When you become expert at active listening, you become a better speaker and presenter as well. You know the process and know what listeners need and want. Not surprisingly, You get an audience to listen to you the same way you get a single person to listen. There are several natural blocks to active listening. It is important to understand and minimize them.
Humans can listen at twice the speed the average person speaks.
People think even faster than they can listen. Listeners' minds wander while waiting for the message to end or speed ahead anticipating the speaker. What someone says often ignites ideas in a listener's minds sending them off on an unrelated stream of imagination. Many speakers amble or take too long to get to the point. If the subject is highly emotional, the speaker may detour around the real issue.