How to Use a Whiteboard in Public Speaking

The whiteboard is a great tool for any kind of public speaking. If there's one in the room, use it to your advantage. However, there are good ways and bad ways to use the whiteboard. Here are some tips for best methods of using the whiteboard to effectively engage your audience.

Difficulty: Challenging

Instructions

1. Keep facing the audience whenever you can. Break writing down into manageable portions so that you're never turning your back for that long.

2. Talk while you're write. Try not to leave long periods of silence that may make your audience zone out. Keep their attention with that you're saying while you write.

3. Write during logical pauses. You can sometimes find points to pause where the audience might be engaged in looking at a problem, writing something down, or doing other activities. Take advantage of those moments to get your next point onto the board.

4. Avoid reading to people from the whiteboard. If you wrote it up there, they can read it. Reading from the whiteboard belabors the point and the audience can sometimes see it as condescending.

5. Stay out of the way. "Down in front" applies to the whiteboard. Once you've put critical points on it, stay to the side so the audience can see what you've written.

Tips & Warnings

• Do pre-session writing when possible. If your whiteboard text is already there when your group comes in, you don't have to worry about getting it up on the board during a speech. Planning is a big part of good whiteboard use.
• Use correct markers. People who have made mistakes know how much of a hassle it is to end up using permanent marker on a whiteboard or a low-grade marker that won't write at any angle and just leaves smudges. Test your marker out beforehand to make sure it's up to the task.

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