Get Your Audience to Focus On One Thing At a Time This Way

You have heard me mention that people are horrible multitasker as you’re better off getting people to do one thing at a time.

But how do you do that as a practical matter.

Get your PowerPoint slide you’re speaking.

There’s some handouts you can do it if you decide in advance you will.

So let’s say you have a slide you’ve just finished a slide you now want to talk about something else.

What do you do.

So you don’t distract people.

You have three main options option one is when you’re ready to speak again.

Just hit the letter B on your computer keyboard B blacks out the screen hitting any key whatsoever it brings it back to where you are.

So if you’ve finished talking about the slide that’s up.

You hit B.

The screen goes completely black.

There’s nothing for the audience to look at other than you.

That’s great.

You’ve got a captive audience.

Another option you can do is simply hit the letter W W whites out the screen.

Not much interesting to look at.

They have to look at you.

I typically don’t use the dub because the white is so bright it can still capture people’s attention but it’s a lot better than an interesting PowerPoint where you’re now on a new subject.

People are still trying to figure that out.

The third option the best option the option I use and it cost nothing is to simply build in an extra blank or black slide in between every one of your slides.

So you’re always advancing.

So you finished one slide that has an image on it.

You drove that point home.

People looked at it.

You’re ready to talk again.

Simply click Advanced.

It’s now going to a black slide or a blank slide.

Nothing for anyone to look at.

You say what you want to say then you hit advance and it’s on to your next one.

That’s the most effective way to really control the attention of your audience and that’s critical.