You're giving a presentation and you sense the audience is tense. What can you do to defuse the situation?

I have been through such occasions where audience was tense. In fact as a seasoned presenter/speaker one should have good homework before the presentation about the sensitivity of audience. In the event, the best is to engage the audience with an open mind to understand their views and concerns. Respond to the concerns with your own experience and knowledge. And do not try to bulldoze your own thoughts. You should convert that session into an opportunity for an honest discussion on the sensitive topic. So that all sides leave the room with somewhat improved understanding on the topic. The exact coping strategy, however, depends on the nature of topic and the dynamics of audience.

1st I will try to understand, why they are tense, while afterwards, I will try to engage audience by asking their interest in the presentation and how they support the ideas and if they have different perspective as well. While in the meanwhile, relevant examples of the interest of the audience will make them comfortable as well.

It happens and each circumstance will be slightly different. However, I will generally start by acknowledging how I am feeling, say why and see how the reaction is. Likely they will affirm, and the rapport you are developing will help moving forward.

The essence of a successful presentation lies in captivating the audience. It's crucial to create an engaging atmosphere where participants feel involved and empowered to share their ideas. We aim to foster interactivity and encourage attendees to participate in the presentation by engaging them by changing the presentation environment. Moreover we can propose alternative presentation environment that resonate with their interests.

One can relax the situation by adding a bit of humour and asking more interactive questions from the audience. Adding some interesting hooks with slight pauses and a little humour afterwards will draw the audience's attention towards you.

There are 3 places you speak to an Executive: 1. In the field 2. On the sidelines 3. In the box When the game is in play, keep the jokes away. On the sidelines, it'll only be funny if the team shines. And in the box, all the humor unlocks. Know your audience by knowing thyself first. Cracking a joke helps if it's memorable to land on top, otherwise it hurts when you run the risk of being the worst. p.s. I keep my arsenal of Dadjokes fully stocked ;-) - Munir

This a highly effective tool to drive home key points. As a presenter, one must have a set of stories which cater to different situations like humor, leadership, etc. Story telling would immerse your audience and they no longer remain in the tense environment. Pull it off from there.

We stand on the shoulders of giants and in order to make your words heard, follow the guidance of the artist when trying to paint your picture effectively: - Copy - Change - Create No need to reinvent the wheel while we can choose to beg, borrow, or steal the style from those whom we can see as being effective at presenting in such a way that is affective in delivery; (s)he expertly diffuses tension -- that is thereafter oft repeated as if a muses lesson in leveraging those tools later -- if/when we find ourselves in similar situations. Be unafraid to say you are in need of help and when you do, you'll be well on your way to be greater: the best version of yourself. TL;DR: Better Every Day - Munir