FRONT OF THE ROOM
Brian Lange
I had the pleasure of participating in a whiskey distillery tour recently. Observing our tour guide, I was reminded of an essential audience engagement principle that may be worth reconnecting to readers.
Over the years, one of the most frequent fears or concerns that presenters have shared with me is the (initial) silence that often follows a question asked or example requested of the audience. There is a sense, apparently, that this silence is somehow “bad” or undesirable — and presenters will often seek ways to avoid the situation:
“Planting” questions ahead of time with specific audience members.
Gently “bribing” participants to respond with promises of candy, gift cards or so forth.
Pleading with the audience to help out, “C’mon, someone has an answer!”
Putting someone on the spot: “David, can you answer for us?”
“Rescuing” the audience by jumping in with our own answer or example.
In lieu of any of the above, another response employed is to just move on — quickly! “Any questions? No? Let’s move on!” Of course, this is not a strategy for audience engagement.
Our distillery guide unfortunately favored this approach. He would ask a question and wait .0002 seconds before moving on (or answering the question he had asked).
I understand that initial silence can feel uncomfortable (“Everyone’s watching!” “I mustn’t be doing a good job if people aren’t participating…”), but perhaps as presenters we can look at how we react in this situation as a choice: You can choose to feel uncomfortable, or you can choose to be in control of the moment — and have the confidence that the audience will come through!
In other words — trust the silence. This is the principle I was reminded of during the tour.
Consider this: When we, as presenters, “rescue” or otherwise assist our audiences in these brief moments of quiet, we end up taking on more of the responsibility for the success of the learning experience. It becomes more about the presenter. When we engage our audiences with questions, it is our attempt to “share” the learning experience with them.
So, perhaps we can think of this time — the silence (uncomfortable as it may be) — as their turn. It’s their opportunity to put some skin in the game and contribute to the overall learning experience.
Here are some ideas for what to do as the presenter while you are waiting for the audience to respond:
Smile: It shows you are relaxed, welcoming and not uncomfortable!
Move: Time to explore some new real estate in the room! It gives you something to do.
Adjust: Papers on your presenter’s table, the chart pad, a bourbon glass, whatever you have.
Scan: Look across your audience with an expression of anticipation and warmth; avoiding direct eye contact will help people to not feel pressured or singled out.
Ultimately, you are in control in this situation; don’t let the situation control you. When you pose a question or seek an example from your audience, they need some time to process the question, consider their environment and assess whether someone else has jumped into the opportunity already.
As the quiet evolves, they may then begin to feel some of the “discomfort” you began feeling the moment the question left your lips. So, if your audience begins to become uncomfortable with the silence, they will be more likely to seek to “rescue” you!
It takes some patience, belief and willingness to get your audience to step up to manage through the beginnings of a quiet period. And be sure not to show any sense of relief once someone answers — there’s no problem, here! I expected it to take a little while for people to answer.
Trusting the silence is a key delivery principle, and I am grateful our tour guide helped me reconnect with its importance. In fact, I’ll raise a glass to that.
Cheers!
Brian Lange is with Perim Consulting and serves as lead facilitator for LTEN PrimeTime! For Trainers workshops. Email Brian at blange@perim.com or connect with him on LinkedIn at www.linkedin.com/in/brianplange.