Re-using conference speakers

It can often be the case that a speaker gives a fantastic presentation, but when they are invited back they return to topics and preach the same ideas. A good conference needs to have fresh material and ideas rather than relying on past successes, so try not to get into the habit of bringing back speakers too often.

If you have certain speakers that are enormously popular then it’s a great idea to have them return for another year as they may bring a loyal crowd with them. But it’s not uncommon to see conferences filled with the same line-up of speakers year after year and it just ends up getting stale.

Not keeping up with technology

There’s nothing worse than a conference that feels behind the times – how are you supposed to provide relevant and current advice if your conference feels dated? With almost everyone attending your conference now likely to bring a smartphone with them it makes sense to offer free Wi-Fi. This allows them to get additional information, access your website and engage with other attendees on social media.

It can also be a great idea to invest in an audience response system to improve the quality of the presentations on offer. You could also look into the option of live streaming your event and making it available online in order to increase its reach.

Not allowing time for networking

While you might like to imagine that everyone who attends your conference is simply there to listen to the amazing set of presentations you’ve organised, it’s not always the case. The presentations are an important part, but most people at your conference will want there to be networking opportunities. You should allow time for both pre- and post-event networking to make sure that you keep everyone happy.

Trying to fit too much in

Remember that time management is an important part of your job as an event planner. It can be tempting to fill all the available time with presentations in order for your conference to feel productive. However, many organisers forget to allow plenty of time for leaving the stage and setting up each new presentation.

It’s also true that organisers often leave no time for Q&A after each presentation is over. Q&A sessions are an extremely important aspect of most presentations as they allow time for audiences to engage further with the topic and follow up on any points that were unclear. If you don’t leave time for these sessions the overall quality of the conference will suffer.

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Let Audience Response Guide You

The outcome of your poll may determine which way your presentation goes. Using a closed question will yield more specific results than trying to get more information out of a single question.

For example “Do you use Twitter?” will give you more information to work on than “Which social media platforms do you use professionally?” Which you can then use to ask more detailed questions and move the presentation along.

By starting off a presentation with a simple question, you give the audience an immediate representation of what your seminar is about.

The results of that question will then either prove or disprove the point that you are trying to make. Depending on which way the poll result has gone, you can create two different presentations. If for example, not many people use Twitter, you can go on and talk about the importance of the platform for modern businesses.

If it is widely used, you can talk about the importance of making sure it remains a professional and reachable marketing platform for both business associates and clients alike. Just because your delegates know to use Twitter, it doesn’t necessarily mean they know how to make the most of it.

Keep The Audience With You

You may not think that a single question posed at the start of a presentation has all that power, but it represents a gateway into more detailed and thought provoking questions. Starting off with a yes/no question can easily warm up your audience and can even sometimes produce unexpected results. Getting people into a relaxed state of mind with an easy question to start off with – perhaps even making it comical or relatable – makes for a good introduction to an educational seminar.

If you hit the ground running before giving your audience a chance to take any information in, they are not going to be able to focus properly. Thinking on and choosing the right wording for your initial question is important, so make sure to make the right choice!

The post How a Single Question Can Help Shape your Presentation (Part 2 of 2) appeared first on CLiKAPAD.

So what can be done to use these polls, these questions to your best advantage? We’ll look into this in two main parts.

What is the point of asking a specific question? Your presentation needs to have a clear objective that you will want to have achieved by the end of it. Have a strategy of where you want to go with it and the points you want to get across.

People will attend seminars in the hope of learning something – so what knowledge is it that you want to impart? Bear this in mind when devising your audience question.

For example if your aim is to get your audience thinking more on the effects of social media and how it can affect their business, your questions will need to lead to this. Questions such as “Do you think it is important for a company to have a social media Account?” and “Who believes that social media has a direct effect on the success of one’s business?” will help to provide you with the material needed to take your presentation in a certain direction.

Audience Involvement and Word Choice

The word choice of your initial question is crucial. Phrasing should be short and punchy, simple yet thought provoking. Grab and keep your audience’s attention. Make it easy for them to understand the question without using overcomplicated vocabulary. Rather than asking ‘Does the proliferation of social media platforms in today’s business environment have any positive bearing on commercial successes? keep it short, simple and unambiguous: ‘Does social media play an important part in making your business successful?’

By choosing the right sort of wording for your presentation and putting it across in a clear and concise manner, you can minimise the amount of time spent dithering over potentially confusing questions. Remember that you want to get quick and useful information from your participants without much fuss.

Check back with CLiKAPAD’s next blog post later on this month for more information and advice on choosing the ideal question for your presentation.

The post How a Single Question Can Help Shape your Presentation (Part 1 of 2) appeared first on CLiKAPAD.