Welcome to The Adapter’s Advantage: Breakthrough Moments that Lead to Success.

Joe Sabatino has over 30 years of performance experience as an actor, comedian, television writer, and producer.

In this episode, he shares his time-tested audience engagement strategies to engage an audience, eliminate nervousness, and understand audience psychology, as well as lessons from his time playing professional football in Italy.

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The three most important words in public speaking are preparation, preparation, and preparation.

Joe Sabatino, founder of BehindTheTalk, has a unique background that spans Hollywood, corporate America, and professional sports. Over his career, he has honed proven methods of persuasion to help CEOs and other executives refine their public speaking skills and become more effective and influential.

As a media trainer and public speaking coach, Joe has created a template for success that allows each executive to create a lasting impression on their audience while staying true to their personal style, brand, and individuality. His passion is to inspire his clients to become the most effective and influential communicators they can be.

One of Joe’s many successes was pitching and producing his network television series “Necessary Roughness” to Sony Pictures and the USA Television network. The studio and network invested over $85 million in the series, which was nominated for a Golden Globe and won a 2012 Voice Award.

Listen as Joe discusses the importance of having an executive presence, how to overcome your fear of public speaking, three things all great presenters do during virtual meetings to engage their audience, and more.

Episode 58: Engaging an Audience | Joe Sabatino

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From This Episode

Host Mark Magnacca: “What advice do you have to help people have better virtual meetings?”

Joe Sabatino: “There are three things good speakers or presenters are always going to do. Number 1: They’re going to make eye contact, which means talking into the camera. Eyes are the windows to the soul, and people trust you when you’re looking at them.

“Number 2: The moment they make eye contact, they’re going to smile. Because we know through neuroscience and human behavior that people want to be with people who are positive.

“The third thing they’re going to do, if the meeting is in person, is shake hands with the person. You can’t shake hands in a virtual medium, but we have a technique that brings virtual conversations alive. You want to make use of the entire video frame and use hand gestures, so you don’t look like just a talking head. … Hand gestures bring the conversation to life.

“Most executives say they can’t look into the camera. And I’ll say, ‘Let’s film me for 20 seconds with you talking to me and I’m looking into the camera, and then 20 seconds of you talking to me while I look at the monitor. You tell me where you’re connecting.’

“Then I’ll say let’s look at the smile. And they smile and it looks great. And then with hand gestures, it brings their whole conversation alive.”

Virtual Audience Engagement Strategies: Tips from Joe Sabatino

In today’s digital age, audience engagement strategies are not limited to in-person interactions. Virtual meetings have become the norm, and engaging an audience through a screen presents unique challenges. Joe Sabatino, an expert in engaging audiences, provides actionable advice for making virtual presentations more impactful.

1. Make Eye Contact Through the Camera

Eye contact is one of the most important ways to build trust with your audience. Sabatino emphasizes the importance of looking directly into the camera rather than at the monitor. This simple shift creates a sense of personal connection, making viewers feel like you’re speaking directly to them.

“Eyes are the windows to the soul, and people trust you when you’re looking at them,” Sabatino explains.

To make this technique work, practice speaking into the camera until it feels natural. Many executives find it challenging, but with practice, it becomes second nature. Effective audience engagement strategies in virtual meetings start with eye contact.

2. Smile to Create Positivity

Sabatino highlights that smiling is a powerful tool for creating a positive atmosphere. Neuroscience shows that people naturally gravitate toward positive individuals, making it crucial to smile during your presentation.

A smile conveys warmth and approachability, two key elements of audience engagement strategies. Whether in a virtual meeting or a live presentation, a smile can break down barriers and make the audience feel more connected to the speaker.

3. Use Hand Gestures to Bring Energy to the Screen

While in-person meetings allow for handshakes and other physical gestures, virtual meetings require a different approach. Sabatino suggests making use of hand gestures within the video frame to add dynamism to the presentation. This prevents you from becoming just a “talking head” and keeps the audience visually engaged.

Hand gestures not only add emphasis to key points but also create a sense of movement that keeps the audience’s attention. These subtle non-verbal cues are a critical part of audience engagement strategies in virtual settings.

4. Compare On-Camera vs. Off-Camera Communication

Sabatino often conducts a powerful exercise with executives to illustrate the impact of looking into the camera. By filming someone talking both directly into the camera and looking at the monitor, he shows how much more engaging the former is. This comparison can be a great practice tool to improve virtual presentation skills.

Additional Audience Engagement Strategies for Virtual Settings

To build on Sabatino’s insights, here are more audience engagement strategies you can incorporate into virtual meetings:

5. Use Interactive Tools

Polls, Q&A sessions, and chat features can make your audience feel more involved in the presentation. Encourage participation to keep energy high and ensure that viewers stay engaged.

6. Leverage Visual Aids

Incorporate slides, videos, or infographics to break up talking segments and provide visual stimulation. Visual content can make complex information easier to digest and hold the audience’s attention longer.

7. Personalize Your Content

Tailoring your presentation to the specific needs and interests of your audience is an excellent way to enhance engagement. Use examples, case studies, or stories that resonate with your listeners to create a deeper connection.

8. Maintain a Conversational Tone

Even in a formal presentation, adopting a conversational tone can make you more relatable and keep the audience engaged. This approach makes your message feel more accessible and easier to follow.

About The Adapter’s Advantage

Our podcast features leaders from sales, training, and industry who share their personal journeys of transformation and how they are adapting to an ever-changing environment. As your host, I’ll introduce you to some of the most interesting and inspiring people I’ve met over the last 20 years.

The conversations dive into the ups and downs of their journey. Our guests focus on inflection points—the aha moments that, in retrospect, had a critical impact on their success. These interviews will leave you with practical, real-world advice that you can apply to your life.

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