Audience Mind-Meld: Real-Time Data Makes It Possible

Have you ever given a presentation to a large group, looked out at your audience and wondered what they were thinking? If you give presentations for a living, you probably have a number of techniques to take your audience’s pulse, such as asking for a show of hands or opening the session up for questions to get their thoughts on a topic.

But chances are, these techniques result in an exploration of only a limited number of points of view. Most people don’t speak up during presentations, and if you rely solely on those who do, you might be missing out on important perspectives.

Post-presentation online surveys are a popular way to gauge audience reaction. The drawback to that technique is that response rates are typically quite low, meaning they offer only a limited snapshot of the audience’s thinking.

Presentation survey forms are another method used to gain audience insight. But like online surveys, response rates are an issue. And the data is only gathered and analyzed after the event is over, so it’s impossible to apply lessons learned right away.

There is a way to find out what audiences are thinking in real time: Audience response technology. Polling technology can allow presenters to embed questions directly into a PowerPoint presentation and enable audiences to respond using keypads or smartphones.

[wcm_restrict]Presenters who use audience response technology generally get response rates as high as 90% and up. And those who use advanced polling software can instantly tally and display results in a graph or import data to spreadsheets and other office software for analysis.

The use of audience response technology can enable presenters to gain insights in real time and produce a snapshot that is more ‘mind-meld’ than representative sample. This is invaluable for presenters who are focused on continuously improving the programs they deliver.

With audience response technology that integrates directly into presentations, presenters can get a real-time snapshot of audience opinions and preferences while using new technology tools to manage complex discussions and quickly build consensus.

Aside from providing valuable data that lets presenters know when a subject has been fully covered and how thoroughly listeners are retaining information, audience response technology generates valuable data companies can use for other purposes. Audience response data is the voice of the customer, and as such, it has applications beyond the immediate presentation.

For presenters who are looking for a new way to find out what the audience is thinking, gauge information retention and generate clues that can help them improve programs in real time, audience response technology can be an incredibly valuable tool. It’s the closest thing to an audience mind-meld a presenter can achieve, and the value of the data doesn’t end with the presentation.[/wcm_restrict][wcm_nonmember]

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About the Author

Sheila Hura is Vice President of Marketing and Advertising at Turning Technologies, the leading provider of instructional, assessment delivery and data collection solutions for learning environments. To learn more about how Turning Technologies’ audience response systems can create interactive presentations, engage participants and immediately assess understanding, please visit www.TurningTechnologies.com/.