Ironically, when it comes to presenting in public, one of the hardest things to master is the art of being silent. When your presentation is interrupted, do you stop talking or do you continue speaking and raise your voice? The choice to continue presenting has consequences that you cannot ignore.
- There's little to be gained by trying to be the loudest in the room!
Unless you have a microphone, and this is not a guarantee of success, speaking louder to try to match or to win the audience’s attention over the source of distraction could cause listeners to miss important information, impact their comprehension negatively, disengage your listeners, make you sound arrogant or less congenial to some. - 2. If you lose their attention, everything is lost!
Well not quite but getting your audience’s attention, maintaining it or winning it back are among the most difficult skills to master in the art of presenting in public and this artful ability develops with experience and presence.
Other issues also include late arrivals, chatting between participants, ringing phones, cellphone conversations, convention or hall staff interruptions, interruptions from another person who is not part of the audience, and outside noises.
Stop talking, wait patiently and gaze at your listeners with understanding.
Cessez de parler, attendez patiemment et contemplez vos auditeurs avec compréhension.