How to Keep Your Audience Engaged with Signposting in Presentations

Are you an engaging presenter?
Do you stand up in front of a room and feel like everyone is hanging on your every word?
What makes a presentation truly engaging?

When you sit and watch a presentation, what is it that makes you feel like you are following along and fully involved?

The Number One Audience Killer: Confusion
One of the most common concerns I hear from clients is this:
“How do I stop my audience from getting bored?”
“How do I keep them engaged?”

The truth is, the real danger is not boredom. It is confusion.

If your audience gets confused, they will switch off.
And confusion happens easily when your presentation lacks structure, clear transitions, or context.

That is where signposting comes in.

Signposting is about guiding your audience through your presentation.

It starts with a clear opening.
It connects your stories and slides.
It highlights the key moments where you want to make an impact.
It signals when you are moving from one point to the next.

Without good signposts, your audience will get lost.

How to Signpost Effectively
At the simplest level, a signpost sounds like:
“Hello, I’m Kate, and today I’m going to talk to you about quarterly targets.”

But here is the problem with that. Everyone starts like that.
In business settings, where people sit through multiple presentations in one day, this type of opening will not stand out.

So how do you grab attention?

Let me share a tip from my radio days. We used to say:
Sell the sizzle, not the sausage.

If you tell people what is inside the sausage, it does not sound very appealing.
Breadcrumbs, meat bits, random ingredients.
But if you sell the sizzle, you talk about the smell, the sound, the feeling of hunger it creates.

It is the same with presentations.

Instead of saying:
“Today I’m going to talk about quarterly targets…”
You could start with:
“Have you ever wondered why we keep missing our quarterly targets, even when the numbers look good?”

Or:
“Well, this is going to sound bold, but what we’ve been doing so far is never going to work.”

Or even:
“Let’s dive straight into the big change we need to make.”

Simple Ways to Add Energy and Direction
Ask a Question
Start with something that makes people think.
Make a Bold Statement
Say something that surprises them.
Use Strong Action Words
Signal energy and movement. For example:
“Right, this is where it gets interesting…”
“Here is the one thing that will lift us to the next level…”
Start Simple, Then Build From There
If this feels new to you, start with the basics.
A simple “Today I’m going to talk about…” and “In conclusion…” will already help.

Then, once you are comfortable, think:
“How can I make this opening stronger?”
“Can I create more drama or curiosity at each section change?”

The Golden Rule: Never Confuse Your Audience
Engagement is not about being funny or dramatic for the sake of it.
It is about making sure your audience always knows where they are in your story.

Guide them clearly from start to finish.
Add in your signposts.
And watch how much more engaged they become.

Your presentation will go from something people sit through to something they remember.