The problem most presenters experience in delivering lecture or conference-style information is being unable to gauge the ‘temperature’ of the audience. Until now, there has been no solid way with which to measure just how engaged – or not – an audience is. However, since the dawn of audience voting systems, lectures are being transformed from the traditional lecturer/delegates scenario into an interactive experience.
Vote for Change
Audience voting systems actively encourage audience participation which, in turn, encourages attentiveness. Anyone delivering information needs to know that the information has been received and understood, and feedback is the only way to evaluate whether or not that has happened.
Audience voting systems consist of wireless keypads used by a presenter to receive real-time answers to questions posed during a training event or lecture. These results can be flagged up on a screen in ‘game-show’ fashion and, using the latest technology, presenters can even focus on the answers given by individuals. In effect, the presenter is able to communicate with each delegate individually and the whole group en masse. Not only does this help to encourage attentiveness, but by polling for answers during a presentation, it also encourages information retention – information that can be put into practice as quickly as possible is retained more effectively.
Size Doesn’t Matter
In addition to encouraging attentiveness, voting software also means that a presenter can have the same impact on an audience, regardless of its size. Audience voting systems can be used in virtually any scenario, from small classroom based events to vast conferences, where the attendance reaches into the thousands.
Using this form of voting software means that each member of an audience – no matter how large – feels valued. They have equal opportunity to express their opinions. In fact, there is now new technology in the form of interactive text messaging that allows presenters to gather more detailed feedback than ever before.
Lectures and training events were once viewed as dull and dusty experiences. Audience voting systems have changed all that. They can be used to receive simultaneous interpretation.
