Research has shown that participants will never forget everything they have said during a meeting—and some of what you have said. That is why inviting as much participation from others as possible is a critical skill, whether it is giving a presentation, facilitating a meeting, or simply having a conversation. Encouraging people to participate transforms them from a “passive” to an “active” mode, resulting in greater engagement, more idea generation, and increased motivation.
Any teacher in a classroom full of dozing students will tell you that encouraging participation and engagement can be hard work. However, some ways do not involve setting off a fire alarm. Here are some of them:
1. Start your meeting or presentation with a question.
If you do this virtually, ask participants to type their answers into the chat. It can be as simple as “What city are you joining us from?” or “On a scale of 1-10, 1 being the lowest and 10 being the highest, how would you rate your team’s morale this month?”
2. Look for opportunities throughout your presentation or meeting to pause for feedback, comments, or questions.
This can be targeted; you can, for example, ask an individual on your team who you know has specific expertise to weigh in on something you have said.
3. Use the pair and share method.
This entails asking a question, asking your audience to turn to the person next to them to discuss, and then doing a debrief. If you are in a virtual setting, use the breakout feature. People are far more likely to speak up in smaller groups than in front of everyone. Group size can vary based on the number of attendees. The largest I do is ten. That way, everyone gets a chance to participate.
4. Answering a question, asking the audience, or meeting attendees who want to contribute.
This is an excellent technique because it lets you contemplate the question. An example would be: “Jerry has just asked me what I see as the biggest obstacle moving forward. Before I answer, I would like to hear from you.” If no one volunteers, you can either ask someone specifically or go ahead and answer. Either way, you are encouraging your audience to be actively involved.
5. Remember that you don’t need to speak the entire time while you are giving the presentation or facilitating the meeting.
In fact, the more you get other people to contribute, the more leadership presence you exhibit.
6. If your platform is virtual, you can use the chat, polls, reactions, hands-up, or simply ask people to unmute and speak.
7. Allow time for people to respond.
You may have to rephrase the question or give examples so your audience can process your question.
8. Practice, practice, practice.
The more you do this, the more automatic it will become. The goal is interactive, engaging presentations and meetings that allow everyone to be seen, heard and appreciated. This type of interaction builds trust, and we all know essential toponent of a functioning team.