Backchannel, The: How Audiences are Using Twitter and Social Media and Changing Presentations Forever

Armed with laptops and smartphones, audiences today are no longer sitting quietly taking notes during live presentations. Instead, they’re carving out a new space in the room called the backchannel, where people are online searching for resources, checking your facts, and connecting with others inside the room and out.

When audiences are happy, the backchannel vastly extends the reach of ideas and creates a new sense of community and connectedness. But when they are unhappy, the intersection of frustrated audiences with unaware presenters can often create dramatic and public breakdowns of communication—and even mob mentality.

In this book, communications consultant Cliff Atkinson shows that if these new kinds of audience participation are embraced and the conversations properly handled, the outcome can be a new, more effective form of communicating. Whether you’re a host, presenter, or an audience member, Cliff will help you understand how this convergence of social forces is upending the presentation norm and how you can effectively manage the change.

Customer Reviews

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful Magnifying the Impact of a Speech, January 27, 2010 By  Ian D. Griffin - See all my reviews Amazon Verified Purchase(What's this?) This review is from: The Backchannel: How Audiences are Using Twitter and Social Media and Changing Presentations Forever (Paperback) Effective public speaking is a challenge for many executives. They must prepare interesting content, overcome stage fright and deliver a speech that will hold the audience's attention. As if that wasn't difficult enough, they are increasingly likely to find themselves looking out at a sea of faces illuminated by the glow of laptops and PDAs. Social media is invading the auditorium, and rather than tuning out while a speech is delivered, people are turning on laptops and cell phones to send out text messages, broadcasting to the world their opinions of a presentation. In his new book Cliff Atkinson explains how these new forms of online communication are shifting the rules of engagement between audiences and presenters. Instead of sitting politely until it's time for Q & A, people are going online during the address to swap comments and opinions via an electronic backchannel. At the very least, Atkinson claims, speakers and their communications support staff need... Read more Help other customers find the most helpful reviews  Was this review helpful to you?  Report abuse | Permalink  Comment 2 of 2 people found the following review helpful Should be high on the reading list of every presenter (especially in the tech area)..., March 21, 2010 By  Thomas Duff "Duffbert" (Portland, OR United States) - See all my reviews             This review is from: The Backchannel: How Audiences are Using Twitter and Social Media and Changing Presentations Forever (Paperback) I've been in conferences where people have twittered about the content, session, speaker, etc. But rarely have I seen a speaker take advantage of that backchannel conversation in order to shape and improve the quality of the presentation. Cliff Atkinson has written a book that every speaker (especially in the technical arena) should have high on their reading list... The Backchannel: How Audiences are Using Twitter and Social Media and Changing Presentations Forever. It's critical to understanding exactly what Twitter brings into the presentation mix, whether you want it to be there or not. Contents: Why Are You Calling Me a #@*% on Twitter?; How to Join a Twitter Backchannel; The Rewards of the Backchannel; The Risks of the Backchannel; Preparing for the Backchannel; Making Your Ideas Twitter-Friendly; Joining the Backchannel in Conversation; Handling Instant Feedback from the Backchannel; Holding Together the Backchannel Experience; Appendix A - The Four Tweets... Read more Help other customers find the most helpful reviews  Was this review helpful to you?  Report abuse | Permalink  Comment 2 of 2 people found the following review helpful Crucial new skills for presenters, December 28, 2009 By  Paul A. Baker "communicator" (Madison, Wis., US) - See all my reviews    This review is from: The Backchannel: How Audiences are Using Twitter and Social Media and Changing Presentations Forever (Paperback) You're comfortable presenting to audiences and you're well prepared for this conference. But . . . . A minute into your presentation you notice that many people are busy texting on their mobile phones. Chances are they're using Twitter to message each other about you and about your presentation. They may like you, or they may be encouraging each other to leave and check out another presentation. 'The Backchannel' provides anecdotes, case studies, a bit of communication theory, and how-to examples, to help you feel more comfortable as a presenter facing this new elephant in the room. Atkinson describes how to how to prepare for the backchannel, how to make your ideas Twitter-friendly, and how to manage this virtual conversation. At its worst, a backchannel conversation can get out of hand and degenerate into harsh criticism of your presentation in real time. Atkinson provides examples of speakers falling prey to negative comments and how they have succeeded, or failed, in defraying... Read more Help other customers find the most helpful reviews  Was this review helpful to you?  Report abuse | Permalink  Comment

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Praise For Backchannel, The: How Audiences are Using Twitter and Social Media and Changing Presentations Forever

"Presenters who don't learn to manage the backchannel will not only lose the respect of the audience, they'll miss the opportunity to have much more interesting and relevant conversations."
– Pamela Slim, author of Escape from Cubicle Nation

"Twitter and other forms of social media are changing the nature of business communications. This book will help you stand apart in the new digital world—as a presenter, communicator and representative of your brand."
– Carmine Gallo, author of The Presentation Secrets of Steve Jobs and Fire Them Up!

Online Sample Chapter

The Risks of the Backchannel

Table of Contents

Part 1: The Death of PowerPoint and the Rebirth of Conversation
1. A PowerPoint Chip on Our Shoulder
2. Opening the Backchannel Floodgates
3. Renegotiating a Social Contract: The new Presentation Conversation
4. Integrating the Online with the Offline in a new Conversation Infrastructure
Part 2: Audience 2.0; How to listen, attend, communicate and participate
5. The Audience 2.0 Bill of Rights and Responsibilities
6. Voting with Your Feet
7. When the Audience Completely Runs the Show
8. Listening, reporting, Tweeting, blogging, commenting and the neglected art of question-asking
Part 3: Presenter 2.0; How to listen, present, communicate and facilitate
9. The Presenter 2.0 Bill of Rights and Responsibilities
10. The Art and Science of Crowdsourcing your Presentation
11. PowerPoint is Dead, Long Live PowerPoint
12. The Human Bar Chart, and Other Presentation Innovations
13. Choosing the right medium for your message: keynotes, panels, conversations and un-conferences

Downloadable Sample Chapter

Why Are You Calling Me a #@*% on Twitter?