I learned about sculpting from fellow speaker and writer,  Scott Q Marcus.  Basically, sculpting involves getting volunteers from your audience to depict concepts and ideas using their bodies.   Sculpting can be hard to describe in writing, so check out this video from Scott to hear his description and see some sculpting in action:

Click here to view the embedded video.

A few weeks ago I had the good fortune to participate in a sculpting workshop with Scott at NSA-Colorado.  Scott helped me design a sculpt to depict the main roles people may play in a planned change.  My NSA peers helped me test and refine the sculpt.  As we played and experimented, we came across some terrific insights about how the harder the leader pulls, the more resistance he/she encounters and about how easy it is for lines of communication to break when one person gets too far ahead of the others.

Just this week, I incorporated the new sculpt into a Mobilizing Energy for Change workshop I delivered.  The audience certainly enjoyed it and, more importantly, learned from it.  In fact the company president commented that he thought the visual image was a powerful and memorable way of depicting why communication breakdowns occur and how they can be prevented.

Sculpting is a terrific technique for involving your audiences and making your points more memorable and sticky.  To learn more about sculpting contact Scott.

Two articles I read this week do a nice job of making the case that you can’t afford to neglect audience engagement.

In her recent article, the Future of Meetings, Kristin Arnold, author of Boring to Bravo: Proven Presentation Techniques to Engage, Involve, and Inspire Your Audiences to Action, asserts that the very nature of meetings is evolving.  Design and networking are among the trends Arnold discusses:

Presentation expert and author  Olivia Mitchell echoed the fact that presentations are evolving in her recent article, Are You Ready for the Third Era in Presenting?.

Mitchell maintains that there have been three distinct eras of public speaking and presenting to date and that we are now entering “The Era of the Audience”.   She posits that audiences expect and demand to be more involved and that they prefer the use of methods such as Open Space and open Q & A over the old “orator” style where a speech is a carefully crafted, one-way performance.

I have been an advocate for audience engagement for years and personally delight in working with audience members to create programs and experiences that address their needs and interests and engage them in the process.  When creating a custom keynote or engagement event, I often interviews dozens of people who will be attending an event.  I make my “talk” about them and interact with them.  The result is that the presentation, and the entire process of creating it, becomes a conversation.

There may still be some need for presentations that merely inform, or those that entertain.  But I believe the greater need – and demand – is for presentations that engage!

Next time you have to present, consider whether you can use something surprising to keep your audience tuned in!

In my experience, if you want to engage your audience, it is critical to begin any presentation with the Three C’s: connection, credibility, and common cause.  Here are a few thoughts on each, along with examples from our attorney.

Connection

With most audiences, I recommend starting with a personal connection.  What do you have in common with the group?  How are you similar in thinking, background, approach, etc?  Our Saturday presenter started his talk by letting us know that he had been a teacher (with Teach for America) and that he is married to a teacher.  You could see the smiles spread around the room of educators instantly!

Credibility

Next comes what you know and how you know it.  What gives you the credibility to talk to the audience about this topic?  Our attorney let us know that he want to law school at Notre Dame and that he had been specializing on the day’s topic for more than 10 years.

Common Cause

This last item sounds a bit like “connection” but it means something different.   Connection helps your audience to relax.  They feel safe because they feel like you have said that you are like them, not better than them.  Common cause is about the bigger purpose that unites you and the audience.  Our attorney told us that he does what he does because he wants to improve the quality of education in America.  So did we!  Why else would we be at an 8-hour workshop on a Saturday?

For more ideas telling stories that help you connect with and engage your audience, check out Annette Simmon’s book, The Story Factor.

For some specific techniques to use at the start of your talk, check out this great blog post from presentation advisor, Jon Thomas:  5 Ways to Start Your Presentation Off Strong.

This isn’t a fantasy.  One company actually made it happen by making it’s mandatory training funny, relevant,  and educational through the use of video.

Steve Mack, executive producer for Impact Video Production, just released this video blog showing how several companies have made training more engaging by creating video parodies of the TV series, “The Office”.

Hospital Video Contest: Washing Hands

Rather than creating a corporate Wash Your Hands campaign, one hospital asked employees to create and submit their own videos.  Here’s a compilation of results:

Consider inviting your people to create your next important message themselves!

Authentic Communication Training uses cutting-edge learning technologies and proven presentation strategies to easily and effectively help clients become authentic and extraordinary presenters–in small and large groups, on-stage and in front of the media.

Looking for a taste of what Howard and Michael offer?  Check out their free audio book, “Six Things You Must Know before Being on TV or Video.”  I learned a lot from it.  My favorite tip:  Don’t wait in the green room for your interview – hang on on set instead and observe others.

Keep the great tips coming guys!

PeopleMetrics, Inc. recently released it’s 2009 Most Engaged Customer Report.  According to their study, the companies that have the most engaged customers include: 

Ritz-Carlton
Google 
The Four Seasons
Netflix.com
Cartier
Armani
Newegg.com
Wegman’s Food Market
Coach
Costco

Not suprisingly, a number of the companies that made the top of engaged customer list are also companies that are famous for their focus on employees, including Wegman’s, Ritz-Carlton, and Costco. 

Want to read more about engaging customers and employees? The Executive Summary is available online for free.

After the 30 or so of us signed in with the Court Clerk, we were shown a video.  I admit to bracing myself for something preachy and boring. However, 30 seconds into watching “The Colorado Juror” I was digging in my bag for a pen and paper to capture notes on how good the video was!  I thought it was an effective example of the order in which to cover points when dealing with a resistant, skeptical, or hesitant audience.

#1: Start with empathy for the emotions people are feeling.

The video started with clips of four past jurors talking about how anxious and annoyed they were when they received their summons.  As people chuckled and nodded along, the tension in the room started to dissapate.

#2:  Appeal to a sense of purpose

Following the four clips, the narrator said, “I’ll bet you are thinking that someone else with less important things to do should be here instead of you.”  This got a good laugh as we all realized that we all thought our agendas were more important than everyone else’s. After empathizing, the narrator then came on to say, “We know you might not be thrilled to be here, but you are playing an import part in the process that makes our country great.”  The video went on to talk about the role that juries play in giving people a fair trial and how important each juror is to the process.

#3: Provide details of the plan.

Only after relating to what people were feeling, and appealing to a higher purpose, did the video go inot the nuts and bolts of how the process would work.  This stage a) gave the jurors information about the types of juries, the selection process, etc. and b) helped us know what to expect for the rest of the morning.

What struck me most was the fact that if the information in this video had been covered in a different order it would not have been nearly as effective.  Whoever wrote the script realized that starting with emotion, then moving to purpose, and finally getting into details/plans/information would fit the psychological state we jurors were in. If the video had started with information – I have no doubt that we would have rolled our eyes and felt unappreciated. 

All in all, a great example of how a well crafted message can turn resisters into supporters.

• Celebrate the history you have with the audience.
• Share your new work (thoughts, ideas).
• Connect to what is happening in the world now.

He went on to emphasize that there are many different audiences that make up the crowd at any performance.  Some believe what you believe.  Some want to be entertained.  Some will disagree with you.  Springsteen says to recognize that fact, but stay true to who you are.

Great advice for singers and speakers!

Haven’t heard the song?  Check out the YouTube video:

Click here to view the embedded video.