Capturing Attention and Making Every Presentation More Meaningful
With decades of experience presenting across all 50 states and six continents, Michael shares the lessons, techniques, and influences that have shaped his approach to teaching and public speaking. Drawing inspiration from his early experience as a magician, his legal career, and influential presenters who changed the way he thought about communication, Michael explains why speaking is not the same as teaching. The conversation dives into practical strategies for capturing attention, organizing presentations, creating meaningful audience interaction, and turning information into skills people can actually use. Whether you are leading staff orientation, presenting at a camp conference, or training your leadership team, this episode offers concrete tools to make your message stick.
Key Takeaways:
Start With What You Want People to Do. A great presentation is not measured by how much information you cover, but by what people can do better when they leave. Michael recommends using sticky notes to identify what your audience should learn, what they probably do not already know, and how you want them to use the information. Every section of your presentation should connect to a practical outcome rather than simply communicating information.
Capture Attention Through Intentional Design. Keeping an audience engaged requires more than enthusiasm and good slides. Michael explains how purposeful movement, unexpected openings, previews, and dramatic build ups can help audiences focus on the most important information. He also shares his process for developing a presentation, starting with a big basket of unorganized ideas, sorting those ideas into themes, finding a central structure or spine, and spending significant preparation time on the first two minutes. The goal is to establish credibility quickly and give people something useful right away.
Make Your Audience Active Participants in Learning. Simply asking people to turn to a partner and discuss a topic does not guarantee meaningful interaction. Michael shares practical ways to structure activities, including his WIBYT technique, which stands for Write It Before You Talk. By giving participants specific questions, clear instructions, and defined time limits, presenters can create more purposeful conversations and better learning experiences. He also explains how guided outlines and handouts with blanks encourage people to write, participate, and remember what they learn.
Sponsors:
Camptivities
Thanks to our friends at Camptivities for sponsoring the first season of Stickier. The most intentional camp programs are the stickiest. Campers remember them, and families return. Camptivities’ algorithm builds schedules around your camp’s rules, so every camper gets the program you designed. Visit https://www.camptivities.com/ for 15% off fall implementations and to see how we can help make your program a little, Stickier.
Host Links:
Ryan Rosen, Owner/Director Camp Kinneret & CEO of Camptivities, LLC. ryan@campkinneret.com
Dr. Kelly Jones, Owner/Director of Outpost Summer Camps. kelly@outpostsummercamps.com
Michael Brandwein, Speaker, Trainer and Author - Michaelbrandwein.com. mail@michealbrandwein.com
