People often have a hard time starting a speech in an authentic and organic way. It can be difficult to transition smoothly from the opening of the talk to the main content. This transition is incredibly important, because the way you begin and continue a story should feel seamless. That’s why it’s helpful to have a few techniques to captivate an audience’s attention in a conversational and engaging way. I’ve found that the most powerful techniques can be broken down into three categories:

1. Location
Commenting on the trip to a conference, the location of an event, or the area everyone is currently in, is a great way to open a talk because it helps focus everyone’s attention on the present moment. For example someone might open their speech by saying:

“As I was sitting on the plane yesterday, I started thinking about how excited I was to meet with you all today.”

“This conference is always one of my favorite events to attend.”

“This is such a beautiful venue to be in with all of you.”

Bringing up the location helps people focus on what is currently happening so they absorb the content you are about to share.

2. Reflection
Another great way to open is through reflection. This can happen by sharing thoughts about what an event means, how you prepared for this moment, or thinking back to an earlier time in your career. For example, you could share:

“It’s wonderful being with you at orientation today. It’s interesting because I remember when I first started graduate school…”

“It’s truly an honor to welcome you all. The first time I ever attended this event was almost a decade ago.”

“As I was preparing for this keynote, I started thinking back on my career and what moments had the biggest impact on me.”

By being vulnerable and sharing something personal, the audience can easily connect with you on a deeper level.

3. Gratitude
Being grateful is a wonderful and easy way to bring positivity into the room. People can comment on what the event means, how it’s nice working with a particular group, or how fun it’s been collaborating with the team for a certain project. For example you could open with:

“I’m so glad that we get to have this yearly retreat. It’s important to get the opportunity to chat and connect with the wonderful people we have on this team.”

“This is one of my favorite groups to collaborate with. I always appreciate how creative and passionate everyone is about the work we do.”

“We are doing a lot of important work right now and the reason we’ve been able to make such a large impact is because of everyone in this room."
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Bringing appreciation into the room is an easy way to help set the tone for the rest of the speech.

Finding an organic way to open a talk or a meeting is important. Talking about the location, reflecting on the moment, or sharing some gratitude, is a great strategy to easily connect and engage with an audience.

Author: Bri McWhorter

Whether you’re waiting for someone to log online, or you’re sitting in a conference room before a meeting, people often find themselves in situations where they need to fill time before an event begins. That’s why it’s important to plan out some topics to chat about. People usually connect over the weather, tv shows, sports, etc. But if you have repetitive meetings with people, you’ll want to expand your small talk repertoire.
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That’s why I suggest thinking about:
​What would you like people to imagine you doing when you’re not working together?

I like to think of activities in three categories:
1. When you’re not at work
2. When you’re collaborating with other departments
3. When you’re working on your current projects

For example, perhaps you want people to envision you exploring new places by going hiking or traveling. Then, you could talk about a recent trip you had, or a place you’ve been researching that you’ll go to soon. Or, maybe you want people to imagine you collaborating with different departments. Then, you could share how you just came from a great meeting where you were working with someone on establishing a new initiative in your organization. Or, if you want folks to picture you actively working on your current project, you could share how you’ve been spending time creating a new presentation that you’re going to share with a client. 

No matter what you share during downtime, it’s an opportunity for folks to have more information about you that helps them visualize you in action. That’s why the stories you share through small talk are important. They give other people information to pull from when you’re not around. That’s why it’s good to be intentional about every opportunity you have to connect, including while you wait for something else to begin.

Author: Bri McWhorter

Time is one of the most important factors presenters need to be aware of during talks. People usually have packed calendars and it’s critical to respect their schedules. However, even though speakers are given a time limit for their presentations, it’s easy for timing issues to arise. Either the meeting is running behind, other speakers took too long, or tech issues prevented the talk from starting on schedule. That’s why many speakers find themselves having less time for their presentation than they originally planned for.

