People who demonstrate equipment or products are faced with audiences that are often distracted. How do you keep their attention?
- Acknowledge what’s around them to satisfy their curiosity (“There’s a lot to look at and we’ll get to it…)
- Tie your demo to their needs (“You said you wanted to see… and this will…”)
- Draw their attention to the matter at hand, and quote them if you can (“This will do exactly what you said you needed…)
- Keep it short
By clearly stating what you’re going to do and acknowledging possible distractions, you’ll be able to focus attention on the matter at hand, at least momentarily.