How to present to keep your audience’s attention | Mark Robinson | TEDxEindhoven

“How to present to keep your audience’s attention” is a question that Mark knows how to answer. He has gone from believing that it was impossible for him to speak in public to someone who gets great reviews whenever he speaks at conferences. Presentation skills are of course key to a TEDx event which is why Mark Robinson was invited for TEDxEindhoven. The city of Eindhoven is full of engineers giving technical presentations every day. Being an engineer himself, Mark has experienced a few too many boring presentations. Presentation skills are learnable, Mark himself is proof of that. In this talk Mark explains his journey, shares his best tips, shows how not to present and tells us why it is so important to captivate your audience.
Mark Robinson has worked at a number of companies in the region including ASML, DAF, FEI, Océ, Philips & Ziggo via Sioux, Topic and his present company, TMC, where he has worked since 2011. Mark’s roles have included software developer, software tester, team lead, wiki champion and software consultant specialising in “3-days scans” using Agile, Lean and Test Process Improvement methodologies.
This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community. Learn more at ted.com/tedx

[@zakialbum6692]

In order to keep audience engaged there are two techniques 1) Ask questions to audience in between 2) Tell stories o Ask and answer questions o Address What is the problem - opportunity to tell first story - tell how you encountered this problem , and why is it important to me /us . And what’s in it for me ( audience)? o What’s the cause of problem- second story o What are possible solutions - What we tried and what is the chosen solution Thank you for sharing this Mark . You are awesome

[@markrobinsontraining]

Thanks for making this summary, ZAKIALBUM, and for your kind words! All the best, Mark

[@dkhartman1]

This is the most 'meta' TED Talk I've studied. His awareness of how he's using the techniques he's talking about--and his ability to point them out--is remarkable.

[@markrobinsontraining]

Thank you very much Douglas - you *get* my intention, which was exactly that: to create a *meta* TED talk!

[@BrigSushilBhasin]

Agreed

[@affansiddhiqui3739]

This ted talk is underrated !

[@markrobinsontraining]

Thank you, Affan!

[@EclipseOfGod]

@@markrobinsontraining agreed!, I must say I am also Affan’ now lol.

[@markrobinsontraining]

@@EclipseOfGod ha ha very clever!

[@jenareedy7517]

Totally agree. Good stuff!

[@markrobinsontraining]

@@jenareedy7517 thank you!

[@TheModernAsianMan]

Super informative & valuable. This guy, whether by coincidence or by intention has one of the most dull voices yet succeeds in keeping the listeners attention using the techniques that he has mentioned. AMAZING.

[@markrobinsontraining]

Thanks... I think!

[@user-sq9ex9ow5b]

Low body language, no attractive voice, yet he succeeded to pass the massage effectively thanks to the technique he is using. Great example.

[@BrigSushilBhasin]

I agree

[@sonyaberkenpas5071]

Although this ted talk doesn’t have as many views as others, it is MOST definitely one of the best ones I’ve watched (and I watch a lot of them!).

[@BrigSushilBhasin]

But he is certainly low on energy and dynamism, and because his voice was also low I lost his attention a few times. The overall impact was good and the message clearly landed.

[@sonyaberkenpas5071]

@@BrigSushilBhasin I think you bring up good points and I wonder if that was his point in that you can keep (most) your audience’s attention solely with his techniques (without energy & dynamism).

[@jeffk6548]

I accidentally left during the last minute of the video and came back just because of how much I was enjoying it. I'm Happy I did because how to conclude the presentation was a nugget of gold.

[@markrobinsontraining]

Thank you, Jeff!

[@KrekreDoBusao]

I once had to onboard a new co-worker with a short 30 minutes presentation. We were the only ones in the room and she fell asleep right in front of me. I didn't know if I should wake her up or just pretend nothing had happened and keep speaking. That's exactly what I did. After a few minutes she woke up, I finished the presentation and we never talked about it.

[@markrobinsontraining]

Ha ha, great story, thanks for sharing!

[@niekyvanvlerken161]

Mark, besides enormous humor, your message is clear, straight and very usefull. A must have for speakers.

