Have you ever had a situation where it becomes clear the people you are speaking to have become disengaged? Or maybe the opposite: that they are so completely engaged, and you’d like to unpack why that might be so? (Hint: the reason isn’t your “spellbinding and fascinating” charisma.)

There is a sweet spot to hit when it comes to engaging others within a conversation.

• If you talk over their heads, are patronizing, or are simply doing a one-way monologue, inevitably they will become frustrated, turned off, and they will disengage.
• If they already know everything you are talking about already, they’ll get bored, and think that the time is a waste. They (also) get frustrated, and they (also) disengage.

So how does learning happen? Consider how you can thread the needle between these two points for the sweet spot. Where your teaching is just ever so slightly above their current level: the material should relate to something they are already familiar with, yet be novel enough to pique their interest and curiosity. And remember that they’ll naturally be more engaged, if you spend more of your time together listening, than just talking.

Applying this to teams and your organization as a whole? Here’s one key idea: Strive to lead – or educate – or have the discussion a half-step ahead.

Your team (or your audience, etc) should feel that the concepts you share are understandable, that any goals are attainable with effort, that the discussion is personally relevant, and that they are actionable. Get 10 steps ahead of them, they’ll struggle to keep pace, or disengage.

While this makes sense theoretically, how might this play out in practice? How we apply this: when we work with a client, we ask to interview as many people as possible in the organization. We want to tap into what they know. We want to understand the concepts and frameworks they use in their day-to-day. We want to hear the words they use and how they describe their challenges. Only by learning the organization’s lexicon and culture, can we help vector them to their desired goals. This is true when we are planning for a team retreat we are leading, and also true when prepping to deliver a keynote.

Does this topic resonate? Reach out to Randall: he can present it to your group.  (More presentation topics)
Download Randall’s professional credentials: Speaker credentials one-sheet or Management Advisory credentials.

Content Authenticity Statement: 100% original content: no AI was used in creating this content.

Connect with Randall on LinkedIn.
Follow the Braintrust Professional Institute.
Check out our YouTube videos.
Learn more on the Braintrust Professional Institute website.