When presenting to a broad audience, at a “town hall” meeting for example, how much of what you say is scripted? What tips do you have for really getting your audience engaged?
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In my view, whether your presentation should be scripted or not depends largely on your personality, presentation style, and experience. As a general rule though, less scripted tends to be more engaging.
Step one: know thyself. For some, a mostly scripted approach delivers the most effective presentation; for others, the opposite is true.
Secondly, know your audience - or at least as much as you can about the majority of them. This insight is crucial because it informs the third step.
Thirdly, be intentional about how best to engage the audience. This could mean weaving in stories that resonate, helping them relate and become immersed. Look for opportunities to involve the audience: make it personal, engage a few individuals directly, or even use tools to gather their thoughts and project them on screen.
Ultimately, an engaging presentation is less about you- and mostly about them. The more "them" in the planning and various aspects of the delivery, the better.
When presenting to a broad audience, everything that I say has been planned unless there is Q&A built into the agenda. I am not reading a script word for word, but I have carefully planned what I want to say and how I want to say it. This is a personal preference; I like to be prepared because I’m not comfortable at speaking off the cuff. I want to be thoughtful about the diversity of my audience and sensitive to the type of information that they want from me. In terms of engagement, most of my internal townhalls have been virtual so I have tried to incorporate videos or polls or varied types of media content. When I’m speaking in public with an audience that may not be as familiar with my mission or what I am responsible for, I always try to explain things with an analogy or some common term that I know everyone can relate to. I also try to throw in a story where things didn’t go as planned or that has an aspect of humor to it. Also, I try to convey my passion for my work by how I speak. I’m excited and genuinely energized by my team and what we’re doing, so I like for that to be visible when I speak.
I hope that’s helpful.
I think in general, whether it’s a Q&A or push information, what people say is generally more scripted than not. One way to engage audience is to collect questions ahead of time and make sure they are addressed at the townhall. Leave some time at the end for real time unscripted Q&A is usually helpful to engage audience without fear of losing control of the forum.