In Wilderness Survival Camp, I learned that setting up a wall barrier of sticks (fire wall) to surround half of the fire, reflects the energy and keeps the heat from dissipating. Everyone will keep warmer longer with less effort. The same principle is true of audiences. As an expert presenter, you are the fire. By positioning your audience as a fire wall, they will reflect your energy to help you burn bright. Without the firewall (i.e. with empty chairs and people scattered throughout a large auditorium), your energy will diffuse through the holes. Here are tips for getting people to sit close together with no empty seats and ensure optimal synergy in the room.

Rope off seats

Do it like a theatre with roped off and reserved seating. Use ribbon or cord with a "Reserved" sign to close off the back section of the room and then open up rows as people arrive. You can also direct seating by roping off one side of the rows, so people know they need to move all the way to the end of the row to not leave empty spots. To reserve sections, use names like "the people who don't want to be called on section" or "Cast of Seinfeld". Make it fun, unusual and playful.

Provide the minimum amount of chairs

Start out with fewer seats then your RSVP count. If the planner expects 200 people, then take away 5% of the chairs--10 chairs in this case ¾ but keep them easily accessible. Just like economic theory, create a demand for seats by limiting them. Just like sales promotions, create urgency with only a few seats left. Be a big shot with full occupancy.

Put Incentives on the front seats

Entice guests to sit up front using "seat treats". Place free items on your key participant chairs ¾ chocolates, booklets, key chains, etc. An added bonus: because you've bribed the "front-seaters," they are ready to participate. For getting other participants curious and excited for the presentation, sometimes I put messages on several chairs. The message may be a greeting or a factoid related to the topic or an audience responsibility such as "scribe". Seat treats and chair messages serve as a conversation starter and sets the tone for a different type of presentation.

Arrange Seats in a circle

Campfires bring people together partly because seating in the round creates a supportive community. Circle seating encourages interaction and increases the intra-audience visibility, especially when they are there to network. Most likely your audience wants to see who is there, and to be seen. When the audience is in a circle, they can see at least half of the participants during the presentation without turning around backwards. Sitting in the round also makes it harder for audience members to slip out of the program to make a call or go the restroom.

Consider Modified Chevron seating

Rows coming together at an angle is effective seating for larger groups and all-day programs. Both seating in the round and chevron seating produce the limelight effect.

Being in a TV studio audience causes people to be more active, positive, and spirited ¾ to "glam' it up" - after all, others are watching. When seated in a circle or chevron pattern, even without cameras on them, your audience is not so likely to glaze over, check their PDAs, or do anything that might be distracting to others.

Participants in these seating configurations are also able to observe one another's body language and reactions to the presentation. When you, the expert, say something funny, sad or intense, your audience is going to amplify this. You and the audience receive visual feedback of people smiling, nodding their heads, and wiping tears of laughter. We naturally imitate others, and being surrounded by enthusiasm is contagious.

The same is true for intensity--people will see each other leaning in and on the edges of their chairs, waiting to know what happens next. In high contrast to linear classroom, theatre or banquet seating, chevron and circle seating give the audience the opportunity to evaluate the reactions of those around them, and identify with one another.

Invite people to come forward

If, in spite of all these precautions, you are minutes away from starting your presentation and you still see some holes, escort the people in the back to come up front in a fun way. I walk to the back row, introduce myself and get their names. Then personally tell them I have saved a seat for them, escort them to the empty seats while introducing them to the people around them. Sometimes I lead a whole group in a line. It takes about thirty seconds to do this, and makes it a privilege to sit up front.

You closed the gap, and packed the house, which looks great. You look popular (perfect for your promo photos and video) and most importantly, you have learned how to kindle energy and feed your fire, so you can be hot stuff.

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Contact: Jolene at 425-489-1073 Jo@FunSpecialist.com