When this happens, it’s important to alter your message to help get the schedule back on track. You don’t want to be the person who prevented someone from leaving on time to pick up their kids, shortened a coffee break, or made someone late for another meeting. Plus, once your talk goes over the allotted time, people aren’t even paying attention to your message. Instead, they are watching the clock and thinking about the next activity they have planned.

Therefore, if you realize you have to cut your presentation down, I recommend shortening the beginning of it since that’s usually when the supplemental information is shared. Instead of giving all the background that leads up to your point, state the main point of the slide in one sentence and then move on. Even if you have a lot of information on the slide, don’t explain it. Instead, relay the main point and continue on to your next idea. That way, you’ll still have enough time to spend on the important part of your talk. You don’t want to run out of time or attention on the message you’re actually there to share.

For example, instead of explaining all the past research, simply say, “We’ve conducted a lot of research to reach this point.” Or, if you have a slide with all the different programs offered to students or employees, instead of going through all of the details you could say, “We have a lot of programs available.” Then, move on to your next point. Of course it would be more ideal to explain everything on your slides, but if you have to cut out information, omit the part that isn’t critical for this moment.

The same tip can be applied if you find yourself over-explaining your slides in the middle of a presentation. If you suddenly realize you’re running low on time, simply state the point of the slide you have up, perhaps add in one detail, and then move on.

Timing is important. That’s why it is crucial to have a plan in place for any scenario. It’s nice to be known as a speaker that people can count on no matter how much time you have.

Author: Bri McWhorter

This newsletter is going to be a bit different, as this moment marks a very special occasion. Activate to Captivate has now been providing communication training for ten years!

This anniversary is quite meaningful to me, as it’s allowed me to take a moment and reflect on the tremendous journey I’ve had. From teaching a few workshops a year, to a few workshops a day, I am forever grateful to the people I’ve been able to coach and collaborate with for the last decade. 
It’s certainly not easy starting a small business. However, when you deeply love doing something, and you’re lucky enough to work with people who recommend your work to others, amazing things can happen. 

When I think of just some of the milestones I’ve had, including trademarking my own public speaking program, W.A.V.E.®, becoming an international speaker, leading workshops for numerous scientific foundations, having my services written into training grants, being an executive coach at various companies, and having worked with thousands of researchers at universities across the country… it is difficult to fully express what this moment means.

To everyone I have been able to work with over the last decade, please know how thankful I am. Being able to spend every day facilitating communication workshops, helping people craft engaging presentations, and coaching folks as they prepare for promotions, has truly been the greatest gift — and it’s only possible because of all of you.

I had no idea how wonderful the last ten years would be and I can only dream of what amazing adventures the next decade will bring!

Author: Bri McWhorter

Sometimes when people give keynote speeches, commencement addresses, or conference talks to large audiences, the presenter’s delivery can sound too formal or rehearsed. The speech may sound great on paper, but when it’s delivered in real time, it’s missing that personal connection. The wonderful nuances of a speaker’s voice, that normally occur during conversations, are replaced with a formal tone. This often happens when people are speaking to large groups. It can be harder to have that personal connection, when the speaker feels overwhelmed by hundreds of people in a room.

That’s why, when a speaker’s delivery sounds too ‘generic’, I recommend thinking about a specific person, or small group of individuals, and imagine talking directly to them. The larger the group, the more important this is. Having an individual in mind allows the speaker to have a conversation with someone in particular, instead of reciting a speech to bodies in a room. It allows the presenter to personalize their delivery.

Actors who record for voice overs do this all the time. When an actor records for a commercial, they think about someone that they are talking to. Even though they are recording alone in a small soundproof booth, they pick out someone specific and imagine having a conversation with them. That’s why commercials, animated films, and podcasts feel so personal. The speaker is connecting to someone, which allows the audience to connect with them.

