Another easy way to encourage audience participation is to ask questions, and ask for a show of hands.  Questions not only stimulate mental alertness, but the physical movement of the raising of hands boost's the group's energy.  Internationally acclaimed speaker, Les Brown asks for a show of hands throughout his presentations, and the feeling in the audience is that you are actively engaging in conversation with Les.

How do you create that feeling of connection when a camera lens seems to distance your audience from you?

First, I invite you to realize that speaking to a camera, or appearing on TV can be a much more intimate experience for an audience, for two reasons: 

1. They literally are looking at you more closely. Nothing like a close-up in HD to send you back to the makeup table!  But seriously, TV is perceived to be a more natural conversational distance to the viewer than a speaker on a platform.