieves some anxiety, often induces laughter and maintains interest. Here are a few ways to identify specific people quickly and efficiently, with a dollop of humor that adds interest.

“Find the person in your group ….

• who has done [your topic] before”
• who most recently delivered a presentation of some kind.”
• whose birthday falls closest to today.”
• who is the tallest.”
• who is wearing the most red.”
• with the most change in his or her pocket or purse.”
• with the biggest face … on your watch!”
• who traveled the greatest distance to get here today.”
• who most recently fed a pet.”
• who has the most siblings.”
• who has the most anatomical legs in their home.”
• who most recently bought a book.”

Tip: To add humor and an element of surprise, once you identify a specific person in a small group, indicate that the leader will be the person to his or her left, for example, or someone else in the group that the person you identified chooses.


Raising or Lowering the Energy in the Room

To raise the energy in a quiet group,

• If you don’t get any answers when you ask the large group a question, say, “Take 30 seconds at your tables and brainstorm the answer.”


• Do a pairs activity. Having lots of people talking at the same time raises the level of energy in a room.


• Use high-energy music to set the tone during breaks and to cue the beginning and end of group activities.


• Introduce movement. For example, ask participants to answer a poll question by standing or moving to one side of the room or the other to “cast their vote.”


• To reduce the energy of a boisterous group,


• Do a small groups activity using groups of at least 4-8. Having fewer people talking at the same time lowers the energy in a room.


• Do an individual reading or writing activity -- possibly with calm music to cue the beginning and end of the time for individuals to work.


• Suggest a short break, during which you might put on soothing music.