How to engage an audience: organize an interactive debate!
Sendsteps audience response system contributed in several ways to improve the audience interaction. Indeed, by supporting Q&A sessions, evaluating the sessions through surveys and by enliven presentations with help of multiple choice questions. However, the ‘interactive debates’ were truly the best way to engage an audience!
- After several rounds of short debates, a small number of debaters entered the debate arena for the final round;
- Before a debate took place, the audience decided which specific statement should be discussed between two debaters [A, B or C]. The audience could vote through Sendsteps;
- Based on the specific outcome, one debater was asked to debate “in favor” of the statement. The other debater would debate “against” the statement;
As the debate took place, the audience could vote for who of the debaters got most of their trust. The bar chart behind the speakers would change as the audience casted their votes. The more trust earned, the brighter the lights would turn green. Or red, if trust was lacking! As such the debaters were challenged to adapt their reasoning and tone of voice throughout the course of the debate in order to win the vote of the audience.