Meet the audience where they are, not where you want them to be. I would acknowledge what was happening in the room and ask the group a question. "have I lost you? Am I losing you? Say it ain't so! Can you give me another shot before giving up on me?" Making a joke and asking for help works. They want you to succeed. You may need to shift the energy and take a moment to have everyone stand up and shake it out. asking open ended questions to find out where you lost them. Once you have your answer, trust your intuition and listen to their direction and pivot.when you have them again, ask, "how am I doing now? Are you with me? Are we doing this!Let's go team! " Then, close it out strong, thanking them all for their help.

If you go off the track, immediately come back the moment you realize. Or just observe the body language closely. if listeners are yawning, have closed body language, introduce an energizer, ask a rhetorical question where everyone says together, ask them to clap, etc. If they are already enjoying your off the track conversation, still don't go on and on. Slowly and subtly come back to the topic by either saying - Okay enough of this, lets discuss the main agenda or ask them to join the dots from the actual thing. Adopt methodology according to your rapport with audience. No standard trick for all. Be mindful.

Stop talking. Start asking questions of the audience. Ask their perspective of the problem or topic. Engage them by encouraging them to share how they relate. Query another person and ask if they agree. Highlight their areas of agreement and disagreement. Use the points you wanted to make by reframing within the context of their answers. If you are unlucky and got the last slot in a long day, tell a story that creates a reaction. You can’t make people listen; however, you can give them the floor within a managed conversation. Your ability to weave the narrative is half the battle.

If I sense I’m losing the room, I pause, take a breath, and acknowledge it with sincerity: “I’m feeling a shift in energy—anyone else?” Then, I create a quick interactive moment: “Let’s reset—turn to someone next to you, share one takeaway so far.” This brings them back into the conversation and allows me to readjust based on their responses. Next, I re-engage by asking, “What do you want to get from this? Let’s make sure we’re aligned.” This approach brings the room back together, reinforcing that their experience matters, and ends with a strong, mutual commitment.