Audience Participation

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Some people think that audience participation means you need active physical participants, and in some cases it does, and you will need to add that into a presentation as well. But active participation doesn't have to come from physical involvement. 

Think of it in like this: 

   You are a sports fan, your team is 15 seconds away from losing the game, stuck at the far end of the field, all hope is lost, and the fans are flocking to the exits. But out of nowhere your favorite player breaks through the line, twist and turns out of a tackle, and hope begins to seep in. He cuts left, then right and zips by two more defenders and now he's headed to mid-field. Your eyes grow wide, your heart is pounding, and you leap out of your seat screaming as he crosses the 50, then the 40, and down to the 25. Now, the only thing between him and the goal lines is one tiny defensive safety. 

 You're not on the field; you're a spectator and yet you are as invested in the moment as the runner is.

    What I've learned over the years is that student interaction can be achieved in many ways.  During my "Do Pirates Go to School?" Reader's Theater. I create a pirate sporting event. "Sword Fighting" 

   If the student pokes me with their sword, they get a point, and if I get them, I get a point. This pirate story is highly interactive and a lot of fun. I get the teachers involved, and I've got the students involved. But it's the end of this segment, the pirate battle, that is the real treasure.

In this segment I use one student that in turn gets the whole audience invested in the moment. You can create the same audience interaction with or without active participants. The material presented to the audience just has to be compelling.