Public Speaking: Managing Challenging People and Situations

As someone who has given several thousand presentations, I (N.B.) have on occasion encountered difficult audience members. For example, at one speaking engagement, which was at a dinner meeting accompanied by alcohol, two members of the audience were loudly carrying on a conversation, making it difficult for the rest of the audience to hear my presentation. I first asked them if they would lower their voices so others could hear, and then, when I could see that the audience was getting upset with them, I asked the meeting planner if she would ask them to leave the room to talk. The disrupters refused to leave and even raised their voices, making it impossible for the audience to hear the program. In exasperation, I asked the meeting planner if the presentation could be terminated, and she agreed. This was not handled as effectively as one would have liked.

Knowing how to manage challenging dynamics is key to running a successful presentation.

The example above is an extreme one and hopefully not very common, but it does bring up a recurring question: How do you deal with difficult people and situations? Most presenters have a horror story about that one person who tried to derail their talk. They share their stories with great relish. However, at the time, the disruption was not as amusing and was most unwelcome. Knowing how to manage challenging dynamics is key to running a successful presentation. The reality is that you can choose your subject matter but you can’t always choose your audience! The good news is that there are practical ways to work with the even the most challenging participants. Small disruptions are to be expected when you present, especially to medical audiences. It’s crucial to defuse them before they become a problem. A difficult audience member is a person who is not paying attention, who is disengaged, or who is being disruptive. A heckler is someone who interrupts the speaker with awkward or hostile questions or comments. It is important to realize that people show up for presentations with their own agendas and concerns. Getting them on board with your presentation style is part of the challenge—to persuade them that listening to you is worth their time and attention.

Nip it in the Bud! How to Avoid Disruptions from the Start

Give yourself a winning advantage by doing the necessary preparation beforehand. We suggest that you arrive early to check the physical space where you will be speaking. Are the tables and chairs placed as planned? To lessen distraction, arrange the room so that latecomers enter and sit at the back of the room so as not disrupt those who are seated close to the front. How are the lighting and temperature of the room? Just like Goldilocks and the porridge, they should be just right! Are window shades closed to keep audience attention focused inside the room? Check audiovisual equipment and visual aids, and do sound checks with and without a microphone.

Ask someone to help you gauge the volume of your voice so that those in the back can clearly hear your presentation. On a scale from 1 to 10, how loud do you sound? Remember, you always sound louder to yourself. Your voice is one of the most powerful tools you have for grabbing and maintaining audience attention. Speaking with an animated and energetic voice leads to an interested and engaged audience. Enthusiasm is contagious, so make sure yours is worth catching! A full-volume voice gives the impression of confidence and conviction. On the other hand, a weak, monotone voice is the quickest way to lose the audience’s attention and allow for the possibility of disengagement and boredom, which may lead to all sorts of other trouble. Starting out strong is key to a successful program and will help minimize disruptions.

Finding commonalities to weave into the presentation can help personalize the message.

Arriving early also gives you the opportunity to meet and greet audience members. The seemingly unimportant small talk at the beginning of a program often provides insights about your group and helps establish rapport. Finding commonalities to weave into the presentation can help personalize the message. Get a feeling for who they are and what they know. You will impress the audience if you can remember a few of their names and address them personally during the presentation.

Set Expectations in Advance

It’s not enough to simply know your material. You must manage the process:

• Start on time to avoid rewarding tardiness.

• Make time visible by posting start and end times and the times that breaks will take place.

• Assign someone to brief late arrivals.

Set expectations from the start:

• Request that cell phones be turned off prior to beginning your presentation.

• Let your audience know the length of the talk, what to expect, when to participate, and when to ask questions.

• Whenever possible, specifically adapt the program so that the audience becomes invested in your presentation. At the beginning of the program, ask the audience, especially if you are speaking to a lay audience, what they would like to take away from the presentation. Cater to their needs and interests within the boundaries of your topic. Creating a goals chart by jotting down their feedback is a way of ensuring relevance to the group and avoiding mistaken expectations. This simple step makes a big difference in connecting you to your audience and helping them feel more involved in your presentation.

Start with a bang! Make sure to engage the audience right from the start. Your only chance to make a strong first impression is at the beginning. Piquing their interest with an engaging opening will set the perfect tone. Climbing back from a dull beginning is very hard to do.

