3 Ways a Presenter Can Create Their Own Solar Eclipse

The August 21st solar eclipse will be the biggest American weather event to hit the US in a very long time. Everyone is talking about it – at the water cooler, at schools and over family meals. It will be exciting and unforgettable – exactly what public speakers want from their moment on the stage.
 
However, one definition of an eclipse brings a different perspective.
 
Eclipse -  the loss of significance, power or prominence in relation to another person
 
Should presenters want to be in the spotlight or, instead, develop parity with their audience? Malcolm Knowles, considered the father of androgogy, posited that adult learners need recognition of and respect for their background experiences. When presenters make the learning all about themselves as the experts, we dishonor the expertise in the room. Instead, intentionally allowing an eclipse of your prominence can engage adult learners in significant ways.
 
Here are 3 simple ways to foster a presenter eclipse:
 

1. Do some quick math and share it with your audience. For example, I might say “We have over 200 people in the room today. Looking at you, I am guessing that we probably have an average of 15 years experience in the field. That means that collectively we have over 3,000 years of experience to tap into today.”
2. When a question arises from your group, say “Thanks for the your question. I am going to turn that over to the group first. Turn and talk with someone near by you – how would you answer that question?” Allow about a minute for processing and then ask for three people to share their answers. If needed, you can add your own thoughts after hearing from the audience.
3. Build in at least one brainstorming activity during your session. Ask participants to work in small groups to brainstorm ideas for a content-related challenge, and then direct each group to share out the most innovative idea on their list. If they have not covered all the ideas you have, then add yours at the end.

For more ideas about increasing audience engagement, click here. 

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