Learn From the Pros: 5 Tips To Get Ready To Engage Your Audience
Recently, I found myself in the hot seat as AVentPro began hosting our new Spotlight Series, which shines a light on some of our most successful partners, as well as industry professionals and leaders. Midway through hosting our studio tour, I was quickly reminded that being in front of the camera is not easy! There is a lot to take into account when engaging an audience. From attire to the content being presented, to the tone you want to send – I’ve gained an additional appreciation for presenters.
Usually, we’re the people behind the camera, but for this pro tip spotlight, I’d like to share what I’ve learned from the other side. Here are my top 5 takeaways for getting ready to engage your audience.
1. Rehearse
Practice makes perfect. Before hosting the spotlight series, my experience had been primarily on the tech side. Despite having coached hundreds of presenters on their stage presence and best practices, being the centre of attention helped me to gain additional insight into their experience. Fortunately, we had plenty of time to try, try, and try again. Any great performance requires plenty of rehearsal. Schedule a run-through the day prior to your event to feel fully confident and prepared.
2.) Track Your Time
It’s tough to guesstimate how long a segment will take. Reading a script on paper does not necessarily take the same amount of time to present it in front of an audience. Time your presentation during rehearsal and note how long each segment should take. For example, in a thirty-minute presentation – you may wish to opt for a three-minute introduction, five minutes on each of four points you want to emphasize, a two-minute summary followed by five minutes of Q&A.
3.) Get Comfortable With Tech
Your first run-through may be rough, and that’s okay! With each attempt, you’ll gain more confidence and ease into the role. One way to feel at ease is to get acquainted with the technology that you’ll be using. Do a sound check beforehand to ensure your audio is clean, practice looking into the camera, and create a cheat sheet of important tasks such as hitting record or broadcast. There’s no need to add tech troubles to your pre-presentation nerves! Better yet, work with the professionals at AVentPro and we’ll take care of it all for you!
4.) Dress To Impress
Coordinate your attire ahead of time. Consider your audience and match their level of formality. Ensure your wardrobe doesn’t clash with the set so that you don’t blend into the background! If you’re speaking to an audience of peers for a casual happy hour, you may want to dress down, whereas interviews and client meetings are best handled with more of a business look. Planning a sharp outfit in advance will boost your confidence and give you one less thing to worry about the morning of your event.
5.) Breathe
Take a moment to relax. Run through some breathing exercises, give yourself a pep talk, or listen to your favourite hype song. The audience can pick up on your energy, and the more comfortable you are with presenting the easier it will be for attendees to absorb your content in the moment. Remember, breathing creates a confident, strong appearance.
Of course, having a professional event production team makes a world of difference in confidently executing your event. Having our team behind the scenes helped me to perform my best, which was the perfect opportunity for us to learn how we can improve our services for our clients.
Make Events Easy
AVentPro is ready for anything. With our expert technicians managing a smooth experience for both hosts and attendees, we make sure our clients are comfortable and prepared by guiding them through every step of their event and creating an atmosphere that fosters a connection with the audience.
I found my time swapping roles with presenters illuminating and can say with certainty that preparation, attention to detail, and a dedicated team are essential to the execution of a successful event.