How to Engage an Audience: Getting It Right vs. Doing It Well
Early in my career, I thought successful communication meant getting everything right.
I knew my facts. I remembered my points. I appeared confident. After one presentation, several people told me exactly that. I took their feedback as confirmation that I had communicated well.
Then my mentor asked a question that changed how I thought about communication: What did the audience experience?
The comments had all been about me. I seemed confident. I knew the material. I covered the information. No one said the ideas were relevant, the message changed their thinking or the conversation helped them see something differently.
That is the difference between getting it right and doing it well.
Getting it right focuses on the communicator and the information. Doing it well focuses on the audience and the impact. Facts and preparation still matter, but they are only part of effective communication. The real measure is what listeners understand, remember and do as a result.
Someone asked me recently about how many workshops I’ve taught throughout my career. I probably should keep up with that number a little better than I do. With simple math, I think it’s somewhere between 3,000 and 3,200. It’s a lot of programs, but I don’t think I’ve ever taught two days exactly the same way. The foundational components on how to engage an audience are always there, and the exercises are always similar. But the way I engage with a group shifts based on my read of the room and the experiences each group brings to us.
Now, this isn’t how I started as a communicator. There was a time when I was focused on getting it right. In fact, feedback that I got early in my career changed the way I thought about communication skills. I gave a presentation, and the feedback I got afterwards was very positive.
“Wow, you’re really confident on your feet.”
“You really seemed to know your facts.”
“You got everything right.”
And, I took that as a very good sign. Until my mentor, who overheard a lot of this feedback, asked me how I thought I did. I replied that I thought I got it right and that I did feel confident in front of the group. He looked at me and said, “Well, that’s a lot about how YOU did. You’ll know you’re a good communicator when people begin to share feedback about how THEY felt.”
At the time, it felt like he’d thrown cold water on me, but it’s feedback that I’ve never forgotten. And as my journey took me into communication coaching, I developed my own beliefs between the difference in “getting it right” and “doing it well.”
How to Engage an Audience: What Does It Mean to Engage an Audience?
Most presenters are focused on getting it right or on their ability to engage an audience. They work hard on the details, knowing the facts and making sure they cover them well. There’s an expectation of accuracy that puts pressure on structure and organization. That requires memorization or a lot of support materials. I’ve seen it all. Note cards, a single page with small print, several pages with large print, notes on a slide, notes on a phone, notes on a hand … you get the idea. Success is in the details and defined by getting it right.
You’ve seen it, too. You just didn’t realize you were seeing it. Memorizing a series of points or remembering a lot of details keeps you in your head. So, the presenter seems uninterested. Their face becomes void of expression because their focus is in their head, not in the room.
Facts are important, but no one ever remembers them all. So, getting it right is a tough expectation on a presenter that drives little impact with an audience.
That audience impact is what I call “doing it well.”
Spoken communication starts with connection and engagement and the ability to engage an audience. Details are a part of the storyline, but they can’t become more important than drawing people into an idea.
Doing it well requires someone else to be involved, and that’s exactly what a listener wants. Listeners believe communication should be about them, adjusted to them and interesting enough to engage them.
But most presenters stop short of mastering communication. They develop an approach to organizing ideas and maybe a system for memorizing them, and they settle into “getting it right.” But those who continue to evolve their skills will shift their focus from how they’re doing to how listeners are reacting. And, that’s when presenters begin to “do it well.”
It isn’t easy, but learning to communicate to influence is one of the most critical skills an aspiring leader can develop.
I believe you can see the difference every time you sit in a company all-hands meeting or a customer conference. When you watch a series of presenters, you can tell those who are involved with the group versus those who are involved with their thoughts.
You’ll also notice it when you see a room of people introduce themselves. We’ve all been a part of a setting where people are asked to introduce themselves and speak on a topic or theme that’s assigned. Some people seem to struggle with what to say; others seem perfectly at ease when they get up. The difference is those who are trying to get it right are worried about what to say and they get caught up in saying the right thing. Even in this setting, you’ll experience communicators in their heads trying to remember their points. The more relaxed communicator is thinking about how to engage with the group.
Impactful communication is both art and science, as is the ability to engage an audience
The science of communication is in the structure of content. I describe this as the difference between a linear approach to presenting point after point versus a more simplified approach that combines big concepts and objectives. A good presenter simplifies the way they organize ideas so that it’s easy to move through them. It also changes the way they talk through ideas.
The art of communication is knowing how to engage people and invite them into a conversation. Everyone knows how to do this because it’s a part of everyday communication. We talk with people, and work for their response. The misunderstanding about engagement is that we view it as a different skill when we’re presenting instead of a universal one. Connection remains a 1:1 skill that has to be leveraged, not changed, with a larger group. And when presenters learn to do this, they evolve from getting it right to doing it well.
