Better Presentations are possible
Whoever
it was who said “Talk is cheap,” probably wasn’t standing at a podium addressing investors, or trying to
close an important sale. In the few minutes you have to capture audience attention and present your agenda,
you can’t afford to be stiff, unorganized, wordy, nervous or simply unprepared.
Quotables
"It takes one hour of preparation for each minute of presentation time." -- Wayne Burgraff
"A theme is a memory aid, it helps you through the presentation just as it also provides the
thread of continuity for your audience." -- Dave Carey
"There are always three speeches, for every one you actually gave. The one you practiced, the
one you gave, and the one you wish you gave." -- Dale Carnegie
"No one can remember more than three points." -- Philip Crosby
"The audience only pays attention as long as you know where you are going." -- Philip Crosby
"Ask yourself, ''If I had only sixty seconds on the stage, what would I absolutely have to say
to get my message across." -- Jeff Dewar
"No one ever complains about a speech being too short!" -- Ira Hayes
"Humor heals the heckler." -- Gerald C. Meyers
"The simplest way to customize is to phone members of the audience in advance and ask them
what they expect from your session and why they expect it. Then use their quotes throughout your presentation." -- Alan Pease
"They expect a professional presentation, so they expect to see a ''professional.'' Dress appropriately
for the occasion, but don't be one of the crowd." -- Wess Roberts
Presentation Tips:
Start with a quotation.
You can find lots of quotations on the Internet.
If you can't find one, make it up. As long as it fits no-one will ever know.
Produce an unusual statistic.
It could help build some connection with the
audience. It is very likely that most statistics are made up on the spot. "Strange but almost true" quotations are
great presentation helpers.
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.
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.
Avoid the 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.
Involve the audience.
"Tell me and I will forget, Show me and I will remember,
Involve me and I will understand".
If you fail to prepare, you prepare to fail.
This is one of the
biggest mistakes people make. They think that they can "wing it", but in reality those who appear to be "winging it" are often
very well prepared.
"It takes more than three weeks to prepare a good impromptu speech." - Mark
Twain.