So when you are crafting and delivering a large speech, imagine someone who needs this information. Talk to them. Don’t think of the large mass of people in front of you. Think of someone specific. It can even be different people during different moments of your talk. Then instead of sounding generic, your speech will feel authentic, and sound like the real you.

Author: Bri McWhorter

People often find themselves giving resource-heavy presentations. These presentations are incredibly important, whether you’re leading a campus orientation, onboarding new employees, or sharing a new administrative process with a group. However, with an information-rich session, it can be harder for speakers to keep their audience engaged. If you’re going to be sharing a resource presentation, I recommend keeping these tips in mind:

1. Animate as you go
When you reveal a slide and a long list of information appears, it might be visually overwhelming for your audience. When presented with a long list, most people will read ahead and just look at the last message. Then, by the time you get to that point, people aren’t actively listening. It’s easier to keep an audience’s attention if you animate the information as you share it. Plus, since people have short attention spans, it can help folks stay engaged if something changes about every minute.

2. Variety of visuals
Most people use bullet points to list out resources. Unfortunately, when numerous slides look similar, it’s harder for an audience to recall the information later on. Instead, I recommend having the visual match the type of information you’re sharing. For example, if you have a list of campus resources, instead of putting the specifics in bullet points, have a map of the campus with images of each building. Or, if you are sharing important contacts within a company, have profile pictures with each of the department representatives. If you are talking about a timeline, use an image of a path and map out various time points to be aware of. It’s easier for people to recall information when visuals are used.

3. Share stories
If you are going to be talking about a process, I recommend sharing a story of how a process works.

For example, instead of:
You go here to file a travel summary document. You can use this for budget approvals for conferences and other work trip costs.

I recommend:
Many people will be traveling to conferences this year. So let’s pretend you’re booking a trip to New York. First, you will need to file a travel summary document to get budget approval. To do that you’ll go to this site to access a travel summary document. Then, you will upload your expected costs here. Then you submit it for approval.

It’s even better if you can use images of the sites/buttons/forms on your slide as you share your example. Then, when folks find themselves in these situations, they will recognize the documents and process.

Resource presentations are important, that’s why you want to do everything you can to captivate people’s attention. If you animate as you go, use a variety of visuals, and add in stories you make it easier for your audience to retain the information.

Author: Bri McWhorter

In presentations, conferences, and meetings, people often don’t have enough time to cover all the content they want to share. That’s why we often hear phrases like:

“I’ll go through this quickly…”
“To give you a ‘brief’ overview…”
“I just have a quick question to ask…”

However, even though these types of sentences are common, it’s important to understand the effect they actually have on an audience.

“I’ll go through this quickly…”
When someone says they will do something “quickly” it usually means the presenter will be speaking at a rapid pace. In order to keep up, the audience will have to put in more effort to track the details. Usually, this is when the audience decides to tune out. It’s more productive to simply omit that phrase and then share the corresponding content.

“To give you a ‘brief’ overview…”
Telling people something will be “brief” draws an audience’s attention to the time the content is taking, rather than the details of the content. This can invite critique because the audience starts to analyze whether the summary was succinct or if it dragged on too long. Eliminating that word is more direct and helps your message stand out.

“I just have a quick question to ask…”
When you’re already running low on time, saying something will be “quick” actually has the opposite effect. You don’t want to spend precious time adding in extra phrases when it would be better to spend that time on the discussion. That’s why I recommend avoiding that phrase and simply asking the question. This creates a smoother narrative which is a better use of everyone’s schedule.

While it’s common to comment on how “quick” something will be, it’s not always effective. Instead, omit those phrases and simply share the content. This can help your audience connect with the information which will be a more effective use of everyone’s time.

Author: Bri McWhorter

The Q & A session of a presentation can be a great way to engage with an audience. However, sometimes a presenter may freeze in a situation where they are receiving more rigorous or abrasive questions. That’s because when we feel attacked, our brain goes into defense mode and it inhibits our ability to calmly analyze the question. Therefore, try these tips when encountering more "persistent" queries from audience members.

