Managing Tricky Audiences.
You won’t always have a happy, receptive audience when you present.
Sometimes people have to be at your presentation. They want to be elsewhere.
When this is the case, you’ll interact with three distinct audiences: Grumpy Cat, Overwhelmed Seagull and Computer Says No.
Here are ideas for managing each.
Addressing a Grumpy Cat in your audience.
Does one person look unimpressed, whenever you speak? If so, you have been given the gift of a Grumpy Cat.
A Grumpy Cat is smart. And busy.
A Grumpy Cat is smart, and well read. There’s probably little you can present that they don’t have a bit of information about.
Sitting through your presentation is irritating as it takes them away from, in their opinion, more important work.
What it looks like.
The overall vibe is … intellectual superiority. Examples include being dismissive, sighing loudly, or doing work while you’re presenting.
With a Grumpy Cat, your job isn’t to prove how smart you are.
What’s more useful is to front load your critiques of your content, to show them you’ve considered your content from all perspectives. Not just the ones that you like best.
This is because a Grumpy Cat’s love language is critical thinking.
When presenting, capture more attention by matching the conversation they’re already having in their head.
For example, to capture their attention, show your critical thinking first. (A Grumpy Cat is mentally listing everything that’s wrong about your content anyway.)
‘Front load’ your critique instead.
Show your audience you’ve critically evaluated your perspective so they can trust it. (Critically evaluating = considering content from multiple angles).
Outlining the positives, negatives, and complexities, and in what scenarios it succeeds, and where its utility could be limited, can help Grumpy Cats take your message more seriously.
Reading this, do you see opportunities to engage a ‘Grumpy Cat’ at your workplace?
Managing an ‘Overwhelmed Seagull’.
If you find one person takes up the bulk of airtime in your workshop or meeting, or they go over time, asking endless questions, you might have an Overwhelmed Seagull on your hands.
What’s an ‘Overwhelmed Seagull’?
As the name suggests, an Overwhelmed Seagull is … overwhelmed.
Verbal processors, they can be consumed by their own questions and needs. This means they’ll find it hard to pay attention to content that isn’t personalised to their very specific, unique circumstance.
If you’re presenting to a large group, it’s tricky - as catering in-depth to one person isn’t always possible. It derails the conversation for everyone else in the group.
Group settings don’t work for an Overwhelmed Seagull.
What’s more useful is having 1:1 time with this person to personalise your content to them.
When you’re in a group, you need to bring their attention to how their needs can get met.
How to spot someone in ‘Overwhelmed Seagull mode’.
If you’re in a meeting and notice someone …
Interrupts you when you speak.
Thinks out loud for an extended period of time with no clear ‘why’.
Asks questions inappropriate in a group setting.
Dominates the group chat.
You have someone in your audience who needs personalised attention. Your content is too many steps, too fast, too complex, or the wrong fit for them.
Techniques to manage an Overwhelmed Seagull.
You can either boundary your content, or find a way for it to be a 1:1 conversation.
The first move is to figure out how they could have their needs met, and whether that’s through you. You don’t personally need to answer their question.
Your job is to simply direct their attention to how they could get their question answered, whether it’s via you or someone else.
Here are examples of ways you could say that in a meeting or workshop:
‘That’s not something I personally cover, but thanks for asking.’
‘Good point. I don’t know about that, so I’ll document it and share it with X.’
‘I can go into that with you over the lunch break. Let’s talk 1:1 then.’
Remember: audiences are only interested in when their question can be answered.
It doesn't always have to come from you.
If you get asked a question you’re unsure of, or it sits outside your expertise, think of yourself as a presenter akin to a traffic controller: directing people to where they can get more information.
Managing a ‘Computer Says No’.
A Computer Says No has heard and seen it all. ‘No’ is their default.
A literal and analytical thinker, they need specific examples. Vagueness is their kryptonite.
What does a ‘Computer Says No’ look like?
If you hear someone say these statements, you could have a Computer Says No in your meeting or workshop:
‘I really don’t see how that could possibly work …’
‘You know, we’ve actually done this type of thing before [unrelated] …’
‘There’s a very specific context you won't know about [unrelated] …’
‘Can you quantify how this relates to [obscure example]...’
How to present to a ‘Computer Says No’?
Amp up certainty, minimise ambiguity.
In your workshop or meeting, clarify known variables. The more information you can give, to give them certainty, the better.
Examples:
An agenda for a meeting.
Pre-reading for a workshop.
Limits to a scoping discussion.
One of the techniques we use to give audiences confidence is ‘signposting’.
It’s the idea that before you go where you’re going … you tell people where you’re going. It gives them a sense of control over the meeting or workshop because they know what to expect.
Signposting can look like:
Clarifying when morning tea will be.
Letting people know if it will be recorded or not.
Sharing the PDF of your presentation in the chat so people can read along.
Remember: the more certainty you give people up front, the more they can relax. Meaning, the more they’ll listen.
Pro tip: give ‘Computer Says No’s’ advanced problems.
A Computer Says No isn’t negative. What’s more likely is they’re intellectually understimulated.
A Computer Says No is smart. Why not give them a complex problem to solve and allow them to show those skills off. What do you notice when you engage them in a different way?
Grumpy Cats help you find opportunities to improve your critical thinking skills.
Computer Says Nos help find ambiguities in your content.
Overwhelmed Seagulls help you simplify your content.
Does thinking of audiences like that take their power away from derailing your presentation?
What if you knew the other audience archetypes waiting for you the next time you present? Would you be more confident presenting?
The next time you’re in a meeting or workshop, instead of judging your audience, try this:
How could I celebrate what makes this person different?
How can I make it clear what is and isn’t okay in my classroom/meeting?