9 Tips to keep your participants attention in meetings

You have certainly attended to a repetitive meeting that has stimulated you to fall asleep. When you prepare your own presentation, you must keep that in your mind and do your best so individuals don’t get exhausted.

You may have noticed that when you have frequent meetings, it is not always easy to get all participants interested. Some are seeming to listen but they think about what they are going to eat for their next meal. Others have only one desire to be elsewhere. That doesn’t mean that you are not captivating, but rather that you may need to review THE WAY you lead your meeting. So, you have to be more interesting if you want the participants attention.

How to get and keep your participants attention in meetings?

1- Properly use the beginning of meetings

Take advantage of the beginning to discuss the most important topics, talk about the informative topics and some who are difficult to deal with. At the beginning of meetings, people are in shape, good mood and attentive. Keep the end of the meeting to exchange, generate ideas and lighter topics.

2- Limit the length of the meeting

Avoid getting too long, because nobody likes to waste time in a meeting and especially if it is not planned. If you think you need a lot of time to cover all the topics on the agenda, perhaps it would be better to discuss important topics? You could even schedule two meetings to do this or take breaks.

3- Be Structured

During your presentation, avoid jumping from the rooster to the donkey. Good preparation is the key. Establish a detailed meeting agenda and send it to all participants before the meeting and stick to it. Everyone will be able to follow you easily, also you will have more ease to share your ideas.

4- Be enthusiastic, dynamic and clear

Be sure to be enthusiastic and dynamic during your presentation. No need to look like a day camp monitor, but nevertheless, be sure to have a captivating tone of voice in order to retain the interest of the participants.

5- Use humor

It can be interesting to use humor. This helps to relax the atmosphere and make the presentation more dynamic for everyone. Be careful not to turn yourself into a real clown and laugh at everything and anything. Use humor with moderation.

6- Practice and Record yourself

Your nervousness makes it difficult for you to control how you express yourself in public? Remember to record yourself and listen to your presentation afterward. You will be able to see more clearly which points to practice more. Fortunately for you, inLogic meeting management system records all or parts of your meetings! The problem is solved!

7- Interact with participants

It is important to include participants in your presentation. This shows that you value their ideas and questions. If you only do an endless monologue, there is little chance that the interest level will be very high.

They want to participate or, at the very least, feel they are making a contribution to the meeting. They should not have the impression that the meeting leader takes up all the space. You can, for example, ask questions or ask them if they have anything to say.

8- Give examples

If you have to explain a complex concept during your presentation, we strongly suggest you use examples to enrich what you present. Ideally use images, photos, schema, tree view or any other visual way, because people better assimilate the visual information.

There are a variety of automation tools to help you with your visual presentations. If you only talk about more theoretical elements, be certain to lose the attention of your audience. The use of examples also involves the public, who can ask questions or suggest additional examples.

9- Take breaks

The breaks in meetings do not always have to be taken, but when the length of the meeting is more than an hour, I suggest you to stop at least 5 minutes. You think it’s a waste of time, that your meeting is long enough? Know that breaks are beneficial for all. They help to improve concentration, regain its motivation and relaunch this sleeping brain.

So, stretch your legs, get up, go walking, drink water/coffee, take a healthy snack, anything, but move! It will awaken everyone for the other part of your meeting or presentation.

Conclusion

Do not hesitate to use additional tools to prepare yourself. Meeting management software can be very useful because you will improve your meeting planning to have the focus on the content of your presentation. By following these easy tips, you will be comfortable like a duck takes to water.

Meeting Management Software by INLOGIC

InLogic Meeting Management Software is a powerful system for meeting management that minimizes time spent while maximizing the productivity of every meeting. Our best meeting software provides a secure and efficient tool for scheduling, executing and archiving meetings. Online Meeting Software is designed to drive accountability, streamline meeting procedures and align management goals.

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