10 Ways to Engage Your Audience During Meetings

If you are a manager, then team meetings are essential but it is also crucial that you make them productive,

worthwhile and interesting to attend. Here are 10 tips.

Slow Down

1© Avery Eisenreich

When feeling stressed and anxious, we tend to speak quickly. It is therefore important to slow down your speech, enunciate your words and make eye

contact with your audience. You are less likely to stumble over words when speaking slowly and clearly.

Communicate Clearly

2© Avery Eisenreich

What you say is only powerful if it is understood by everyone that is listening to you speak. While it may be tempting to show off your extensive vocabulary

or knowledge industry jargon, it is important to use a “common language” your audience understands.

Use Humor

3© Avery Eisenreich

Humor is a powerful way to engage an audience. Any humor used during meetings should not be offensive and maintain a professional tone. As well, jokes should not target a specific person or group of people as that may be

perceived as hurtful and unprofessional.

Address Problems

4© Avery Eisenreich

Identify the problems your audience faces and address them in your meeting. Provide potential solutions based on feedback.

Encourage Interaction

5© Avery Eisenreich

Sometimes the best course of action is to lead a dialogue rather than give a straightforward presentation. Allow audience members to ask questions.

Organize group discussion and encourage feedback. 

Keep It Short

6© Avery Eisenreich

With very long, meandering speeches you tend to lose the audience pretty early on. Not only will people’s attention start to drop rapidly after 30

minutes, but you also risk watering down your core ideas and leaving your audience with little information to take in. Keep it short and to the point.

Have a Hook

7© Avery Eisenreich

Open with something surprising or intriguing = something that will get your audience to sit up and take notice. The most powerful hooks are often those

that appeal directly to your audience’s emotions.

Smile!

8© Avery Eisenreich

Be enthusiastic so that your audience is enthused about what you have to say.

Avoid Reading Scripts

9© Avery Eisenreich

Don’t read scripts or lectures to the audience. Opt to use cue cards or sticky notes instead to remind yourself of examples and key points to elaborate on

during the meeting.

Prepare! Prepare! Prepare!

10© Avery Eisenreich

Prepare for the meeting by creating an agenda. Email the agenda to all participants of the meeting ahead of time with allotted time slots for each

topic of discussion. This way everyone is on the same page and there are no last minute surprises.

PLEASE FOLLOW AVERY EISENREICH:

Twitter: @NJHealthProLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/pub/avery-eisenreich Blogs: http://avery-eisenreich.comhttp://healthcare-newjersey.com/author/avery-eisenreich/

© Avery Eisenreich