[@derpett9999]

I love this presentation so much! I thought he was going to be dull simply because of his low voice and little movement, but the way that he uses his own techniques to make it interesting is so great! His techniques gave his presentation such livelihood without needing to implement bold moves or an exciting tone. Thank you so much for the tips and the examples of them!

[@markrobinsontraining]

Thanks very much, all the best with your presentations!

[@user-sq9ex9ow5b]

Low body language, no attractive voice, yet he succeeded to pass the massage effectively thanks to the technique he is using. Great example.

[@markrobinsontraining]

Thanks and that's the point: if I can, *anyone* can.

[@rudihansen3673]

​@@markrobinsontrainingthat is an excellent presentation. Loud and clear ideas worth sharing is spreaded.

[@markrobinsontraining]

@@rudihansen3673 thanks Rudi!

[@mbairekamau30]

Mark Robinson's voice is so calming, his content is educative, his humour lights up a dull moment. Did you notice that too?

[@markrobinsontraining]

You are very kind, thank you Mbaire. Glad you found my voice calming... other commentators have had less flattering descriptions! =:-D

[@sonyaberkenpas5071]

As an educator, I love how he modeled his techniques throughout the presentation. It was very informative and valuable. Thank you!

[@markrobinsontraining]

Thank you very much, Sonya. Glad you found it useful.

[@benjaminjurg6006]

I have watched this video several times. I keep finding it both hilarious and informative! Truly awesome!

[@muazuamin770]

I'm still watching this again and again. This video inspire me.

[@markrobinsontraining]

Thank you Muazu - that's exactly my aim (which also inspired the title of my book).

[@jamesnunn7154]

Fabulous work - saw this live, and pleased to see that there's even more to watch in this version. Thanks Mark, I'll try and watch this before every presentation I have to give.

[@markrobinsontraining]

Thank you very much, James! (Oops, better reply late than never ;) )

[@drawingout.net-vmcg]

Excellent...I love to see the old flipchart and markers being put to such effective use too!

[@markrobinsontraining]

Thanks Vera! :)

[@celinevanaalst-yourvoicepo4363]

Thank you Mark Robinson for this video, this is really valuable for everyone who needs to present. You are great!

[@markrobinsontraining]

Thank you Céline, very kind!

[@EddyVinck]

Watching this again as I prepare for the Powerful Presentations training in a couple weeks. I'm looking forward to it!

[@markrobinsontraining]

Thanks Eddy, see you soon!

[@johnrobinson4755]

I keep watching this and it gets better and better!! So any presentation can be funny and interesting but SO many are not!!

[@markrobinsontraining]

Thank you!

[@dannievanosch1419]

Amazing TED talk, but the best advice I can give everybody is to follow the course of Mark Robinson. In only one day you can become a confident and expert speaker!

[@markrobinsontraining]

Thank you Dannie, very kind!

[@GabrielaRamos-fy1bs]

👏👏👏👏👏 what an amazing presentation. Still coming back over and over again 2023. Thank you so much for this.

[@markrobinsontraining]

Thank you so much, Gabriela! 😍

[@bffentertainment7848]

This is absolutely one of THE BEST and most informative video I've ever heard, and I'm an avid lover of people who love to share what they love on KZbin! 😅 Thank you Mark Robinson👍♥️😘

[@markrobinsontraining]

Bff Entertainment very kind, thanks BFF! :)

[@Ruudrad]

Well Mark, this obviously worked! Having seen the video years ago, I was able to reproduce the topics learnt when the occasion for this was there! Not only did I apply it successfully at presentations, clearly it was memorized as well! Anecdote: when I talked for 45 minutes on compliance (how boring can it get) the manager told in the round table: now you see how you can do a great presentation, without slides! When it was my turn, I responded: "well Steph, next time I will try even better! I'll do the presentation 'without words'". Which introduces the third technique place some subtle humor here and there. You applied that as well!

[@markrobinsontraining]

Thanks for the kind words, Ruud. And a presentation without words - I'd love to see that!

[@JustinEverman]

Mark excellent talk and it's very spot-on. I especially love the biblical tie-in with questions and stories.

