No-one ever complained of a presentation being too short.
Long presentations can turn off the audience and be boring. Say what you have to say. Stop and shut up.
A picture is worth a thousand words.
Use pictures instead of bullet points and your message retention should increase. Research suggests that this could be by a factor of five.
Involve the audience.
Happy Computers have made a great success of their coaching business by involving the audience. Their motto seems very apt.
"Tell me and I will forget,
Show me and I will remember,
Involve me and I will understand".
Make the presentation interactive - if you can.
Produce an unusual statistic.
It could help build some connection with the audience. I love the one by Vic Reeves - 93.7% of statistics are made up on the spot. Radio shows are filled with "strange but almost true" quotations.
Live with the fear.
All presenters end up as very nervous before a presentation - a situation commonly known as "bricking it". We have given literally hundreds and the fear never goes away. It is a combination of adrenaline and testosterone. Learn how to harness it, just like an athlete has to. It happens to the best of us.
Realize that you will come down.
I love this quotation from the great performer Robert Houdin that I found in the book - Carter beats the Devil by Glen David Gold.
"It is well known that a magician feels no suffering while on the stage; a species of exaltation suspends all feelings foreign to his part, and hunger, thirst, cold, or heat, even illness itself, is forced to retreat in the presence of this excitement, though it takes revenge afterwards"
When the testosterone wears off, you will come down with a low. If you have done well you will have been on a high - sometimes known as that Presentation Sensation. Realize that when this goes, often in the evening - you will feel low or even depressed.
No matter how well the presentation goes - you will come down later - usually in the evening. This is only temporary.
Clean your shoes.
You will be on display. Your audience will be looking at how well you are turned out. They will look at your shoes. Make sure that you have cleaned them.
The eyes have it.
Maintain good eye contact with the audience. Don't keep contact with only one group of the audience. Spread your attention around the room.
Avoid jargon.
People really do play buzzword bingo. Whether it the "TLA" - Three Letter Abbreviation or the "Paradigm Shift" you don't want the audience to be scoring points at your expense
KISS.
No - not kiss the audience - Keep ItSimple Stupid. Reduce your presentation to simple concepts and your audience should be able to follow you. If you go beyond their understanding they will switch off.
Don't use PowerPoint sound effects.
It may seem funny to have applause at the end of a slide, or a screeching sound for a new bullet point, but it will turn off the audience.
Check out the room before your presentation.
Make sure the room has everything that you need and make sure the presentation works on the screen. If possible go up the day before - or at least an hour beforehand. This will avoid any nasty surprises on the big day.
Don't drink the night before - and certainly don't get drunk.
Alcohol recovery or a hangover will be the kiss of death to your presentation. Alcohol will drain all of the enthusiasm from your voice. And if you've had a drink before you go on, your voice will be slightly slurred. Best avoid it, the time for a drink is after, not before.
Don't lock your knees.
When you get to the lectern, unlock your knees and act as if you were about to catch a ball. It will relax you and make it all flow much more smoothly.
Take a spare tie.
You don't want a gravy spot on your tie before you speak. If you have a meal before you speak take a spare tie with you.
Always leave handouts.
You have gone to a lot of effort to produce your presentation. Leaving handouts will reinforce your messages, and will help them to remember your presentation when they look at them again. Always include your contact details so that the audience can contact you.
Memorize your speech.
Do not read from your notes, unless you have frozen or not prepared. It will sound flat and stilted. If you have learnt your speech it will sound natural and you will even have the chance to ad lib, if the opportunity arises.
If you fail to prepare, you prepare to fail.
This is one of the biggest mistakes I see. People think that they can "wing it", but in reality those who appear to be "winging it" are often very well prepared. Every one of Frankie Howard's muses such as "ooh, now where was I?" was in the script and well rehearsed.
It takes more than three weeks to prepare a good impromptu speech. - Mark Twain.
Off the cuff should mean well planned. I once heard a tale about someone who went to the Garrick Club and accidentally left wearing Enoch Powell's coat. In his pocket was a small pile of postcards, with his speech written on them. The speech started with the words "I never expected to be asked to speak this evening!" The professionals do it - so why shouldn't you?
