Exactly how often should you engage your audience or learners? According to my research and the advice of my colleagues, there seem to be three camps of thought on this. Of course, it always depends on the situation, your audience, and your content. The most common response to my survey was “every 10 minutes or so.” We hear people can only concentrate on something for short durations of time, and 7-10 minutes is often quoted as the right time to change gears.
For example, a recent article for teaching college level classes stated: “class activities should be changed every 7 to 10 minutes to keep students' attention. It's also a good idea avoid long lectures, which are a very passive classroom activity, and instead choose activities that involve students.”
The second most common response was “any time you feel they might be losing interest.” This one is tricky. Sometimes it’s hard to tell whether a group is actively engaged, or not. Some groups are less inclined to participate verbally but may still be highly engaged mentally. If you offer a variety of ways to engage, you may notice that even though they are not talkative, they are engaged. Perhaps you ask for something as simple as raising a virtual hand or reaction icon. Perhaps you ask them to answer a question in the chat box, or you open a poll. Or you could ask people to write something down, give them a moment, then ask what they wrote about. Consider using less common ways to engage, for example on a whiteboard or sticky notes within the virtual environment.
Some of my colleagues said they thought engagement should happen “every 3-5 minutes.” There may be situations where you need to change gears this often. If so, be sure to include a variety of different types of interactions, including some that are “reflective” rather than active, or physical rather than all mental. For example, you might ask your listeners to write something down, or have them close their eyes and imagine something you are describing. This way you engage more senses, and you appeal to different learning styles or preferences. Be sure you are truly engaging, not just keeping your listeners busy.
In short, frequency of engagement should be determined by the type and length of your presentation, along with group norms and expectations. Unfortunately, one answer won’t fit all. Engagement should probably take place more often than you think but not so often listeners get overwhelmed. For example, a 10-minute status update might include one or two quick interactions, where a four-hour safety training class might require a change of pace and /or a quick engagement every 7-10 minutes or so.
Which camp of thought do you tend to fall into? Or can you use each of these categories to determine what is “just right” for your situation?