Engaging attendees is fun but it's not always an easy thing to do, especially when it comes to engaging participants at a hybrid event. A hybrid event is an event that takes place both in person and online. This means that you'll have to design two different participant experiences, one for those on site and one for those who are participating remotely. There is nothing more important at a hybrid event, or any event for that matter, than engagement. Participants need to feel included and the way to do this is by engaging with them. But how do you manage engagement when you have attendees participating both on site and remotely? Here are 8 tips to share with your speakers that are sure to captivate your audience and transform a boring hybrid event into an engaging one.
1. Ask an Open-ended Question
To engage the audience from the start, ask them an open-ended question rather than starting off with the long introductions that we're all used to. Open questions get the neurons firing and will revive any bored mind. For example, at your next Sales Kick-Off, you can ask: "Do you think our sales actions are consistent? " Or "Is marketing delivering collaterals that are in line with the sales strategy? ". Your on-site and off-site participants will be engaged from the start allowing them to stay focused for the rest of your event.
2. Look Your Audience in the Eye
It's all in the eyes! Have you ever experience a conversation with someone who doesn't look you in the eye while speaking? It makes us feel like we're part of yet still outside of the conversation. The uncertainty of our role in the discussion allows us to drift off.
If you look your participants directly in the eyes, you'll instantly create a link between them and you. When you address an attendee directly, you not only capture their attention but also the attention of other guests who are curious about the discussion being had between the speaker and the attendee. When you look your audience in the eye, they are much more interested in what you are saying on stage.
However, connecting with a remote audience can be tough, but not impossible. The trick is to look directly into the camera so that online participants can connect with you too. Remember to continue to speak to both your on-site and remote participants throughout your event. We tend to focus on a conversation when we look each other in the eye.
3. Get Straight to the Point
Rather than taking your participants on a long unknown journey, go straight to the key messages you want to deliver. Just say it. Don't create suspenseful situations, the kind where you continually tease the audience about a subject that will be discussed later on. If talking about what's to come has no direct added value to the topic on hand, just leave it out. There is no point in beating around the bush unless if you want to waste time and lose your audience's attention.
4. Invite Your Participants on Stage
Transforming your spectators into actors at your corporate hybrid event is a perfect way to increase engagement rates!
When an on-site guest is allowed to actively participate, they can ask questions, provide their personal input or simply express a thought, making them feel like they are a part of what's going on. However, at a hybrid event, don't forget to invite your remote participants on stage. From afar, they can raise their hand to speak up directly in your virtual event platform and appear on screen to take part in the discussion. Try to create a link between your on-site and remote participants. You can stream your online participant's intervention on the big screen, allowing your on-site participants to follow along and truly live a hybrid experience. When you optimize the participant experiences at your hybrid events, you considerably improve your engagement performance!
5. Call Them By Their Name
Creating a bond with your participants isn't limited to eye contact, as discussed above in Tip #2. There is nothing better than using someone's name to grab their attention and create a link, providing them with a more personalized experience. In addition, using this method will keep other participants on their toes and focused on what's happening. They'll listen attentively in case their name is called next. Did you know that using names when discussing important topics increases retention rates? We have a tendency to associate important information with experiences and most experiences are associated with people. This means your important messages won't be forgotten and that's exactly why this method is useful to engage an audience at an event. The advantage of managing your registration process with an event management platform is that you can easily provide your participants with your attendee list in your customized event app allowing speakers to find and directly address a participant.
6. Do A Live Question & Answer Session
We have all experienced being at an event and then a question pops up in your head mid-presentation and you don't want to interrupt. So you focus on your question in order to not forget it by the end. You're so focused on what you want to ask that you become oblivious to what's going on, probably missing out on important things. To prevent this from happening to your audience, you need to provide them with a tool where they can instantly ask their questions. Invite them to use the Q&A service in your Event App or on your virtual event space. Always let them know beforehand when you'll be answering questions, either after each part of your presentation or at the very end. With this tip, you are going to have an audience that's captivated and engaged.
7. Provide Your Guests With an Eventful Experience
As we previously said, we don't want to lose an audience's attention because of a monologue. Opt for a shorter format for your session, allowing you to adapt to your remote participants who are now used to shorter events when participating online. Keep your presentation lively with twists and turns. Here's an example of a session format. Introduce the first part of your presentation, launch a poll, go to the second part, cut to a live Q&A, then the third part, launch a word cloud, have an online participant speak up, and end with a quiz to see if they've understood key messages. Cutting your presentation into multiple parts avoids a monotonous experience and keeps your participants focused and involved in your session.
8. Use Interactive Services Online and In Your Event App
Interacting with your audience is one of the most effective ways to engage them. Speaking directly to them, inviting them to respond and ask further questions, and allowing on-site to speak with online participants and vice-versa is only the tip of the iceberg of ways to engage your attendees. The mother of all engagement techniques is of course the interactive services often provided in Event Apps. Make the most of your event tech and use the interactive features included in your virtual event platform and event application! Display poll results in real-time for even better engagement rates. Why? We all naturally want to respond to a live poll just to see how our answer will impact the results being displayed in real-time on the main screen. Using different methods to engage your audience will boost your engagement rates. These 8 easy-to-do tips are sure to capture your attendees' attention and improve your participant experience at your hybrid events.
How about you? What are your tips for engaging participants at your virtual or hybrid events?