[@markrobinsontraining]

Thanks Justin, very kind!

[@namarasarah229]

Am glad to have found this today. Thank you sir.

[@markrobinsontraining]

Thank you for your kind comment, Namara.

[@shaaziaqureishi6730]

Really enjoyed watching this. He almost lost me a few times but with his questions and his stories he kept me engaged! Thanks Mark.

[@markrobinsontraining]

Thank you Shaazia!

[@sanjeevrana5575]

This is great! Each person has their own style of delivery, and it is not necessary to shout and show excitement by raising your voice or talking fast. A message delivered in a calm tone can be equally impactful. I think it shows your confidence in what you are sharing. That is exactly what I notice you doing so effortlessly here. I find it hard to mug up the presentations, but I've found that by incorporating stories into the presentation and keeping my audience involved by asking questions, I can deliver presentations without much stress. Yes, it takes time to come up with suitable stories, but once you have achieved that the presentation part becomes much easier. So, thank you for sharing your knowledge in such an easy-to-digest format, Mark.

[@markrobinsontraining]

Thanks very much for your kind comments Sanjeev. Every success with your presentations! "Speak Inspire Empower".

[@amaramichaels2064]

Thank you, very concise update for me on historic sales/presentation experience. Will be invested in my next step.

[@markrobinsontraining]

Hope it worked out for you, Amara!

[@QuickShareable]

One of the great Ted talks that inspires me. Thank you Mark!

[@markrobinsontraining]

Thank you QuickShareable, great to read that it inspires you!

[@PieterKuppens]

Totally recommending this to everyone! (Yesterday evening my brother-in-law).

[@markrobinsontraining]

Thanks very much, Pieter, very kind!

[@annejunge7033]

Next to that it's highly entertaining, it is very practical information for when you have to do a presentation yourself! Looking forward to follow the training!

[@markrobinsontraining]

Thank you Anne, very nice of you to say so!

[@cinnamongirl3070]

Very informative...totally kept my attention!

[@markrobinsontraining]

Thanks! Very kind.

[@Gabriela64319]

Congratulations, Mark! I really like the Talk! Thanks for sharing your knowledge with us and helping a lot of people ;-)

[@markrobinsontraining]

That's very kind of you, thanks Gabriela!

[@susanbirch5705]

This really was very good and so funny. Excellent. As others have commented very underrated. This guy is hilarious.

[@salomemumo7062]

You had my attention the whole time. Thank you.

[@markrobinsontraining]

Thanks for letting me know, Salome!

[@rplukker]

Great presentation Mark, seen it now multiple times, and love it more each time

[@markrobinsontraining]

Very kind thank you Richard!

[@rplukker]

welcome

[@daphnevanhoof8552]

Great video Mark! I am looking forward to follow your workshop next Monday. This will certainly help me develop my presentations skills which I will need a lot more in near future :-)

[@markrobinsontraining]

Thank you Daphne!

[@nastyamastereng1893]

Absolutely loved that! One of my favourite ted talks ♡

[@markrobinsontraining]

Thank you, very kind!

[@sihlekunene1400]

Amazingly simple yet powerful guidelines. What a great presentation! Thank you

[@markrobinsontraining]

Thank you!

[@abuazimusshan1531]

Very Informative share, Mark. Like, you keep my attention and give me a reason every time to listen to your talks.!

[@markrobinsontraining]

Thanks very much, Abu, great to read that it helps you!

[@IntrovertDil]

Thank god this TED talk is underrated.. only a few of us can now use this secret technique😁

[@markrobinsontraining]

Thank you though I'm hoping more people will hear of it... =:-D especially via: "Speak Inspire Empower"

[@IntrovertDil]

@@markrobinsontraining if you really are the person whos speaking in this ted talk then im very honoured you read and replied.. nd considering your talk, you know all the good things in the world are like medicines..they take time but eventually effect in good & many ways..

[@markrobinsontraining]

@@IntrovertDil yes, I am and thank you very much for your kind words.

