How To WOW Your Conference Audience

If you are regarded as an expert in your field, maybe a leader, or written a book, the chances are that at some point, you will be asked to speak at a conference, which can be a daunting prospect.

I know, because I remember my first ever presentation, to an audience of twelve people, on a dark, wet, Winter’s night.

To say I was nervous, was an understatement. What made matters worse, was when I found out that what the attendees were really looking forward to was the wine tasting after my presentation!

Fast forward to now, and I have spoken at over 500 conferences, in the UK and throughout the world, including many capitals in Europe, and further afield in North America, Asia, the Far and Middle East, with the furthest from the UK being Singapore and Bali.

Over the years, average audience sizes have been in the 50–150 range, with the largest ones being in excess of 600.

Recently, I spoke at a conference, sharing my thoughts about an aspect of how to achieve high-performance teamwork, namely using conflict positively to spark ideas and creativity in teams, referencing my bestselling book,?Team Lead Succeed

There was a break after my presentation, during which one of the delegates came up to me.

They asked me the following question.

“Nick, you have spoken at many conferences worldwide. What advice would you give to someone starting out as a conference speaker?”

A great question, which got me thinking about what I’ve learnt over the last 30 years, that may help others, so below are my thoughts, based on what you need to think about before, during and after a conference.

Pre-Conference

#1 Prepare Well In Advance

Most conferences organisers will want any slides you will be using anywhere between 2 and 4 weeks in advance of the conference, so they can add them in with those from other speakers, so they have a full set of slides in one file on the pc being used at the conference. They will also want to know if you have any audio/video requirements.

If I am to be introduced by a piece of music, my go to song is?

“Hall Of Fame” by The Script,

?as it supports what I talk about in terms of individual and team development.?

“You could be the greatest, you could be the best, you could be the King Kong banging on your chest”

?is the opening line.

#2 Maximise Imagery, Minimise Words

As human beings, we are very visual, so ensure that any slides you use include photos and graphics and not just words.

Change the way that your slides build and the transitions you use. Don’t try to be over flashy however subtle changes will keep the attention of your audience.

Keep the words on your slides to a minimum, using them as a prompt for you to expand upon them. Do not read through everything that it is on your slide, the audience should be able to read!

Make sure that you keep your font size reasonably large, so the audience can read them.

Recommendation for Powerpoint is 36 to 44 for headers and 18 to 24 for main copy.

Do not share a slide with a large amount of data/information, as people won’t be able to read it, or indeed have time to do so, so there is no point.

If you want some great images, head to Unsplash, where you will find a huge collection of amazing images, which are free to download and use.

You can access Unsplash, via?my portfolio link

Currently I am in the Top 100 downloaded contributors, out of approximately 320,000 contributors, with nearly 5 Million downloads of my images, so I am sure you will find an image that you can use (a lot of the images in this post are ones I have shared on Unsplash)

#3 Think, “What’s In It For The Audience?”

You should always have the needs of the audience in mind when planning your presentation, because often, they will have paid good money to attend.

How does your presentation link to the overall theme of the conference?

What will you share with them that will make a difference to them and their lives?

How will you make what you share with them practical, so they can action it?

Also remember, that, due to behavioural preferences, your audience will have different needs and learning styles.

Some will want to know the benefits, others will want to be wowed, some will want to know the impact the learning has for people and others will want to have data and information to support what you tell them. Build your presentation with this in mind.

#4 Time Your Presentation Well

It is likely that there will be speakers on before and after you, so ensure that your presentation covers the time allocated to you.

There is nothing worse than a speaker running over into the next speaker’s presentation time, it’s totally unprofessional.

It is better to have a presentation that finishes early than overruns. You can always in-fill by answering more questions from the audience.

Some conferences will have a countdown timer and will let you know when you have 10 minutes left, then 5, 1, 30 seconds and time up. When your time is up, you won’t be able to share any more slides, and they may be the important ones!!

If they haven’t set the timer on your mobile phone to ten minutes before the end of your session, so you have time to finish it, or know that you have time for questions to be asked.

#5 Backup Your Presentation

Have a copy of your presentation on a memory stick, just in case there is a computer problem, then you have a backup.

#6 Have A Plan B

If you are using presentation slides, audio or video, what happens if there are technical issues on the day? Can you deliver your presentation without them? Don’t think it won’t happen, I have experienced it on a number of occasions!