Be an Observer

Listen and watch for subtle, nonverbal cues. Be sensitive to what you observe your audience doing. Are they restless, or do they appear eager to listen? Are any slouching or looking at their phone? Are they smiling or frowning? Depending on their behavior, you should inject more or less energy into your delivery. Are there side conversations? Pay attention to any lull in their interest as a signal to shift gears. For example, if there appears to be a lack of attention from the audience, consider lowering your voice to an almost inaudible whisper, which generally results in audience members looking up from their cell phone, the handout, or a side conversation and paying attention to the speaker. These are all potent tools to gain attention. Use eye contact to connect with audience members. We suggest that you move from where you are standing to be closer to those who are less engaged. Raise the volume and animation of your voice if you see attention slipping. To shift audience dynamics, use change-ups, such as asking questions and involving the audience in the conversation. For long programs, create an exercise by breaking the audience into small groups, or offer a short reprieve by allowing the audience to stand up, move around, or go to the restroom. Your ultimate success may depend on how well you observe and adapt to the audience’s reaction. Modifying your presentation when necessary will make all of the difference.

Address the Situation

Sometimes, no matter how well prepared or attentive you are, you may still get unexpected and unwelcomed audience reactions. Correctly judging your response requires reading their body language and sensing their mood. For example, if you notice that an audience member is not paying attention, use eye contact to connect with them. It may be all that is needed to bring their attention back. If you and the audience are distracted by a side conversation, walk over to that part of the room. Your physical presence alone often will deter side conversations. Wherever you move, the eyes of the audience will follow. This spotlight on that part of the room will make them aware that they are acting separately from the group and drawing attention. Usually, words are unnecessary. Looking at a disruptive person directly is more aggressive and should be considered only if a stronger approach is needed. Another effective technique to shift the group dynamic is to have the audience break into small groups and work on an exercise. Prepare several exercises before your presentation so you have them ready when a change-up is needed. For example, in the case of the dinner meeting described above, nonverbal cues were not enough, and asking the disruptive parties to be quiet also was ineffective. In this scenario, breaking into groups with an exercise could have been a very helpful tactic in splitting up that disruptive duo. Placing them in different groups at different tables would be a sure-fire way to cut their conversation, while allowing them to save face. It’s an old technique, but very effective!

Deal Directly

When someone is being clearly disruptive, and all the more subtle attempts have failed, take a more direct approach. First and most importantly, be detached and don’t take it personally. Remaining neutral and objective is to your best advantage. Ask questions to gain insight. Usually what a heckler wants more than anything is your attention. Ask him or her, “Is there something you’d like to comment on?” Simply voicing the concerns may take care of the situation and shed light on the problem, giving the presenter the opportunity to resolve it. If the question is relevant, answer it and move on. If the comment is off-topic, suggest talking about it after the program or encourage the person(s) to leave in order to take care of the matter outside of the room. If the question is hostile or combative, paraphrase the question to neutralize the language and remove the hostility from the tone.

Be deliberate with your eye contact, visually connect with the heckler briefly, and then make eye contact with another participant to end the one-on-one conversation. When finished answering, ask the group, “Does anyone else have an alternate perspective that they’d like to share?” If taking the reins from the heckler does not work, refer to the agenda by saying, “We have a lot of material to cover, I’d rather not get sidetracked. Let’s continue this conversation at the break and move on to the next topic.”

At the break, go directly to the complainer, and address the issue and look for ways to resolve it immediately. When dealing with a heckler, avoid saying anything critical, as this will only escalate the problem and reflect poorly on you. Be level-headed, positive, and in charge. Once you go toe-to-toe with someone who is bothered, you set up a competitive dynamic. You will lose credibility if your temper flares. Be detached and impersonal. As a speaker, you are fulfilling a role. Reduce the potency of a negative participant’s anger by knowing the cause of the person’s discontent and making him or her feel heard and respected.

As a final resort, if the disgruntled person continues to take attention away from you, invite him or her to leave in a decisive voice. One way of doing this is to suggest, “You don’t really want to be here, do you? Let’s make a deal, stay for another 10 minutes, and if after that time you would still like to go, please feel free.” Then change the dynamic—break into groups for an exercise, ask questions, shift things up. Reenergize the room with a creative change-up. When people get bored, they begin to drift and may become disruptive.

In the case of what happened at the dinner meeting, all of these suggestions may have helped dissipate what became a completely distracting and disrespectful side conversation. Catching it early would have been the best bet. However, once in a while you may just get a couple of bad lemons!

Turn Lemons Into Lemonade

Sometimes the most challenging participants end up being the most passionate and engaged audience members when they feel listened to and have their contributions valued. Remember that disruptive behavior is the result of an unmet need. The best strategy is a sense of humor and an understanding of what is propelling the behavior. The next time you encounter a difficult audience member, try following the above steps: Listen. Address. Deal. And smile!

Bottom line: Public speaking is an art form. Like any art form, public speaking requires practice. Even practiced and seasoned speakers will encounter a disruptive audience member. You will be a hero to the rest of the audience if you can move the disruptive member of the audience from antagonism to affability. So speak up, and enjoy the podium.