Hold effective business meetings with more audience chatter

Research has shown that speakers retain 90% of what they share. Listeners hang onto only 5% of what the speaker said. “When speakers talk they fire up multiple intelligences, garner ‘aha’ moments, and retain most of what they teach," according to Brain Based Business.

Since talking benefits talkers more than listeners, getting more people involved in the conversation can improve retention. Keep your audience awake and involved by turning the tables at your next business meeting - create speakers out of listeners.

Here are some simple tips to hold effective business meetings and boost listener retention:

Share the stage. Break up presentations so that others can take the stage and explain a few points for you. Multiple speakers will help break up the presentation and keep the audience’s attention.

Say something funny. Laughing lightens the mood in the room and fosters openness, allowing you to share more and connect with your audience. It’s also a great way to mix it up and surprise your audience with some humor during an otherwise boring meeting.

Keep the lights on and skip the slides. Sit a group of people in a dark room in the afternoon and you’re just asking for a nap or two. Keep the lights on and keep everyone awake and focused on you.

Encourage conversation. Rather than read through a long slide presentation, have a conversation with your meeting attendees. Talk about the issue and come up with some solutions together. Attendees will retain more information if they were actively involved in the meeting.

Hold effective business meetings with more audience chatter