How do you measure audience engagement during a performance?

1 Observe body language

One of the most obvious ways to measure audience engagement is to observe their body language. Are they leaning forward, nodding, smiling, clapping, or cheering? Or are they looking bored, distracted, yawning, or checking their phones? Body language can give you a lot of clues about how your audience is feeling and reacting to your performance. You can also look for signs of emotional engagement, such as tears, laughter, or goosebumps.

2 Listen to feedback

Another way to measure audience engagement is to listen to the feedback that you receive from your audience, either during or after the performance. Feedback can come in different forms, such as verbal comments, applause, silence, or questions. Feedback can help you gauge how well your audience understood, enjoyed, or learned from your performance. You can also ask for feedback directly, by inviting your audience to share their opinions, thoughts, or questions with you or with each other.

3 Use technology

Technology can also help you measure audience engagement, especially if you are performing online or in a large venue. You can use tools such as polls, surveys, quizzes, or analytics to collect data and insights from your audience. For example, you can use polls to ask your audience about their preferences, expectations, or satisfaction with your performance. You can use surveys or quizzes to test your audience's knowledge, retention, or learning outcomes. You can use analytics to track your audience's behavior, such as how long they stayed, how often they interacted, or how many shares or views they generated.

5 Reflect on your goals

Finally, measuring audience engagement is not only about what your audience does or says, but also about what you want to achieve with your performance. You need to reflect on your goals and objectives as a vocal coach and performer, and how they align with your audience's needs and expectations. You need to ask yourself questions such as: What is the purpose of your performance? What do you want your audience to feel, think, or do after your performance? How do you measure your success and improvement as a vocal coach and performer?