4 Tips For Keeping The Back Row Engaged

If you are hosting a large conference, you may run into the common problem of keeping the back row of your audience engaged in the conference. There are several reasons why people near the back of a conference room or auditorium disengage during presentations. Most commonly, it is because they cannot see or hear well. Besides speaking more clearly, here are four ways that you can increase audience engagement throughout the entire room, especially the back row. 

Turn Up the Lights In the Back 

For most visual projection systems, it is necessary to dim the lights in the room. However, many conference organizers completely extinguish the audience lights or dim them too much. The room should be dimmed in a gradient, with the darkest area near the stage and then getting lighter as you go towards the back of the room. This can prevent people in the back from feeling anonymous and keep them engaged. 

Test Your Sound System for Clarity 

If the people in the back of the room have to strain to hear your speakers, they will not engage with the presentation. Even if they are interested in the topic, they will likely tune out after a few minutes of straining. To prevent this, make sure there are speakers set up all around the room, not just in the front, and that balanced sound is achieved in the back rows. 

Create a Second Screen System 

If the attendees in the back cannot see your visuals easily, they will likely disengage. To prevent this, you should supply second screen visuals. You may opt to install a second projector halfway down the room. However, what is becoming more popular is to make your presentation available via a web app so attendees can follow along on their smart phone. This not only makes it easier for them to see your presentation, but also takes away the temptation to play on the smartphone during your presentation. 

Reduce the Visuals 

Although visuals are engaging, modern audiences often attend conferences to see a speaker rather than read a power point presentation that they could access online from the comfort of their home. Reduce the number of your visuals and concentrate on your story telling skills in order to make your audience members feel like your conference is worth their time and energy. 

These four tips will help you keep your audience members engaged. For more ideas, consult an audio visual professional in your area, such as those at Reliable Audio Visual Entertainment.