Twitter and other social media platforms are undeniably changing the nature of presentations. Real-time communications are now shared between the speaker, the audience, and others that aren’t even in the room – with the added comfort of being able to sit passively in the audience! Twitter makes it easy to engage, there is a risk of humiliation however what people are finding, is that what often results is an honest, productive and content rich conference or presentation.

Here are some examples of how to incorporate tweet-mania into your next conference or presentation;

1. Set-up a hashtag on twitter and hook it up as a live feed via a big screen/s (ensuring that both you and the audience have clear visibility). Begin your presentation with a slide listing your name, title of your presentation, your twitter username and the event hashtag. Announce to your delegates that tweeting throughout the presentation is encouraged!
2. Twitter feed – to get them started, ask the audience to introduce themselves via the twitter feed. This will enable delegates to get an understanding of who is around them and the general demographic (a great way to do this is by starting with a poll – ask delegates questions and help break the ice, or ask them to tweet three words that describe how they are feeling, or what they would like to hear about in this presentation – the possibilities are endless!)
3. Encourage your audience to ask questions and make comments throughout your presentation! Make your time together as productive as possible and give them the content and answers they want to hear! Don’t underestimate the intelligence of your audience – they might have some useful points and insights!
4. Invite other specialists to tweet throughout your presentation for that added credibility – delegates will appreciate the extra expertise and professional opinions! (Also invite delegates that could not physically be in the room to participate)
5. Make a pdf of the twitterstream – ensure your audience that everything is recorded and that you will respond to any questions/tweets you missed after the presentation. It’s also a great way to capture leads and for the audience to receive everyone’s combined notes/thoughts/questions from the presentation!

It appears that twitter can enable an audience to engage with the content and possibly focus more at conferences. Yet others argue it is nothing more than a mere distraction and people are only doing it because it’s the latest trend…What are your thoughts?? We’d love to hear your comments.

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