Long presentations can turn off the audience and be boring. Say what you have to say. Stop and shut up.
A picture is worth a thousand words.
Use pictures instead of bullet points and your message retention should increase. Research suggests that this could be by a factor of five.
Involve the audience.
Happy Computers have made a great success of their coaching business by involving the audience. Their motto seems very apt.
"Tell me and I will forget,
Show me and I will remember,
Involve me and I will understand".
Make the presentation interactive - if you can.
Produce an unusual statistic.
It could help build some connection with the audience. I love the one by Vic Reeves - 93.7% of statistics are made up on the spot. Radio shows are filled with "strange but almost true" quotations.
Live with the fear.
All presenters end up as very nervous before a presentation - a situation commonly known as "bricking it". We have given literally hundreds and the fear never goes away. It is a combination of adrenaline and testosterone. Learn how to harness it, just like an athlete has to. It happens to the best of us.
Realize that you will come down.
I love this quotation from the great performer Robert Houdin that I found in the book - Carter beats the Devil by Glen David Gold.
"It is well known that a magician feels no suffering while on the stage; a species of exaltation suspends all feelings foreign to his part, and hunger, thirst, cold, or heat, even illness itself, is forced to retreat in the presence of this excitement, though it takes revenge afterwards"
When the testosterone wears off, you will come down with a low. If you have done well you will have been on a high - sometimes known as that Presentation Sensation. Realize that when this goes, often in the evening - you will feel low or even depressed.
No matter how well the presentation goes - you will come down later - usually in the evening. This is only temporary.
Clean your shoes.
You will be on display. Your audience will be looking at how well you are turned out. They will look at your shoes. Make sure that you have cleaned them.
The eyes have it.
Maintain good eye contact with the audience. Don't keep contact with only one group of the audience. Spread your attention around the room.
Avoid jargon.
People really do play buzzword bingo. Whether it the "TLA" - Three Letter Abbreviation or the "Paradigm Shift" you don't want the audience to be scoring points at your expense
KISS.
No - not kiss the audience - Keep ItSimple Stupid. Reduce your presentation to simple concepts and your audience should be able to follow you. If you go beyond their understanding they will switch off.
Don't use PowerPoint sound effects.
It may seem funny to have applause at the end of a slide, or a screeching sound for a new bullet point, but it will turn off the audience.
Check out the room before your presentation.
Make sure the room has everything that you need and make sure the presentation works on the screen. If possible go up the day before - or at least an hour beforehand. This will avoid any nasty surprises on the big day.
Don't drink the night before - and certainly don't get drunk.
Alcohol recovery or a hangover will be the kiss of death to your presentation. Alcohol will drain all of the enthusiasm from your voice. And if you've had a drink before you go on, your voice will be slightly slurred. Best avoid it, the time for a drink is after, not before.
Don't lock your knees.
When you get to the lectern, unlock your knees and act as if you were about to catch a ball. It will relax you and make it all flow much more smoothly.
Take a spare tie.
You don't want a gravy spot on your tie before you speak. If you have a meal before you speak take a spare tie with you.
Always leave handouts.
You have gone to a lot of effort to produce your presentation. Leaving handouts will reinforce your messages, and will help them to remember your presentation when they look at them again. Always include your contact details so that the audience can contact you.
Memorize your speech.
Do not read from your notes, unless you have frozen or not prepared. It will sound flat and stilted. If you have learnt your speech it will sound natural and you will even have the chance to ad lib, if the opportunity arises.
If you fail to prepare, you prepare to fail.
This is one of the biggest mistakes I see. People think that they can "wing it", but in reality those who appear to be "winging it" are often very well prepared. Every one of Frankie Howard's muses such as "ooh, now where was I?" was in the script and well rehearsed.
It takes more than three weeks to prepare a good impromptu speech. - Mark Twain.
Off the cuff should mean well planned. I once heard a tale about someone who went to the Garrick Club and accidentally left wearing Enoch Powell's coat. In his pocket was a small pile of postcards, with his speech written on them. The speech started with the words "I never expected to be asked to speak this evening!" The professionals do it - so why shouldn't you?
