Ways to Engage an Audience in a Presentation.

Do you have an upcoming presentation that has you nervous and not sure what to do? Are you worried that your audience is going to be bored or not pay attention? Let's discuss a few ways that you can engage your audience to ensure that they stay focused and attentive.

■ "Ask an open ended question at the beginning of your presentation. This is a good introductory strategy to help participants get involved with the technology and begin practicing with the chat window. An example would be, “How are you currently using social media in your courses?”

■ Answer questions as they come up. This strategy keeps the audience engaged. Be sure to check the chat window frequently (where participants can type comments or questions for everyone else to see and respond to). Look for questions you can address as well, or let the moderator answer if you have one. If you can’t get to a question, set it aside to answer after the webinar is over.

■ Ask specific questions to focus audience attention. For example, instead of telling them why process A is better than B, ask, “What’s the advantage of using A instead of B?” Then in your response to their comments, highlight the points you want to make."  (University of Phoenix, 2016, p. 113)