Tips for Making Your Presentation More Interactive

As a presenter, peering out at a sea of mind-numbingly dull faces will only make you more anxious, cause you to speak more quickly, and encourage you to finish the presentation as soon as possible. Definitely not the most effective or meaningful method to communicate.

The average audience attention span is barely 8 to 10 minutes . In order to keep them interested for longer, you need to make your presentation more interesting and engaging. Read on to learn how to make your next presentation more interactive.

Add an Interactive Map

If you need to convey a piece of information about geographical data in your presentation, a simple image of a map won’t be as interesting. Instead, include an interactive map that can be clicked and scrolled through. This is is a surefire way to attract the attention of your audience. Take, for instance, if you need to be attending a presentation where someone is trying to convey information about geographical statistics and talks about them slide by slide with just images of the country they’re talking about. That would quickly turn boring, wouldn’t it?

You can use a mapping tool, such as Mapize, to effortlessly create a map for your interactive presentation. This will capture your audience’s attention quickly and make them wonder where you came up with such a brilliant idea for your presentation. No matter if you want to display statistics or show a location, interactive maps are a great way to present information and keep your audience interested.

Utilize Props

Props can be a useful tool for developing an interactive presentation, whether they are used to illustrate a metaphor or add a dramatic effect. They help keep your audience focused on the main idea you want to convey and a terrific technique to keep their interest from waning after 10 minutes of your speech.

Even if you use props to surprise your audience, ensure they naturally match your topic. Prop use should, when done correctly, simplify difficult concepts or provide an intuitive way to visualize something abstract. Make sure the props you select are acceptable for your audience and subject. Choosing something too humorous when discussing a serious or delicate subject may come off as tone-deaf.

Survey the Crowd

Your one-sided interactive presentation becomes a two-way conversation when you invite your audience to express their perspectives or ideas on any given subject. Modern polling techniques also make it possible to get real-time replies from the entire group instead of singling out certain audience members and putting them on the spot, which is introverts’ worst nightmare.

You can lead the conversation in the right direction and foster an interactive environment based on the responses you gather. It’s a good method to start some civil discussions and get people interested in your content.

Be Aware of Your Nonverbal Cues

An audience’s view of any speaker is greatly influenced by their body language and eye contact. The majority of human communication takes place nonverbally; therefore, paying attention to it might mean the difference between an audience that is actively engaged and one that is more passive. Try to avoid slouching, fixating on your notes, or adopting subtly aloof postures like crossing your arms.

Spread out your eye contact when giving presentations in person as opposed to concentrating on the audience members you are most familiar with. Additionally, resist the need to fixate on yourself or other audience members during remote presentations. Instead, speak to the camera as if it were a close friend you are conversing with.

Use an Interactive Quiz

Many people may have memories of their least favorite high school teacher at the mere mention of a surprise quiz. However, well-done interactive quizzes can be both helpful and enjoyable during your presentation. They are a quick and easy technique to gauge how well your audience understands the subject matter or follows your interactive presentation.

To ensure success, you can make use of tools that enable you to create questions and some possible answers. Then, you can ask your attendees to connect via a link on their smartphones and choose the right answers.

Conclusion

It can be hard to keep attendees interested in your presentation, especially if it lasts longer than 10 minutes. But your next presentation doesn’t have to be predictable and boring. Including interactivity in your slide design will make the interactive presentation more interesting for the audience and make it simpler for you to communicate key ideas. A longer presentation will be more entertaining with interactive elements because they will encourage engagement among a larger audience.