What Makes People Listen to Your Presentation

This Element is an excerpt from The Truth About Confident Presenting (9780132161602) by James O'Rourke. Available in print and digital formats. Expert techniques for making sure people pay attention to your presentation, from one of the world's leading business communications experts. If a presentation is a learning occasion for the audience, it's also a listening occasion: an opportunity to hear, tune into, and make sense of what's being said. But, listening is hard work. It involves intellectual and physical effort. Unless properly motivated, it's something most people would rather not do. So, how do you get an audience to listen?