How To Interrupt An Audience To Start A Meeting Or Presentation

Have you ever run a meeting or presentation where your audience continues speaking after they have taken a seat?

Have you ever felt unsure of how to interrupt them to get your meeting started?

This video offers verbal (spoken) and non-verbal (unspoken) options on how to do that.

It also provides the reasons for holding or having a meeting, as well as offering reasons why audience participation is usually a good thing. However, there are certain circumstances where we will need to interrupt our audience because it is hampering (harming) the success of our meeting.

Naturally, not being able to start a meeting on time will prevent your meeting from being a success, and so it is the first occasion when we will need to interrupt our audience during the meeting.

It is also the first time you would need to assert (show) yourself as the meeting leader or risk losing control of your meeting because if you start weakly your attendees will run right over you.

Consider how you would feel if you attended a meeting or presentation and the meeting lead (chair) starts by nervously and quietly mumbling something. Would you feel that that person has confidence and that they will know what they are talking about? Have they shown you, from the start, that they will lead the meeting properly and not waste your time? It is most likely that you will view them as unprofessional and that you will then not respect them, their work, their ability to lead the meeting or presentation, or their opinions going forward. So, it is vital that you get it right first time by preparing how you would handle it in advance, until it becomes an automatic part of your meeting leadership skill.

Links to other related content lists:

  1. Business Emails
  2. Business Meetings
  3. Business Presentations
  4. Business English Tests
  5. Business Lessons Learned
  6. Videos

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Posted by optimumbusines

Lyn has worked in various business areas of large, internationally-recognised, multinational telecommunication corporate organisations since 2004, gaining significant expertise in the business language of each. Her role regularly combined the functions of internal communications, training and change management on large projects and other strategic initiatives. She also has specific experience in: – Creating HR policies and procedures – Talent recruitment lead creation procedures – Process creation, optimisation and re-engineering in AP, sourcing and HR – Migrating and managing SOX and EWC compliance, and implementations – Global and regional Shared Service Centre management and implementations – Bid Management – EcoMetric assessment training and certification procedures – Internship creation and management – Full SAP, IFRS15, Concur and S4 Hana implementations QUALIFICATIONS She has a four-year Higher Diploma in Education from the University of Natal, in secondary (high school) second language teaching. She also has a Bachelor of Arts degree, from the University of South Africa (UNISA), majoring in Psychology. She is a certified EcoMetrist and has an Advanced 120 Hour TEFL certificate. Her combination of international business experience provides practical, professional know-how, combined with excellent qualifications, ensures an effective all-round, expert approach to training.

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