How to keep your audience coming back for more

Posted by Sean D'Souza on 25 May 2011

In part four of his 12-part series on giving perfect presentations, Blackbelt Presentations author Sean D’Souza explains how to keep your audience coming back.

If you’re conducting a workshop anytime soon, you’re going to have one big problem on your hand. The moment you open the doors and let your audience out for a coffee/lunch break, you’ll have a hard time getting them back. And then you become a sheep-dog, having to herd the sheep back into the pen.

Well, it’s time you stop playing sheep dog, isn’t it? But how on earth can you get an audience back into a room without saying a word or issuing ominous threats?

Crowd control is a matter of two steps:

1) The pre-sell
2) The actual matter of following through.

The pre-sell involves several stages:

1) Precise time that’s not rounded off.
2) Anchoring of the crowd to 'one' song.
3) Mentioning the factor of time several times in the introduction.
4) Getting the crowd to tell you when they’ll be back.
5) Being clear about how you’ll act.
6) Creating a cliff hanger.
7) Make the time part of the deal - and don’t give rewards.

1) Non-rounded timings.

The biggest mistake a lot of presenters make is they give rounded off timings. What does that mean? They say: Be back at 1:00pm. It should never be rounded off. It should be 12:57 pm. That’s specific. That immediately gets the audience to pay attention and you’ll be sure to see most of the crowd hanging around outside the room, ready to come in (in many situations we may have the door closed to restrict entry because we’re doing “testimonials”). The non-rounded timing creates urgency. And specifics.

2) Anchoring of the crowd to 'one' song.

You can’t just play any music. You have to anchor them to ONE song. So when they come into the workshop, I get the crowd to stand up (after they’re already sitting down). So they are all standing.

AT this point, I tell them to listen to a specific song. Then I tell them that when I play this song, they have to come back in the room. And then I make them all leave the room. And then turn on the song. And they all stream into the room. This is anchoring. Now they know that they aren’t just listening to music (or loud music) but they know that they have to pay attention to “A Particular Song” and that’s a signal.

3) Use emails and slides over and over again to emphasize time.

At least two or three instances before and during the introduction, I mention time as an important factor. I will do this in the emails and any introductory sessions. I will have a point in a slide where I will stress the points they have to return. I will make a big deal about them not showing up. I say: I don’t tolerate or condone late behavior, because by being late you are disturbing the presenter and in doing so, you’re disturbing the rest of your colleagues. That being late will not be condoned in any way. You are given a responsibility and you have to honor that responsibility.

4) Get the crowd to tell you when they’ll be back.

When I let the crowd go, I almost always tell them to tell me when they’re expected back. Several times, people are confused for whatever reason. So I say to the crowd: "We’re going for a break. You’re due back at 12:58 pm. So what time are you due back?" And the crowd responds: "12:58 pm". They said it, and they understand it. No confusion and they now they have no excuse because they’ve told you what time they (as individuals) will be back.

5) Be clear on how you’ll act.

I have this stock statement: I will start on time. If there are five of you in the room I will begin. If there are three I will begin. If there’s no one I will talk to myself. And I never, ever, ever wait. I will always start on time. (Once a Managing Director of Marketing was five minutes late. She had to drive about 100km (about 50-60 miles) to be there at 8am. And we didn’t wait. We started the workshop on time, and all the breaks ended on time. She told me later that she was amazed that I wouldn’t wait and so made sure she wasn’t late at all after that). The key isn’t to get the crowd back on time. It’s to never start late, no matter what the conditions. Sure it’s snowing. Sure it’s raining cats and dogs. But hey, the presenter made it and the group that’s in front of you made it. If you reward the late-comers (for whatever reason) you’re setting an instantly bad precedent. There is NEVER, NEVER, NEVER any excuse that’s valid for starting late. You simply do not wait for late comers. You do that once, and they’ll expect you to do it again.

6) Create a cliff hanger.

The TV Soaps do it. When you finish the episode for the day, they leave you on a cliff hanger. And the next day that cliff hanger is continued. The evening news does it too. They tell you what’s coming up, so you won’t wont stay away too long and return back to the TV. This concept can be used just as easily in workshops. You end on a cliff hanger. Or you give the audience just a tiny taste of what’s to come in the next “episode”. And then you start right on time, with that cliff hanger. Anyone showing up late will instinctively know they’re going to miss an important episode. And will make sure they’re back to catch the rest of the “episode”.

7) Never reward expected behavior.

The most important factor is to make time the part of the deal. Never give any rewards for being early or on time. That’s just a bribe. They didn’t earn it. No one pays you an extra bonus when you reach the dentist on time. Kids don’t get rewards because they’re in their seat at school. It sends out the wrong message when you reward someone for what they should be doing anyway. So no reward whatsoever.

And those are just the pre-sell. So let’s summarize a bit:

The presell involves several stages:

1) Precise time that’s not rounded off.
2) Anchoring of the crowd to 'one' song.
3) Mentioning the factor of time several times in the introduction.
4) Getting the crowd to tell you when they’ll be back.
5) Being clear about how you’ll act.
6) Creating a cliff hanger.
7) Make the time part of the deal - and don’t give rewards.

The second part is the follow through.

You must do what you say. You can’t say one thing and do another. You can’t be afraid of the crowd. You’re the maestro. You’re the conductor of the harmony. When you raise the baton, the music begins. The musicians don’t come in later as they please. You raise your baton and they play.

But for that to happen you have to set the rules, create the setting, and then stick to the game plan.

Crowd control isn’t hard to do, but you need to have specific steps that you take in advance. If you do that, you will get the results you seek. If you don’t, the crowd controls you.

And that’s no fun at all. For the crowd. Or you.

More great advice on presentations

This is part two of a 12-part series on writing perfect presentations by Sean D’Souza, author of the Blackbelt Presentations series. Further articles will be published in the coming weeks.

Read more about Sean D’Souza’s new Blackbelt Presentations series

Read Part 1: Simple steps to take the fear out of your presentation

Read Part 2: Why variation is the hallmark of outstanding presenters

Read Part 3: Do you quickly want to get the attention of your customers when you’re speaking?