Are you familiar with the song lyrics, “ I’ve been lookin’ for love in all the wrong places, lookin’ for love in too many faces”? I’m here to tell you which places and which faces you ought to be lookin’ for when standing in front of an audience and you’re lookin’ for energy. Your energy impacts the audience and their energy impacts you. To keep the energy loop in motion, I recommend this method.
Mentally divide the room into quadrants and find a supportive face in each quadrant. As soon as you begin speaking, scan the room to see who is keeping eye contact with you, who is leaning in (physically) to your message, and who is giving you facial responses that show support for your message. Once you see those folks, keep going back to them throughout your presentation to draw from their energy which will re-energize you.
Q: What places will you find energy?
A: All quadrants of the room. This approach keeps your eye gaze moving throughout the session.
Q: Which faces will you find energy?
A: Those folks who respond nonverbally to you with positive messaging.