Last week, I discussed why it's not enough to size up the attributes of your audience when preparing for a presentation. If you want to ensure audience participation, you also need to consider the energy levels of both the presenter and the audience. And once you've addressed these factors, you'll still need to counter some other distractions that can interfere with your presentation. Here's how to handle 3 of the top distracters.

#1 Setting

The location of your presentation can affect how comfortable your audience members are. Will it be on the workers' turf or the management's? Although workers may be physically comfortable in a conference room, they might be psychologically uncomfortable and distracted. Here are two ways I address this discomfort:

• I comment that safety must be important to management and the organization. After all, when else have the participants been in the conference room?
• I encourage participants to push their chairs away from the table and get comfortable. Even if they can only move their chairs a few inches, psychologically it becomes more "their" space.

As the instructor, it's your job to realize that the discomfort exists. Ratchet up your delivery style, use more humor, or do whatever you can to make the participants comfortable.

#2 Training Aids

Find out what technology has been used in past training sessions. Sometimes laser pointers, computers, PowerPoint presentations and projectors can be more of a distraction than an aid. Personally, I prefer the low-tech overhead projectors. They're portable and can be turned off quickly when I need to regain the class's attention.

Whatever training aid you choose, don't let it steal your show. Instead of repeating what's on a slide, add to it. And go where the class takes you, using the training aid only to reinforce a particularly important point. Instructors who are not very familiar with their topic tend to use the presentation tool as a crutch. They don't pay attention to the class dynamics, such as dealing with questions as they arise. I hate to hear a presenter say, "hold on to that question and we'll address it later." If someone has a question, answer it right away. This is a "Learning Moment!"

#3 Management Participants

Class participation is seriously affected when management is in the audience, because just about every organization has some internal problems. To address this, make a statement along the lines of, "whatever is said in this classroom stays in this classroom." If the class slides into a gripe session, regain control. Then make it clear that you're not there to address specific internal problems. Remind your audience that:

• Your job as a safety consultant is to make sure the audience understands the regulations and how the laws apply to their jobs.
• Their job is to find a way to comply with those regulations, work safely and help to make it work in their facility.

You can offer to make any concerns known to management if the participants cannot resolve safety issues on their own.

It's up to you as the trainer to "connect" with your participants and establish the classroom as a safe zone and to foster participation. The rapport you create with the class, if done correctly, will minimize the effect management has on your class, but it will not eliminate it.

Conclusion

For a successful training session, you need to know your material, accurately gauge energy levels, and derail distractions. Consider all of these variables before you begin your class. Otherwise, you might end up learning more than your students.

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