My 5 favourite (read: easy-to-make) changes to boost engagement in your next online workshop or presentation

As someone whose top Strengthsfinder skill came through as 'Restorative' (meaning I find it oddly satisfying and uplifting to refine and edit all kinds of things), feedback matters immensely to me - both in receiving it and giving it.?

Before I started at @Well Teachers, I noticed that a top request I received frequently was "Can you review this (presentation/workshop/lesson plan) for me?".

I appreciate this kind of request so much (and when I realised how common it was) I formalised it into a core feature that members of #TheWell can rely on at all times:

To be able to receive in-depth, personalised feedback on their workshops, presentations, CVs, cover letters and lesson plans.

Here are some of the core suggestions I have for delivering presentations and workshops online, which I've found have a positive effect on engagement levels during a workshop:

1??: G_p Fills & 'appear' / 'disappear' functions for content

The human mind cannot h_lp b_t f_ll in the g_ps when it sees empty spaces!

So, an easy tweak to slides that cause your audience to naturally engage rather than passively receive might be...

adding gap fills,

adding line matching info,

simply covering some words with blank boxes

setting animation to reveal certain parts one by one

All these are so simple to do yet makes a huge difference to those watching your workshop online.

This makes your audience think actively rather than passively listen.

2??: Make sure you can see the chat box next to your slides.

Once you have created gap fills or slides that need answers - seeing the chat box is vital for seeing the responses.

My personal comfort is Zoom and selecting screen sharing only a portion of the screen.

If you can't see the chat box, you are almost dooming yourself to encounter more friction with engagement during your session.

3??: Split what you want to cover into 3 key parts

So I've tried 5-parts, 4-parts, 2-parts - somehow, a 3-part presentation with just 3 key points or areas is the most comfortable for everyone.

Maybe 3 really is a magic number? I don't know why this works, it really just does. I also like a 2-parter for certain sessions like part 1: theory, part 2: practice.

But even then, I'll still add 3 main points for Part 1, and 3 key ideas for Part 2. Heh.

4??: Remove fixed time stamps from slides

Management of time is one of your superpower tools as the facilitator - if you write the timings down and share them, integrity (and your audience) will be watching every move you make to ensure you stick to those timings. I once had a teacher come and give me a huge hug at the end of a session in which we not only achieved the objectives but finished promptly a few minutes ahead of time. She said, "nobody ever finishes on time!".

Announcing time markers can be very stress-inducing. I generally indicate the time I'd like to spend on each section verbally if I need to.

But this point is just about reclaiming your one most important superhuman ability as a facilitator to contract or expand time based on what you see fit for the learning and engagement happening in the moment to moment flow of your session.

5?? Keep showing the session flow after each section is completed.

I once had a co-presenter say we had too many slides so they removed the slides I had added that showed our 3-part menu and indicated the transition from one segment into the next. They deemed those 'bumf' slides. And while yes, they do add to the overall number of slides, they are such a help for keeping everyone on track especially if co-presenting. The presentation we held did not flow well and one segment ran on for longer than the rest, which we eventually had to abandon.

Even if you only linger over them for a second or two - they help both you and the audience psychologically reconcile the part you have just covered and prepare for the next piece of key information.

I have seen this method work wonders.

I think it's because there's something assuring about seeing what you've done and knowing where you're going next - for both facilitator and audience.

6?? Add your simple tweak here?

I hope you enjoy these ideas for your workshops and presentations. I would love to know if you try any of them - do share in the comments or let me know by messaging.