We’ve evolved too in how we support the journey of the communicator. While our content methodology remains the same, we’ve expanded our approach to coaching presence. We know that it starts with personal confidence in yourself before it can move toward engagement of everyone else. And, it’s why we teach presence across two workshops today.
How to Engage an Audience: Getting the Information Right Is Only the Beginning
Accuracy matters. Leaders need to know their subject, organize their thoughts and communicate information responsibly.
But accuracy is the starting point, not the finish line.
When communicators place all their attention on remembering each detail, they often disconnect from the people listening. Their facial expression becomes less natural. Their voice may lose energy. They move through the information without noticing whether the audience is following.
The communicator may leave relieved that nothing was forgotten. The audience may leave without understanding why the message mattered.
Doing it well requires a different definition of success. Instead of asking, “Did I cover everything?” ask:
- Did the audience understand the central idea?
- Did they recognize why it mattered?
- Did I make the information easy to follow?
- Did I notice when interest or understanding changed?
- Did the conversation move toward the intended outcome?
These questions shift communication from delivery to impact.
How to Engage an Audience: Why Communicators Get Trapped in Their Heads
The desire to get everything right creates pressure to remember exact words, detailed sequences and every supporting fact.
That pressure keeps attention internal. The communicator is thinking about the next point instead of observing the audience. Even a polished message can feel distant when the speaker appears more connected to the material than to the listeners.
Preparation should create freedom, not dependence.
When leaders organize information around a few clear ideas, they do not have to memorize every sentence. They understand the structure well enough to explain it naturally, respond to questions and adapt the level of detail.
A strong storyline acts as a guide. It keeps the message focused while allowing the communicator to remain present with the audience.
How to Engage an Audience: Shift the Focus from Performance to Audience Impact
Audience-centered communication begins before the conversation.
Consider what the listeners already know, what they care about and what could make the message difficult to accept. A senior executive may need a concise recommendation and a clear understanding of risk. A technical audience may want to examine the reasoning. Employees facing change may first need to understand how a decision affects them.
The central idea may remain the same, but the way it is developed should reflect the audience and situation.
During the conversation, continue reading the audience. Notice facial expressions, questions, energy and silence. These reactions provide information about whether the message is landing.
Engagement does not require abandoning the plan. It requires enough awareness to know when the plan needs to adjust.
How to Engage an Audience
How to Engage an Audience: Organize Ideas Around What Listeners Need
Start with the outcome the audience needs to understand, support or act on. Then select the information that helps them reach that point.
More information does not always make a message more convincing. Too much detail can hide the central idea and place unnecessary work on listeners.
How to Engage an Audience: Create Connection Early
Audiences decide quickly whether a message feels relevant.
Begin with a business concern, question, observation or shared experience that gives listeners a reason to engage. The opening should lead naturally into the central message rather than serving as an unrelated attention device.
How to Engage an Audience: Pay Attention to Audience Response
Communication is not complete because the words were spoken.
Look for signs of understanding, hesitation or disagreement. Ask a question. Create a pause. Give the audience an opportunity to respond before moving into more detail.
How to Engage an Audience: Adjust Without Losing the Message
An audience may need more context than expected, or less. A question may reveal that the group is focused on a different concern.
Strong communicators can adapt the route while protecting the destination. They remain clear about the outcome but flexible about how they help the audience reach it.
How to Engage an Audience: Invite Listeners into the Conversation
Even formal communication should feel connected to the people in the room.
Use inclusive language, refer to the audience’s priorities and make space for questions. Listeners are more likely to engage when they can recognize themselves and their concerns in the message.
How to Engage an Audience: The Science and Art of Effective Communication
Effective communication includes both science and art as is being able to engage an audience.
The science is the structure. It involves simplifying complex information, organizing ideas into a clear storyline and choosing details that support the message.
The art is the connection. It is the ability to read the room, use natural expression, respond to listeners and create the feeling of a conversation.
Structure without connection may be clear but forgettable. Connection without structure may be engaging but difficult to follow.
Communication has the greatest impact when both work together.
How to Engage an Audience: How Leaders Know They Are Communicating Well
Leaders often evaluate communication based on their own performance and how well they engage an audience. They remember whether they felt nervous, forgot a point or answered a question smoothly.
The audience uses a different standard.
Listeners are more likely to consider:
- Was the message relevant to me?
- Could I follow the thinking?
- Did the leader understand my concerns?
- Do I know what is expected?
- Am I confident in the direction?
- What should I do next?
Leadership communication becomes more effective when leaders evaluate success through the listener’s experience as does their capacity to engage an audience.
If you’re ready to evolve from getting it right to doing it well, we’d love to help accelerate the journey including how to engage an audience.
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