How often has this happened to you? You’re doing a very important virtual presentation. You stop, ask for questions and there’s silence. You ask someone a question, “Fred, what do you think of the proposal?” Silence. Fred finally comes on and says, “Sorry, couldn’t find the mute button. What was the question again?”
Of course Fred knows where the mute button is—we all know where the mute button is—Fred wasn’t listening. And it wasn’t his fault. It’s yours or mine or whomever presents for 15 or 20 or 30 minutes without stopping. In virtual meetings, it’s much more difficult to keep people focused. All of us working from the home office are easily distracted.
So, what do we do? We follow the “10-minute Rule” or what I’ve renamed the “5-7-minute rule.” People had an attention span of roughly 10-minutes in presentation or lecture settings. I emphasize “had” because more recent research reveals that our attention spans are even shorter. This means a presenter will maximize their virtual audience’s attention if they change something every 5 to 7-minutes. I contend this is essential in any presentation setting whether it’s in-person or on the phone but it’s even more important virtually.
Do a quiz—the polling function in Zoom is great. Ask your audience a question. Ask a specific person a question. Take questions. Give a guest presenter a few minutes. Show a video. Do a demonstration. If you change things up frequently, you’re much more likely to keep your audience engaged.
Oh, and let everyone know before and at the beginning of the meeting that you’re going to stop frequently to interact with them and ask them for feedback. This way they’ve been forewarned and don’t feel singled-out when you say, “Fred what do you think of the proposal?”
There’s also a significant added benefit if you stop frequently for comments and questions; you get information and ideas that enrich the conversation and add value to whatever topic you’re discussing.
Follow the 5-7-minute Rule in your next presentation and I guarantee Fred will be listening. Let me know if I can help you better engage your audiences.