We’ve all sat in a classroom at some point in our lives and experienced the in-class activity. These are typically worksheets or discussion groups and, when used in an academic setting, can either be extremely effective or a serious time waster.
However, when used in a presentation, an activity can be a powerful tool that will help you cement your content and engage your audience. While this tool is useful, it is important to wield it correctly, which is why we put together a list of powerful presentation activities that can help you keep your audience engaged as well as give you a second to breathe during the presentation.
Write out your pitch or story.
This activity is great if you are working with a team or doing any type of training. Allow your audience 10 minutes to write out their pitch or story while they are sitting with you. Then allow time for everyone to report on their work. This will help you to judge if your content is landing as you hear what the audience has written. This should not be a time to critique unless you have allotted extra space in your presentation.
Content quiz.
A great way to test if your content is landing with your audience is by inserting an impromptu quiz. While this may feel a bit like you are back in school, it is a chance for you to reinforce what you are sharing and cement the content in your audience’s minds. Be sure to make the quiz fun and have prizes or rewards. This will make the activity feel more like a competition rather than a pop-quiz.
Role playing.
Role play scenarios are especially useful if you are training a team in a sales or customer service environment. Have your audience split into pairs or groups and take turns playing the role of the sales person while the rest of the group is the customer. Role play scenarios are a great way to get your audience comfortable with executing their pitches and embracing the content.
Activities are a great opportunity for a presenter to not only catch their breath, but for the audience to hear from a different voice as well. They break up the monotony of long presentations and help the audience stay engaged with what the presenter is sharing. When executed correctly, they can be not only effective but extremely useful.
If you want to elevate your next presentation and ensure that your message is being cemented into your audience’s memories, try one of these three activities in your next presentation.
Unsure of where to start with your upcoming presentation? One of our Presentation Coaches would love to talk with you today about how we can help!