1. Reframe their aggression
When someone’s delivery is more aggressive, it’s important to remember that they probably aren’t focusing on how they are asking the question. Instead, they are feeling confused and require assistance. This helps reframe the situation from an “attack” into an opportunity to help.

2. Relax your body
When we are bracing for a question, we often tense before we respond. When you’re tense, you’re not able to think as easily. Instead, try exhaling before answering. Or, if you notice your jaw or shoulders are tight, try relaxing them. The more physically at ease you are, the more you’ll be able to think on your feet.

3. Remember you have options
When we put a lot of pressure on a moment, it’s harder to think creatively. That’s why it’s important to remind yourself that there are options to follow up with someone. For example, you could email them and say, “Thanks for your interest in my work. I wasn’t able to come up with the response on the spot yesterday, but now that I’ve had some time I wanted to reach out.” Just because the event is over, doesn’t mean the opportunity to respond has ended.

Whenever we have one of these moments, it’s tough. Try to reframe, relax, and remind yourself that you have multiple options to follow up with folks. Keeping these things in mind can help you feel more at ease and ready for questions.

Author: Bri McWhorter

Meetings take up a lot of time. Therefore, it’s important to make them as effective as possible. To prepare, folks spend time crafting agendas, putting together slide decks, and coming up with discussion points. People have to be intentional in order to maximize each meeting’s potential. However, there is one moment in a meeting that often gets overlooked — the end.

People usually conclude their meetings by saying: 
Well, it looks like we are out of time.
I know that was a lot of information.
So ya… guess that’s it.

Then, that phrase becomes the last thing people hear and the message they replay in their head. A team shouldn’t be thinking about how that was “a lot of information” or how everyone ran “out of time”. Instead, it’s important to think about how to make that last moment count.

For example a meeting could end with:
I appreciate your time and I look forward to checking in next week.
I’m excited to hear about the project updates on our next call.
Thank you all for all the work you do. 

The end of a conversation matters. So before a call ends or folks walk out of a conference room, be intentional about the last phrase people hear.

Author: Bri McWhorter

Asking questions during a presentation can be a great way to engage your audience. It helps the speaker connect with the room and allows the audience to guide the narrative around topics they’d like to explore more. However, it’s becoming increasingly popular for speakers to ask rhetorical questions during presentations. Rhetorical questions, or questions where the speaker doesn’t actually need an answer from their audience, can undermine the power of a presentation for a number of reasons.

1. Disrupts flow
Instead of making statements that connect to form a cohesive story, rhetorical questions disrupt the flow of a presentation. For example when a speaker says:

So why did we do this? Well, we did this because…
What is the new product? The new product is…

Rhetorical questions create a choppy tone throughout a presentation. This stop/start pattern can also make it harder for the audience to follow along, since we tend to remember narratives that connect and flow together. Therefore, it’s better to avoid questions and make statements instead. For example…

We did this because…
The new product is…

Making statements is a stronger way to connect ideas in a presentation.

2. Gives your audience permission to stay silent
Rhetorical questions don’t require answers. Thus, when a speaker asks a lot of them, the audience gets accustomed to not answering or sharing a response. Then, when a speaker asks a question where they do want to elicit a response, the audience might not engage because they have fallen into a passive pattern and stay silent.

3. Questions can add in a hesitant tone
When a speaker asks too many rhetorical questions, it can affect how solid their idea sounds. If an audience is going to trust that a new project or idea was well thought through, it’s better to make statements about how everything came together. Then, if someone does have a question it stands out as an avenue to explore. Having too many rhetorical questions can create a doubtful undertone throughout a presentation.

Rhetorical questions can disrupt flow, make your audience disengage, and can add hesitation to your content. Instead, I recommend only asking questions when the audience can actually respond. By asking active questions, speakers show they value engagement by opening up a meaningful dialogue with their audience.

Author: Bri McWhorter