If you're responsible for organizing seminars in your workplace, one of the problems you might have is increasing employee engagement in these seminars. It's common for employees to sit through the presentation without paying a lot of attention, and then they get little out of it. This is really a waste of everyone's time. Here are a few ways to make seminars more interesting and engaging so that the employees really remember the message delivered and use it to improve their ongoing work.
Play a Film
Try to find an educational media resource that supports the seminar's main message, and work it into the program. Even if the film is only a few minutes long, it will provide a break from the seminar's main lecture and will allow those who are visual learners an opportunity to get a bit more out of the experience. Make sure you preview the movie beforehand to ensure it matches with the message you're trying to give. Prepare a couple of thought-provoking questions to present to the employees once the movie is over, and use them to initiate a 10 or 15-minute discussion of the film. Tell employees ahead of time that you'll be discussing the film when it is over, as this encourages them to pay attention.
Organize Your Talk
Instead of just talking at your audience for 45 or 60 minutes, create an outline of your talk and give it to the listeners before you begin speaking. They can then follow along with your outline, which helps them see how various ideas relate to one another. Reference the outline as you go, using phrases such as "And now we're going to discuss section B6: fire hazards in the hallway." If employees' minds to drift off at all during the talk, re-configuring them on the outline will bring their attention back to you.
Use Real World Examples
Everyone remembers information more easily and finds information more interesting when they're able to relate it to something in real life. So, whenever you can, use real world examples to illustrate the points you are making. It's best if they are examples in your own workplace so that all of the employees can relate, but there may be scenarios in which you have to pull in an example from your home life. That's okay, as long as it's relatable.
With the right media, an outline, and real world examples, your seminar will be much more engaging.
