Are you worried about losing your audience's attention? Are you afraid that people will tune you out? Are you tired of having your audience focus more on their Blackberry than on you? Here is the solution: borrow a technique from popular TV shows.
Think of a popular hour-long TV show.
They have a definite opening sequence (just like your attention grabbing headline), then the title credits (your speech self-introduction), followed by 4 acts of approximately 11 minutes each (just like 4 chapters of your speech), followed by the ending credits (your wrap up.
) To keep people from tuning out, hit TV shows use a change of pace every 11 minutes.
That is because after 11 minutes, even the most motivated viewer's mind may begin to wander.
So, they have a cliffhanger just before commercials to keep you hooked.
Then they go to a commercial to give you a change of pace.
Here are five techniques to give your audience a change of pace and keep their attention:

1. Tell a humorous story.
   You do not need to be a comedian and tell jokes.
   Instead, tell a funny or heart warming story that relates to your speech.
   You can use an example from your own life or an example from history, or books or movies.
   If you are trying to sell something use a customer example (with their permission, of course.
   ) Using a customer's story gives you added credibility and helps persuade people to trust buying from you.
   
2. Use a short audience exercise.
   You can ask people to work in duos or trios and brainstorm ideas about your topic.
   For example, during my public speaking seminar, I ask participants to brainstorm a list of what makes a great speaker.
   
3. Show a short video.
   Just be sure not to let the video run for more than a few minutes (again no more than 11 minutes in a row) without stopping the video to debrief.
   
4. Co-present with someone else.
   For example, you could do one 11-minute segment.
   Then, your partner could do another.
   Every time you change places, your audience's attention will perk up.
   
5. Do a demo.
   If you are presenting a new product, do a hands-on demonstration.
   People love demonstrations because they see how a product works.
   If you are introducing a service, show a role-play or "walk through" of the service so people can see how it applies to their daily life.
   

So, if you want to keep your audience's attention, borrow an idea from hit TV shows and use a change of pace every 11-minutes.
©2008 Reflective Keynotes Inc.
, Toronto, Canada