Speaking: Public Speaking & Presentations C1 - Lesson 2: Advanced Audience Engagement & Interaction Techniques

Speaking: Public Speaking & Presentations C1

Advanced Audience Engagement & Interaction

Listen to the scenario audio here.

What you will learn: By the end of this lesson, you will be able to move beyond a simple Q&A to actively facilitate discussion, manage challenging questions, and use rhetorical techniques to create a dynamic and interactive presentation.

From Presentation to Facilitation

At a B2 level, you "present to" an audience. At a C1 level, you facilitate a conversation with them. Your goal is not just to deliver information, but to guide the room, manage energy, and handle complex, real-time interactions with diplomacy and control.

Advanced Engagement Toolkit 🛠️ (Click 🔊)

Technique 1: Proactive Engagement

Using questions *during* your talk to guide thought, not just to get answers.

• So, what does this actually mean for us? (Rhetorical)
• I want you to consider for a moment... (Leading)
• Let's pause on that. How many of us... (Quick poll)

Technique 2: Facilitating Discussion

Shifting the focus from "You-to-Audience" to "Audience-to-Audience."

• That's an excellent point. Ms. Sothea...
• Before I answer, does anyone else have a different perspective?
• So we have two ideas here... how can we connect them?

Technique 3: Managing Pushback (A-R-B)

Handling disagreement or complex questions with diplomacy and control.

• Acknowledge: "I see your point..." / "That's a valid concern."
• Reframe: "The core of your question, as I see it, is..."
• Bridge: "...and that connects back to our main objective..."

Scenario: Handling a Difficult Q&A 💬

You have just finished a presentation on implementing new AI software. An audience member is worried.

Audience Member: "This is all very impressive, but I'm worried this AI will just eliminate our jobs. This seems dangerous and unnecessary!"

Speaker (You): "(Acknowledge) That's a very valid concern, and it's frankly the most important topic related to AI. Thank you for bringing it up."

Speaker (You): "(Reframe) The question isn't *if* jobs will change—they will—but *how* we'll adapt. The real opportunity here is to automate the repetitive tasks, like data entry, to free us up for more strategic work."

Speaker (You): "(Facilitate/Bridge) Mr. Chea, you work in Operations. What opportunities do you see for your team to shift from manual tasks to more analytical roles if this were implemented?"

Delivery Tip

🗣️ Intonation of Authority vs. Inquiry

Your intonation (the music of your voice) signals your intention. At a C1 level, you must control it.

• Authority (Falling Tone ↘): Use a falling tone when you are reframing or stating a key conclusion. It signals confidence and control.
  Example: "The core of the issue is this.↘"
• Inquiry (Rising Tone ↗): Use a genuine rising tone when you facilitate or ask for opinions. It signals openness and invites collaboration.
  Example: "What are your thoughts on that?↗"

Practice Your C1 Strategy 🎯

Practice Quiz: What's the Best Strategy?

Read the situation, then choose the *most effective C1 strategy*. Click "Check Answers" when done.

1. Situation: An audience member asks a very long, confusing, multi-part question that is not directly related to your topic.

Best Strategy:

• A) Answer every part of their question in detail so they feel heard, even if it takes 10 minutes.
• B) Tell them, "That's off-topic. Please let me continue." and move to the next slide.
• C) Acknowledge ("That's an interesting set of points"), find one part you *can* answer ("I'll address the budget part..."), and offer to discuss the rest offline ("Let's connect after the talk about the other details").

---

2. Situation: You've just made a complex point. The audience is silent and looks confused, but no one raises their hand.

Best Strategy:

• A) Assume they understood and move on to the next slide quickly to avoid awkwardness.
• B) Say "Any questions?" (Knowing they will probably stay silent).
• C) Use a proactive technique: "Let me rephrase that. The key takeaway is..." or ask a simple, direct poll: "Raise your hand if you've seen this issue in your department."

Key Vocabulary (Click 🔊)

• To Facilitate (Verb) | សម្របសម្រួល
  To make an action or process easy or easier; to lead a discussion.
• To Reframe (Verb) | ប្តូរក្របខ័ណ្ឌ
  To change the way something is viewed or expressed.
• To Pivot (Verb) | បង្វែរ
  To change direction; to change the topic smoothly.
• Pushback (Noun) | ការជំទាស់
  Negative reaction or resistance to a proposal or idea.
• To Concede (a point) (Verb) | ទទួលស្គាល់ (ចំណុចមួយ)
  To admit that something is true or valid after first denying it.
• Nuance (Noun) | ភាពខុសប្លែកគ្នា
  A subtle difference in or shade of meaning, expression, or sound.
• To Elaborate (Verb) | ពន្យល់លម្អិត
  To explain or add more detail to something that has been said.

Your Mission: The "Hot Seat" Challenge ⭐

Your mission is to practice handling real-time pushback using the A-R-B method.

1. Choose a controversial topic (e.g., "Work from home is better than working at the office," or "Facebook is bad for society").
2. Prepare a 1-minute speech stating your opinion.
3. Ask a friend to listen and then give you strong pushback (disagree strongly).
4. Record your response. Your goal is to:
   • Acknowledge their feeling ("I understand why you'd say that...")
   • Reframe the issue ("It's not about being bad, but about managing...")
   • Bridge to a new question or conclusion ("...which is why we both agree that...")

Listen to your recording. Did you sound calm, diplomatic, and in control?