TJ Walker explains how to handle an audience member falling asleep during your presentation. Don't take it personally or fixate on them. If it's the decision-maker, ask them a direct question to pull them back in.
Chapters
Here's the scenario you're giving your presentation. Your slides are great.
You're telling your first story, your second story, you feel like you're on fire.
You've got the audience in the palm of your hand. But then you look back to the.
Far right corner.
Somebody'S sleeping.
Now here's emotionally what happens to a lot of people.
They think, oh, this is awful. I must be horrible. I can't believe this person's doing that. And then maybe they look at that person excessively.
Well, if the person's eyes are closed, that's not going to help. So for starters, realize it's not necessarily about you. I don't care if you're Bill Clinton, Ronald Reagan, Winston Churchill. All of these people had audience members fall asleep on them sometimes in the front row because life happens.
Maybe this person hasn't had sleep in three days.
Maybe this person's spouse had a baby at 2am and there's been no sleep.
For a couple of days. Other crises are going on.
So realize it's not about you. Even though it feels like it and you're in the spotlight and you're trying to really do your best, everyone isn't thinking about you. So for starters, don't worry about it. Number two, think about how you can engage that person.
Just walking over to that side of.
The room, getting closer might wake them up because they hear you. Now, I'm not suggesting it's like Puritan.
Days and you walk over and hit.
Them on the head like Puritan leaders did with people in church, nodding off. I'm not suggesting that, but just getting physically closer.
Also, you could mention the person by name, not in an embarrassing way, but if you've ever had a conversation with that person, perhaps out in the hallway beforehand, just say, and I was talking.
To Sam out in the hallway earlier, who told me about and weaved some.
Snippet of their conversation.
And quite often that will get them in. So there are a lot of different techniques. But finally, don't devote all your attention.
To this one person and ignore the.
People who were really focused on you. Give everyone equal attention, maybe just briefly.
Slightly more attention to the person whose eyes are closed or looks like they're nodding off.
But don't ignore everyone else. Everyone else is of equal value to you.
Unless it's a situation where the only decision maker, the CEO in the room, is the one falling asleep.
Then you've got to be even more.
More engaging and perhaps ask a direct question.
I'm TJ Walker. Thanks for joining me.
If you would like more tips on.
How to present more persuasively and how to use storytelling in your presentations, then I'd urge you to sign up for my upcoming webinar.
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