Even if you are already an engaging presenter, add more audience participation. It will help the people you're talking to remember more of your content.

Here are some ways to add variety and help people remember the important points that you are trying to make. They are especially effective in a learning or problem-solving situation.

1. Ask open-ended questions.

2. Show large colorful props to illustrate your point.

3. Use humor derived from the situation.

4. Tell stories

5. Try a creative approach. At a business meeting where participants were having difficulty explaining the trouble within the organization, the facilitator had them use a pencil to draw the problem on a piece of paper. This allowed everyone to see the problem clearly ... and opened the door to discussion.

6. Ask the attendees to help you come up with solutions by using their own knowledge. When people arrive at a conclusion themselves, they understand it and are more likely to remember it.

- Virginia Avery

[Ed. Note: Virginia Avery is a communications specialist who trains and coaches businesspeople (including Michael Masterson) to make more profitable presentations. Virginia@AveryPresentations.com]

"What convinces is conviction. Believe in the argument you're advancing. If you don't, you're as good as dead. The other person will sense that something isn't there, and no chain of reasoning, no matter how logical or elegant or brilliant, will win your case for you."

Lyndon B. Johnson