As far as presentation tools go, polling is the best resource for speakers to connect to their audience. Not only do you want to acknowledge your audience, by making them feel valued, but you want to learn more about them. Polling is the most effective way to reach those goals and many more objectives. With years in the electronic and interactive polling industry, we wanted to share with you exactly why you need polling in your presentations.
Meetings, conferences, and events are designed to provide important information and educate. More often than not they become a closed off, one-sided lecture. By cutting off communication you eliminate open discussion. Your listeners have a voice and want a chance to use it. With polling software, you can ask your audience questions or have them submit their own questions directly to you. This opens up two-way communication, encourages open discussion, letting those have a voice that otherwise would remain silent.
A good way to achieve this would be to ask for opinions from the audience, to get an idea of where they stand on the topics you’re discussing. By doing this you’re communicating to your listeners that you want to understand them better and value their thoughts. When showing results of the responses, the audience will get a better understanding of others opinions and reactions. This facilitates idea sharing, letting attendees expand their views.
Audience response systems allow you to collect valuable information. This information can include demographics, opinions, feedback and more. Such data is very useful when it comes to trends, marketing tools, and understanding who your listeners are. Polling software, such as Option Technologies OptionPower, can store and easily export data for later analysis. To learn more about feedback and its importance in conferences, click here.
Examples of audience data collection:
A survey revealed that 91% of listeners daydream during presentations. Talking for extended periods of time without any breaks will cause fatigue and restlessness for your listeners. For every attendee who is daydreaming your potential ROI is decreasing because your audience isn’t paying attention to the valuable information you’re giving. The University of Denver states that breaking up routine can improve mental state, increase energy levels and fight burnout. Polling breaks up routine by bringing the audience into the discussion and facilitating critical thinking.
Seminars follow the same old routine. Speakers present and attendees sit and listen. Break that cycle and reach out to your audience with polling. Not only will they love a chance to join in the conversation but it will leave a positive, lasting impression of your seminar. A memorable experience will also make your seminar stand out from other events. Avoid the audience quickly forgetting about the information they received upon leaving, create a unique event they won’t soon forget.
Schedules can get tight and hectic for many companies, but taking the time to have employees open up is essential. Employee feedback is proven to drive motivation, create a better work environment, and give companies an edge over the competition. The American Psychological Association states that this is because perceived value is linked to improved work performance and engagement. As a speaker or employer you can aid companies in uncovering valuable feedback by conducting an employee satisfaction poll that will provide significant insight into the views of said employees. To learn about employee satisfaction surveys click here.
Polling can also be used to improve learning, through the use of pre and post testing. This is a measurable way to see if your listeners are learning the information. Plus, the active participation boosts stimulation which increases memory retention.
As a speaker: engagement, experience, knowledge, communication and more are a recipe for success at your seminars. Polling systems are a fantastic resource in accomplishing all of these goals. So what are you waiting for? With industry leading experts here to help, your next event will be a huge hit.
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