In the world of comedy, when a joke flops, they say the comedian “died” on stage. In business, when a presentation flops, the presenter can be said to have “died” as well, if not on stage, at least in the meeting. The best way to avoid such an embarrassing (and costly death) is to master the ability to stay constantly engaged with your listener, in-person, on the phone, or online. Then you can be as responsive as possible to his needs at every point in your argument. That ability to stay “in sync” with your audience is both a skill and an art. There are at least ten ways to engage with listeners. Here are three of them.
Set engagement expectations upfront for a discussion, not a performance. After you state your agenda, add in words to the effect, “Since I want to make the best use of your time, we can discuss the
