There’s a moment before every presentation or workshop where we wonder:

"Will they even care?"

Whether you're leading a Zoom room, a panel, or a live session, the truth is that most people are distracted, overwhelmed, and half-listening. That’s not your fault—but it is your opportunity.

Because what makes people tune in, stay, and remember isn’t the content itself. It’s how you make them feel.

Here’s how to create that kind of presence.

Part 1: Facilitating With Connection (Before You Even Start)

Great presenters don’t just talk. They create space.

Here are a few human ways to open up any room—physical or virtual:

• Ask low-stakes icebreakers: "What are your creative pursuits lately?"

• Turn on your camera, say "hi", and be warm. We're all in this together.

• Call out names in the chat as people respond. Read answers out loud.

• Use polls to align energy and build quick trust.

• Keep slides minimal. People want your energy, not your deck.

• Use breakout rooms to let people connect in smaller groups before speaking in front of everyone.

• Play music as folks settle in. It shifts the vibe.

• Ask: "How would you rate your listening skills today?" Get them self-aware and participating.

✨ Your job isn’t to be the expert. Your job is to be the guide.

❇️ Ask questions

❇️ Draw people out

❇️ Facilitate discovery

❇️ Create active participation

👉🏼 People remember how they felt in your session. That starts from the first few minutes.

Part 2: Storytelling That Sticks

The Harsh Truth

• People don’t care what you say—unless you give them a reason to.

• They won’t remember you—unless you make it easy.

👉🏼 Most presentations are forgettable. But they don’t have to be.

So what do people actually remember?

Emotion. Meaning. Relatability. Vulnerability.

👉🏼 The moment you stop giving a TED Talk and start telling the truth.

Here’s how.

1. Speak With Adjacency

Don’t always match topic with topic. Match the theme with a message.

Example:

• Don’t start a cybersecurity talk with facts about firewalls. Start with a story about identity and trust.

• At a human trafficking event, a teacher shares why we can't wait for someone else to help the shy kids in our classrooms.

Ask yourself:

• What theme do I care about? (e.g., resilience, compassion, boldness)

• What’s the meaning I want to leave people with?

2. Make Strategic Connections

• Put faces and names in your slides—real people, real stories.

• Sprinkle in personal moments: pets, kids, travels, hobbies.

• Ask others for their stories before or during the session.

• Listen to the feeling behind what they share.

Example prompts:

• "Tell me about lunch today."

• "What was the happiest moment of your weekend?"

3. Be Entertaining (Without Trying Too Hard)

People love stories that are small and real.

Open every story with:

• A location: "I’m standing at a school playground."

• An action: "I’m trying to convince someone I’m not wrong."

Don’t over-describe. Let them imagine their own version.

Inject energy by:

• Adding "Story Time" slides and telling a short narrative

• Using humor (nostalgia, unexpected comparisons)

• Sharing something surprisingly useful

• Ending with one small, actionable idea

Example:

"When brushing your teeth, balance on one foot. Then switch. That’s how you train balance and avoid falling when you're older. If you take one thing from today... let it be that."

Part 3: Three Traits That Build Speaking Confidence

Trait #1: Your Backstory

People don’t want to follow someone perfect. They want to follow someone familiar.

• Show who you were before: out of shape, bad at sales, lost in career

• Share your "why" regularly—on podcasts, in sessions, in your posts

Trait #2: Polarization

• You don’t need to be liked by everyone. You need to be clear.

• Strong opinions are memorable. Not for the sake of being edgy, but because they cut through noise.

Examples:

• "Stop bragging about reading 10 books. Write one."

• "Resumes are dead."

• "You can't grow if everyone around you stays small."

➡️ Write down 5 opinions you have. Then go share one.

Trait #3: Micro-Stories

Turn common lessons into quick, 30-second stories.

Example:

"Everyone says 'work-life balance matters'. But what helped me was watching my kid ignore me one evening because I was buried in Slack. That moment changed everything."

➡️ Hook people emotionally. Then teach something small.

Final Touches for Workshops

• Add a Q&A board (AMA-style) where people can drop questions into

• Always ask for one thing at the end: feedback, subscribe, testimonial

• Share next steps, resources, or upcoming events

• Link all the ways people can stay in touch

You don’t need to be perfect, polished, or poised to be powerful.

You need to:

✅ Connect early

✅ Tell the truth

✅ Use stories over slides

✅ Be human

The ones we remember are the ones who made us feel seen.

You can be that person in the room.