[@IntrovertDil]

@@markrobinsontraining im really sorry to bother you again but trust me you just made my day clever advertisement btw😏

[@markrobinsontraining]

@@IntrovertDil it's no bother! 😀 and advertising is presenting, right? 😉 Thanks again, Mark

[@SimonLiftsLife]

This is just awesome! I didnt think i would last all the way through let alone being impressed!!

[@markrobinsontraining]

Thanks Simon!

[@musictomyears8]

Brilliant advice!

[@aroopbhattacharjee1222]

Dear Mark, Very pleased to see your video. I am now using your video to share with people I am coaching ! .. and this really helps. So now I ask them to .. reduce tricks on screen .. ask questions .. tell stories .. get attention .. then step back and clasp your hands ! And yes, this actually works. Thank you for simplicity .. I will keep practicing myself. Sincerely,Aroop

[@markrobinsontraining]

Thanks Aroop, glad to hear it helps!

[@funfun8181]

this guy is good, learn a lot today

[@maimohamed3590]

What an intro, love this, thank you so much for sharing✨😎👌

[@markrobinsontraining]

Thanks Mai, very kind!

[@toumast2006]

This Tedx one of the best Ted I've watched..it's beneficial actually he seems talking about me when get in front of large group people...thanks sir

[@markrobinsontraining]

Thank you Issa, very nice to read, I appreciate that. "Speak Inspire Empower"!

[@alikie3111]

Fantastic talk! A simple and clear presentation with advice that is easy to implement!

[@markrobinsontraining]

Thanks Aliki, glad you liked it and, especially, good to read that you will implement it. "Speak inspire Empower"!

[@statsophia]

Great! I will apply this for my job talk. Thanks!

[@markrobinsontraining]

Thank you Soyeon!

[@BothwellKwaramba-eh2qs]

This talk completely caught me by surprise. This is a great talk.

[@markrobinsontraining]

Thank you, very kind!

[@AJsGreenTopics]

Great information. Thanks for sharing.

[@markrobinsontraining]

Thank you AJ!

[@elieissa1131]

Woowww really love it, very useful, simple, applicable thank you for sharing it 👍

[@markrobinsontraining]

Thanks Elie, glad you loved it.

[@miriami7]

Brilliant, thank you!

[@markrobinsontraining]

You are very welcome, Miriam - thanks for commenting!

[@SuperAli2007]

I found myself watching this three times. Thank you for all the tips!

[@markrobinsontraining]

Thanks ALI, great to hear!

[@summersimonton3440]

What a fun & interesting presentation. Thank you.

[@markrobinsontraining]

Thank you Summer!

[@carolinelouis3555]

very valuable !

[@zarganaut]

Simply beautiful and informative👏👏

[@markrobinsontraining]

Thank you Gautam, much appreciated!

[@johnmurphyable]

This is an AWESOME ted talk!

[@markrobinsontraining]

Thank you J M!

[@HispleMedia]

That was a great one... Thank you.

[@markrobinsontraining]

Thanks so much, Hisple Media! 👍

[@Mr_Davis573]

Blessed

[@markrobinsontraining]

Thank you, hope you're blessed too!

[@TwoWords]

This was great! Felt like 5 mins lol

[@markrobinsontraining]

Thank you Two Words. Your videos are a lot of fun as well! Clever idea.

[@oladokunsunday3321]

This talk is great but seems to be underrated considering the number of views. To me, the speaker has a very good message and narrative but lacks the kind of 'tone' that marches he message. This is why it is boring to some people. I think the message here is that as you build your public speaking skills using the techniques he taught in this speech, try and build your tone/voice for excellent delivery too. You need it to keep audience attention and interest. That was the missing link in this guy's presentation.

[@markrobinsontraining]

The message is that everyone can keep people's attention, even software engineers like me.

[@thabangmoswetsi9757]

Amazing Presentation, I didn't notice time passing.

[@markrobinsontraining]

Thank you James, and these techniques can be used by anyone! See "Speak Inspire Empower". 😉

[@thabangmoswetsi9757]

@@markrobinsontraining it's really you Mr Mark ?,it's an honor Sir.

