Introductions come first. Many presenters like to start with a rather long introduction. Thanking the audience for their time and showing up despite their busy schedules is very important. However, introducing your team and associates in the start is not as important. Is having credits even necessary? How does this impact audience engagement? Here’s what you need to know:
The Evolution of Entertainment
Presentations need to be engaging to keep the audience’s attention. A very easy way to know what to do and what not to do, is to observe how entertainment has evolved from text to visuals.
But, I Don’t List Credits at The Start of My Presentations
You might not be listing actual credits at the start of your presentations, but its no different if you still take too much time. A quick introduction with the least amount of information should suffice. Some important introduction may be left out for now. You can save them for the end credits.
How Do Movies and TV Shows Start?
Of course we know how TV shows and Movies start. A few years ago, they used to start with credits of the cast and others who worked on show. These long credits used to stretch for a few minutes before the beginning of the first act. However, these days they contain fewer credits if any. They jump right into the action as soon as possible and grab the viewer in the first few minutes.
How Do I Grab The Audience’s Attention?
Try starting the presentation by thanking the audience for their time. Thank them for coming despite the weather, etc. Tell the audience exactly what you’ll be covering in the presentation. Tell them why its important for them. And, get started with the first topic.
What Should I Do With The Credits?
If including the introduction and even the credits is important to you, then you can include them at the end of the presentation. If you really want people to pay attention to the credits then you should tell them why they matters to them. Otherwise people might start checking their email, open their laptop, or simply leave the room to do something else.
Image: [CC BY 3.0] via Wikimedia Commons
Leave a Reply