How to get an Audiences Attention

A trainer dryly discussing how to motivate people in an organization basically has just another "point-by-point" presentation. But suppose that he mounts the podium and begins to speak. Suddenly, a phone on the lectern rings. He ignores it at first, trying to continue. Finally he gives up, excuses himself and answers it. It is an engineer (off-stage voice) with a series of questions relating to the organization and the lecture topic. Although the presenter protests that this is "highly irregular," the offstage voice indicates that the issues are pressing and must be answered on the spot (while visual support flashes on the screen). Humor meaningful to the audience may be injected, such as, "Why aren't you at the meeting?" The lecture time is up, the presentation time has been used, and the presenter complains he "never got a chance to talk to the audience." But the audience members have received the information that the trainer had come to share with them, and in an attention-getting way.

Being a trainer, it is very important to capture the attention of an audience. There are many ways of using an audience's natural curiosity to do so, ranging from hinting, to a "surprise," to out and out staging. Innovation and creativity are the catchwords here. Covered material, a wrapped package even silence or blank space might sometimes be used. Suppose, for example, that a series of slides were flashed on a screen in absolute silence-pictures of several product applications, then some competitive equipment, then a customer, then an engineer at his drawing board. No sound or speech. A desired momentary or prolonged audience response during this part of the presentation might well be something like, "What's going on here?" "Somebody fouled up...forgot the sound." Curiosity and attention are aroused. Then the spoken part of the training begins.

On a side note, no presenter should be afraid to be definative, to come right out and let his audience know that "this is the way it is." Hedging weakens the whole presentation. From the standpoint of attention, an unequivocal statement can make an audience sit up and take notice. For example, "Ladies and gentlemen, you've undoubtedly heard some trainers say that planners and calendars are ineffective tools in time management. This is not true!" If spoken with proper emphasis and self-confidence, the statement implies that the person knows what they are talking about and is not afraid to say so. An audience will notice and respect it-even if they disagree.

Copyright AE Schwartz & Associates All rights reserved. For additional presentation materials and resources: ReadySetPresent and for a Free listing as a Trainer, Consultant, Speaker, Vendor/Organization: TrainingConsortium

CEO, A.E. Schwartz & Associates, Boston, MA., a comprehensive organization which offers over 40 skills based management training programs. Mr. Schwartz conducts over 150 programs annually for clients in industry, research, technology, government, Fortune 100/500 companies, and nonprofit organizations worldwide. He is often found at conferences as a key note presenter and/or facilitator. His style is fast-paced, participatory, practical, and humorous. He has authored over 65 books and products, and taught/lectured at over a dozen colleges and universities throughout the United States.

USA TODAY

News Corp. Says It Provided Info for Sun Corruption Arrests Reuters By Lucas Shaw at TheWrap News Corp. said Saturday that it provided the information to the police that resulted in the arrest of five of its journalists earlier in the day. In a statement the company said: "The Management and Standards Committee (MSC) ... U.K. Media Bribe Probe WidensWall Street Journal UK police arrest five journalists in newspaper bribery probeFox News Staff at The Sun tabloid arrested in bribe inquiryUSA TODAY all 1,461 news articles »

MiamiHerald.com

Oracle to Pay $1.9B for Taleo, Extends SAP Rivalry ABC News Oracle Corp. is escalating its rivalry with German business-software maker SAP AG with a $1.9 billion purchase of Taleo Corp., a company that helps businesses hire and manage their employees. The proposed purchase announced Thursday extends Oracle's ... Oracle Buys Taleo for $1.9 Billion, Adds Human-Resource ToolSan Francisco Chronicle Oracle to pay $1.9b for TaleoNEWS.com.au Oracle to buy Taleo for $1.9 bln; cloud war brewsReuters GMA News all 482 news articles »

TEXT-S&P revises Apollo Investment Corp outlook to stable Reuters (The following statement was released by the rating agency) -- Apollo Investment Corp. (AIC) has announced changes in management, a reduction in its dividend, and adjustments to its investment strategy. -- In our view, changes to the firm's investment ... Company News for February 9, 2012Zacks.com Apollo Investment's CEO Discusses Q3 2012 Results - Earnings Call TranscriptSeeking Alpha Apollo Investments Considers Capital Raise; Unveils Management ShiftsWall Street Journal Economic Times -Tech24 all 30 news articles »

New York Times

Oracle to pay $1.9B for Taleo, extends SAP rivalry Seattle Post Intelligencer Oracle is paying $1.9 billion for Taleo Corp., a company that helps businesses manage their employees. Photo: Mark Lennihan / AP NEW YORK (AP) ? Oracle Corp. is escalating its rivalry with German business-software maker SAP AG with a $1.9 billion ... Oracle Signs Acquisition Deal With Taleo for Cloud ComputingIndustry Leaders Magazine Oracle's $1.9bn Deal to Buy TaleoZacks.com all 116 news articles »

Wall Street Journal

AMR bankruptcy: Retirees group files for involvement in case Tulsa World The organization, AMR Retirees Pension Protection Corp., is based in Owasso and includes former members of American Airlines upper management at the Maintenance & Engineering Center in Tulsa and the carrier's maintenance base in Fort Worth. Exclusive: American Airlines creditors want to talk mergerReuters Transport workers union says it will have counterproposal next week for AmericanFort Worth Star Telegram all 26 news articles »

PetroFrontier announces change in management Sacramento Bee 10, 2012 -- /PRNewswire/ - (TSX-V: PFC) - PetroFrontier Corp.("PetroFrontier") announced today that Peter Philipchuk, Vice President, Exploration, has resigned from PetroFrontier. PetroFrontier thanks Mr. Philipchuk for his service and wishes him well ... and more »

Integrated Asset Management Corp. Announces Results for the First Quarter of ... MarketWatch (press release) TORONTO, ONTARIO, Feb 09, 2012 (MARKETWIRE via COMTEX) -- Integrated Asset Management Corp. ("IAM") /quotes/zigman/18979 CA:IAM -10.00% today announced unaudited financial results for the quarter ended December 31, 2011. Review of the 3-Month Period ... and more »

Edgewood Management Holdings in 4th Quarter: 13F Alert Bloomberg Top Positions by Market Value Company Name Ticker Market Value Current Change (USD $) Position In Position Celgene Corp CELG US 424280043 6276332 -33371 QUALCOMM Inc QCOM US 397587935 7268518 -21149 Visa Inc-Class A Shares V US 389712244 3838395 ... and more »

State: Revised flood plain map led to levee updates Peoria Journal Star He did say, however, that the Federal Emergency Management Agency and the US Army Corps of Engineers became more serious about the country's levee system after the hurricane disaster. Osman said the Corps did an Illinois River study in 2002 and 2003, ... and more »

msnbc.com

Alcatel-Lucent Shares Soar on Profit Jump Wall Street Journal An ongoing price war, combined with the pressure of lowering costs while maintaining research and development spend means that Alcatel-Lucent's management will have to speed the pace of restructuring. "In the market there was a relief that they made ... Recent IPOs Review: RPX's Licensing Syndicate with Alcatel-Lucent, Apollo ...Wall St. Cheat Sheet all 201 news articles »