#7 Plan Your Travel

If you are travelling to the conference venue on the day, build in plenty of contingency into your travel arrangements. There is nothing worse than turning up to speak at a conference all hot and bothered as your travel has been delayed, or worse, keeping a packed room waiting for you to arrive.

#8 Make A Note Of Key Contacts

Make sure that you have contact details of the event organisers in order that you can contact them quickly in case of an emergency.

#9 Check Conference Rules

What I mean by this is if you have materials that delegates can buy from you, such as a book, check they are OK for you to mention this.

Conference Day

#1 Pre-Presentation Checks

It is always a good idea to see the room where you will be presenting.

How is it laid out, cabaret or cinema-style?

Is there a stage?

Where’s the podium?

Is there a roving microphone or will you be using a lapel radio-microphone or head microphone?

Is there a screen so you can see your slides?

Is there a remote control to move your slides forward? How does it work?

In addition, it is good to introduce yourself to the event crew and run through the slides you have sent them.

Once, I was working with the same conference organisers and speaking at two different events within a week of each other, talking about two different aspects of teamwork. The check at the first conference highlighted that they had mixed up the two slide presentations. This gave me time to rectify the issue.

They should also be able to tell you what time you need to be fitted with the radio microphone, if you are using one.

I always like to use the time before delegates arrive, to get onto the stage and visualise a packed room, my presentation going well, with people nodding and smiling, showing their appreciation.

It is a technique used by top athletes before their event to get them “in the zone”.

#2 Listen To The Speaker Before You

See if there is anything that they say, that you can mention as a link from their presentation to yours.

#3 Use The Space

Don’t just hide behind the lectern or stay on the stage. Use the space available to you, to move around and connect with everyone in the audience.

#4 Tell Them What You Are Going To Tell Them

There should be an overview of your presentation in the conference brochure if there is one or they should have been advised online when booking what you are talking about however don’t leave it to chance.

We lead busy lives, so it is always useful to let the audience know what you are going to share, either verbally or by using one of your first slides.

#5 When it is your turn to present, “Be HAPPI”

Humorous

?— used appropriately, when we make other people laugh, it releases chemicals in our brains that makes us feel good, and also help us to remember what’s been said to us.

Authentic

?— if you are not genuine, and true to yourself, and what you’re talking about, people will pick this up, and switch off.

Passionate

?— whatever you talk about, be enthusiastic about it. It will make people sit up and listen.

Personable

?— don’t lecture people, freely share your knowledge and experience to help them. Remember it is a privilege and honour you’ve been asked to do so, and they are investing on average an hour of their lives to listen to you.

Interactive

?— don’t lecture people, ask questions and get them involved, to share their thoughts and experiences, as they will invariably share things that will help others.

#6 Keep An Eye On The Clock

Once you get in the flow, time can whizz by, so have your watch or timer to hand to check on how you are doing for time. Some conferences, as mentioned, will have a screen countdown that you can see.

#7 Allow Time For Questions

Invariably, there will be questions from delegates, so make sure you build in time for these, between 10 and 15 minutes, based on speaking for 45 minutes.

#8 Signpost To Further Learning

Always have a slide where delegates can see where to get further information. If the audience have enjoyed what you’ve had to say, it enables them to use their phones to take a photo of your details. You can also create and share a QR code that takes them to your website.

#9 Share Your Contact Details

These days, most delegates have a smart phone, so having your contact details on a slide is always useful, so they can take a photo of it and get in touch with you.

#10 Tell Them Where You’ll Be And When

If you have material that they can purchase, often you’ll have shared your conference discount, tell them where you will be and at what time.

Post Conference

#1 Thanks & Share

Thank the conference organisers for the opportunity, as you never know, if you’ve been any good, they may want you to speak at other conferences.

Share an update of where you have been and what you’ve spoken about on social media.

#2 Don’t Be Scared To Ask For A Recommendation

If you don’t ask, you don’t get. Ask the organiser for a recommendation and get their agreement that you can share it on social media.

Conclusion

What I have shared has definitely helped me over the years however, we are all unique individuals, so use what works me, may not work for you.

My hope however is that some or all of what I have shared will help you to hit the sweet spot with your conference audience.

And remember, always be you and always be?HAPPI

Now, it’s over to you. Good luck and go?WOW?them.

Best wishes, Nick Fewings

Author of bestseller Team Lead Succeed

#publicspeaking #conferencespeaking #leadershipdevelopment #conference #communication #speakingtips