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understand what those cues mean and how we should respond those cues. These are
some non-verbal cues that we may find and the strategies to deal with them.

1) If our audience seems inattentive or bored,
 tell a story.
 use an example to which
the audience can relate.
 use personal example.
 remind our audiences
why our message should
be of interest to them.
 eliminate some abstract
facts and statistics.
 use appropriate humor. https://goo.gl/mHNwzS
 consider making direct references to the audiences, using members’
names or mentioning something about them.
 encourage the audiences to participate by asking questions or asking
them for an example.
 ask for direct response, such as a show of hands, to see whether they

agree or disagree with us.
 pick up the pace of our delivery.
 pause for dramatic effect and to gain attention.

2) If our audiences seem confused or do not seem to understand our point,
 be more redundant.
 try phrasing our information in another way.
 use more concrete examples to illustrate our point.
 use a visual aid such as a chalkboard or flipchart to clarify our point.
 slow our speaking rate (if we have been speaking rapidly).
 clarify the overall organization of our message for our listeners.

 ask audience members whether they understand our message.
 ask for feedback from an audience member to help us discover what is
unclear.
 ask someone in the audience to summarize the key point we are
making.

3) If our audience seems to be disagreeing with our message,
 provide additional data and evidence to support our point.
 remind our audiences of our credibility, credentials, or background.
 rely less on anecdotes and more on facts to present our case.

 write facts on a chalkboard, overhead transparency, or flipchart if one is
handy.

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