Tips from the Presentation Consultants

In revisiting the dialogue in the 1996 blockbuster Jerry Maguire, even the most jaded moviegoer can immediately spot the basic value in Renee Zellweger’s infamous comment, “You had me at hello.” In any business presentation situation, the way you deliver your “hello” is crucial. If you don’t capture your audience’s attention within the first few seconds of a presentation, you’ve generally lost them for the duration.

The first few slides of most presentations feature headers that use words such as “Agenda,” “Overview,” and “About Us,” followed by a series of supporting bullet points. Does your audience need to know this information? Yes! Are they really going to absorb, digest, and act on it if it is presented to them in the format outlined above? Probably not.

They key to successfully getting and keeping an audience’s attention lies in one simple concept: Engagement. If your audience is not actively engaged in the material you are presenting, the return on your presentation investment will plummet. Try the following methods for connecting with your listeners and discover how easy it is to get and retain their attention:

• Make them think: Pose an interesting or provocative question that will get their minds working on the subject at hand. Start a dialogue with your listeners, allowing them to contribute their opinions or experiences to the setup of your presentation. Once they’ve contributed to the discussion, they’re more invested in seeing it through to the end.


• Make them laugh: Yes, the age-old business adage of “open with a joke,” still works in the 21st century. Injecting a bit of humor into the introduction to your material gets things off on a positive note. Once your audience knows that your presentation is going to be fun, they’ll be more likely to listen up!


• Help them relate: Get their heads nodding in agreement. Come out of the gate with real-world business scenarios that they’ve all suffered through. Demonstrating a strong knowledge of your audience’s challenges or business pain sets the expectation that you can deliver a solution that will address the issues and help them be more successful.

Capturing the mindshare of an audience is a subtle process, but it’s easier than you may think. All you need is 60 seconds, a savvy opening line, and you’re on your way to a truly engaging presentation!