The easiest way to regain the audience members’ interest is to address them by name and ask simple questions:

- “Shane, has that ever happened to you?”
- “Roberta, how have you handled these situations in your business?”
- “Sanjay, are the financial markets affecting the industry as much in your country as they are here in London?”

Audience members for business presentations are no different than people in other social interactions. The more you get your date to talk at dinner, the more charming you will be perceived. So it is with your presentations.

So ask, ask, and ask some more. Most people never get tired of talking about themselves. Of course, you don’t have to turn your entire presentation over to your audience members. However, peppering them with a few occasional questions is always a good idea, especially if you feel you are starting to lose them. This works particularly well if you are speaking to a room with 30 people or fewer, with no need for a microphone. However, if you are in a large room with hundreds of audience members, asking questions can be a little more complicated—but not much. As long as you have a handheld microphone, you can randomly ask people questions—as long as you give them a microphone to answer.

While it may seem intimidating to leave the comfort of a lectern, table, or stage if you are speaking in front of hundreds of people, it’s easier than you would think to engage an audience. Think of it this way: would you rather do a karaoke solo, or would you prefer to sing with your four best friends so you don’t stand out as much? Unless you’re an unusually confident singer, you probably prefer the group sing-along. That’s essentially what you are doing by asking questions of the audience and letting them share their opinions. Your presentation now becomes a collaborative experience—and that is always more interesting than a solitary lecture.

I have to stress that you don’t have to walk around a big auditorium with a microphone à la Oprah Winfrey. You can, as I mentioned before, just stand in one spot. But it is easier than you think to walk around and ask people questions, and you will surely be remembered as a pretty good speaker if you do so.

This article was taken from my new book “How to Give a Pretty Good Presentation“ You can order a copy from Amazon.com or from your local bookstore.