[@markrobinsontraining]

@@thabangmoswetsi9757 yes! 😃 Thanks again, James!

[@balakrishnarao5625]

Very fab presentation..underrated..

[@markrobinsontraining]

Thank you Balakrishna!

[@user-eg5wz4nh1n]

powerfull presention

[@markrobinsontraining]

Thank you!

[@lampemotivation2745]

He is indeed teaching by example

[@markrobinsontraining]

Thank you @LAMPEMOTIVATION. I took a look at your channel - great content, highly underrated! Keep up the inspiring videos. Mark

[@shuaiber]

Fantastic talk Mark!

[@markrobinsontraining]

Thank you Shuaib! 👍

[@dahay6]

When i finished looking i expected to see a milion views at least. But to my suprise it wasn't watched that many at all. Very sad to see. Even though it is something i am going to implement in my speeches next time. So thank u for your message...

[@markrobinsontraining]

Thank you, that is very kind.

[@theschoolofbodylanguage]

Exceptional ❤❤ Congratulations 🎉🎉

[@markrobinsontraining]

Thank you! Coming from The School of Body Language in Public Speaking, that's high praise indeed!

[@alexcummins2722]

Nothing is harder than giving g a speech on how to give speeches

[@markrobinsontraining]

True! Thanks Alex. 😃

[@sitimanisahbintingalimfep9395]

Wow .. that is so great!

[@markrobinsontraining]

Thanks Siti! 😀

[@matthewchandraaa]

i just realised 17mins passed and ive been on my data

[@xinyunchuah73]

Really great one!

[@markrobinsontraining]

Thank you XinYun!

[@eddygan325]

Thank you very much

[@markrobinsontraining]

Thank YOU Eddy, also for your LinkedIn likes.

[@eddygan325]

@@markrobinsontraining My pleasure Mark : )

[@MrMildperson]

Adorable informative I admired it

[@markrobinsontraining]

Thanks Ozgur, glad you enjoyed it.

[@MrMildperson]

@@markrobinsontraining We should all thank you for this wonderful TEDx talk, it is informative and useful.

[@markrobinsontraining]

@@MrMildperson that's very kind, thank you!

[@shaaziaqureishi6730]

WATCH TILL THE END!!!

[@markrobinsontraining]

Ha ha, I'm glad you did, Shaazia! A little "Easter Egg" on how to get applause... ;)

[@shellyparritt]

That was really good.

[@markrobinsontraining]

Thank you Shelly!

[@Zara.Talkies]

Thank you

[@markrobinsontraining]

Thank you Zara!

[@guillaumebailly708]

Love it!

[@markrobinsontraining]

Thanks Guillaume, very kind!

[@naturallydope6971]

I wish my professor would give us TED talks to look at instead of reading this book on professional communication. A lot of students have never done presentations nor have they done any type on a webcam so it could be very confusing and frustrating. She really needs to re-evaluate her teaching style and when we have our evaluation at the end of this eight weeks I will definitely leave some tips on it that maybe she can be better at teaching her professional communication class.

[@markrobinsontraining]

You could start by showing her this video and sharing it with the other students. All the best, Mark

[@ziahassanrupu]

amazing

[@markrobinsontraining]

Thank you, Zia!

[@CreateYourBestVersion]

He got my attention when he said, "ditch the PP"...lol . I am in Corporate America and they use PP all the times :(

[@soujanyajayaram3021]

Wonderful

[@markrobinsontraining]

Thank you Soujanya!

[@dumplingsuwu6691]

Points: 1. *Tell stories* Problem? STORY BEGINS why should i care Causes? Possible solutions! MORE STORIES 2. *Ask questions* what's your solution? How will it affect the process? Even in technical presentations. In order to hook people's minds.

[@markrobinsontraining]

Thanks for the summary!

[@dumplingsuwu6691]

@@markrobinsontraining u're welcome!

[@sagarasuranga9272]

Glad I click this video

[@markrobinsontraining]

Thanks Sagara! I'm glad you did too - and that you commented.

[@davidcoppens8656]

Nice talk with really good advice. Oh my God how I hate PowerPoint reading sessions...hope they will get less and less common.

