Does this make any sense?  The closer together your audience is seated, the more likely they will give you robust applause.   It’s a fact – proven countless times to professional speakers and entertainers.

Since this is not a science, nobody is certain as to the cause of this phenomenon.  The prevailing theory is that proximity is directly related to any contagious activity.  If one person claps, someone right next to her is likely to naturally do the same.  Put a few seats between them, and one person applauding may remain clapping alone.

Another theory is that your audience is more attentive to your presentation when they are closer together.  This may be because a tighter audience enables you to focus your eye contact and voice projection to a denser population, while a spread-out audience dilutes your focus and impact.

I learned this performing magic.  I would do a set at a walk-around function and get enthusiastic applause SOMETIMES, while other times people would simply say “cool, you’re good!”  Once I figured a common denominator was proximity, I tested my theory.  Bring them in close and 95% of the time I’d get applause, but once  audience members were separated by more than a few feet from one another, the applause rate dropped to about 10%. I shared this with other professional entertainers who concluded the same.

Application:  When you give a presentation it KILLS your effectiveness when people are “peppered lightly” around the room.  Make sure you put seats close together (avoid cramming like sardines). 

Put out less than half the seats you think you will need.  Wait until they fill, then provide more seats. You are forcing them to sit close to one another, and they will unknowingly benefit from a better received presentation.  An additional benefit is perception – it appears that your attendance level is higher than you expected.

What to do if you the seats are fixed in position or pre- set for you?  Use a hand out, and place one on each of the first 20 seats (if you are expecting 50 attendees).  When people walk in, invite them to grab a seat with a handout.

After many years of professional public speaking, I say with confidence that proper audience seating tremendously enhances your success as a speaker.

I invite anyone who is doing multiple presentations to similar audiences to test this fact for themselves. We’d love to hear about your experiences.

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