[@markrobinsontraining]

Thank you David, I also hope "PowerPoint read aloud parties" will end!

[@asapdentallearn]

Loved it

[@markrobinsontraining]

Thanks so much! 😀

[@puzzlethebrand8249]

Amazing

[@markrobinsontraining]

Thank you!

[@timotheusmiller]

Exceptional.

[@markrobinsontraining]

Thanks Guitars and Theology, I saw one of you videos - very good!

[@timotheusmiller]

@@markrobinsontraining well that's crazy

[@kingd.6059]

Here is the summary of the Talk :) Ask Questions to keep your audience attention You can ask a question then answer it to introduce your next topic Or let them answer it Stories They are memorable What is the problem that you are trying to address in your presentation? (Example is Boring Martin Luther king Powerpoint) Tell a story about how you encounter this problem and why it is important to you and for us What is it for me? 1st story What is the cause? Why did it occur? ( We don't know how to keep people attention) 2nd story What are the possible solutions? ( Questions and story telling) 1st solution- story 2nd solution- story What is your chosen solution To close the presentation: Signal that you are about to end. Thank you

[@atzimier6896]

Thank you 🙏

[@kingd.6059]

@@atzimier6896 welcome

[@markrobinsontraining]

Thank you King D, nice summary!

[@EddyVinck]

Brilliant

[@markrobinsontraining]

Thanks very much, Eddy!

[@omg_wtf]

Very good

[@markrobinsontraining]

Thank you Meh!

[@troybishoppthegrasswhisper3703]

awesome

[@markrobinsontraining]

Thanks Troy!

[@giorgichkhatarashvili1171]

Who wants to create fb or some kind of group, where we would give presentations online(zoom) and help each other to become better presenters?

[@markrobinsontraining]

Good idea Giorgi. Suggest you create one on LinkedIn. Then please send me an invite: markrobinsontraining

[@NYSignfield]

Great content. Just wish he addressed how important tone of voice is while presenting. His own presentation would have been that more effective had he gone from his monotone, slow delivery to a more inflective, excited tone. I expected this to happen but it never did. Nonetheless, it was still good content.

[@tomkersten9764]

Great speaker but settings the speed at 1.25 makes it much better.

[@teyton90]

before i watch 17 minutes: can somebody tell me how watch-worthy this one is? sounds interesting, thats for sure

[@julienmeijboom1352]

It sure is worth your time. It's a great talk.

[@teyton90]

thanks. i'm about to. Mark Robinson GB, why did you remove your comment? i'd loved to respond to you directly

[@markrobinsontraining]

+noxgandhi hi I removed my comment (which for others wa something like ";watch the first five minutes and see if it keeps your attention") after someone said that comment was better coming from someone else... Now you have that! :) Mark

[@birgersaugmann3100]

Fantastic intro (MLK)

[@markrobinsontraining]

Thanks Birger!

[@blk7berniecaron624]

@@markrobinsontraining it was great

[@markrobinsontraining]

@@blk7berniecaron624 thanks so much Bernie!

[@josephfernando4867]

That was hilarious....

[@markrobinsontraining]

Thanks Joseph!

[@josephfernando4867]

You are most welcome...I was working as an Software architect and now as a consultant and we are going to have Stalls this week to present and sell software stuff like devops, coming week and your video has been extremely useful for me as a guidance tool on how to approach this task..

[@markrobinsontraining]

Great to read, thank you Joseph. Would you please share the video further? You will do me a huge favour. Also, you may like to read my blog post on how presentation skills can boost your career: www.linkedin.com/pulse/boost-your-career-develop-presentation-skills-mark-robinson

[@josephfernando4867]

I will certainly share it further and will go through your blog post as well.

[@markrobinsontraining]

Thanks Joseph, I appreciate that!

[@sgreven4533]

Fantastic video and worth every minute. His workshop is even more informative! Check it out at markrobinsontraining.com because I seriously recommend it!

[@markrobinsontraining]

Thanks so much! Glad you loved the workshop (since you joined the very first one!).