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Glossary
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Tips from all aspects of pulling
off the successful presentation!
Welcome
Presenting Solutions can provide you the equipment for great
presentations. Other sources can provide you the information for the
presentation. Still others can write the presentation for you (or you can
do it yourself). It is up to YOU to turn all of it into a great, effective
presentation. Perhaps this section will help you make that presentation a
little better, or simplify your creating of the presentation. Go for
it!
 What this section is all
about!
There is no presumption here to "teach you" how to be a great
presenter. Many of you visiting this section have been communicating
effectively for years. Please consider this a refresher. We have tried to
assemble many tips on presentations, in the hopes that some will trigger
old knowledge, others may be new to you.
When you leave here, we like
to think that your next presentation will go perhaps a little smoother or
a bit better, by virtue of our reminding you about some things that you
already "knew." We are pretty confident that that next presentation won't
go any worse.
We plagiarize only the very best.
I like to think that a few
points made here represent "intuitive leaps" in presentation theory, found
only here. Fat chance!
I have just assembled in one place many "gems"
accumulated over the years. In particular, some of the regular sources I
have found strong in this type of information include: Sales and Marketing
Strategies, Presentations Magazine, Tom Hopkins; The Art of Selling, and
others. Of course the wisdom from these sources originated in many other
places.
On Preparing for a Presentation
The Structure of a
Presentation
The Rule of Tell'em
Tell'em what you are going to tell'em,
Tell it to them, and then Tell'em what you told them.
The
translation: Start with an introduction; including an "agenda" or set
of goals for the presentation, provide the content; information and
summarize the presentation.
Last is First -- The Summary/Conclusion Slide
One researched
"fact" of presenting that has been around for a while is that most people
attending a presentation will "remember" no more than five key points.
What has not been confirmed is what are the key points?
Ideally, the
presenter should have a list of the five most important
points/concepts/facts that should be remembered. BR> The attendees
should list the five they remember.
Now, what is the correlation?
Is your message getting across? Or are they remembering minor points
and missing your key ideas? It's bad enough that they will only remember 5
points, my own theory say's you and they will not consider the same things
important -- what if they remember only one point that you think
important.
How to get your audience to remember what you want them
to? If we take this as a truth, what impact should it have on creating an
effective presentation.
Start with the Last Slide! That's right, when you are ready to
create your presentation, forget the details for a minute,
forget the presentation's organization, instead:
Write out
your conclusion or summary slide first! It should emphasize the most
important points you plan to make. Once you have visualized those
points, it's relatively easy build your presentation around
them.
Curious, it comes back to the Rule of Tell'em. Even the
brilliant people in your audience may need your help in deciding what
you believe most important. Help them out!
The Basic Rules of Good
Presentations
KISS - Keep It Simple Stupid
There are numerous ways to apply this ancient adage. The bottom line
is that the more complicated you let things get, the more trouble you
can expect:
New technology is wonderful, but don't break in new
equipment 15 minutes before the presentation starts.
Keep your
presentation focused on the message, don't get carried away with special
effects and razzle-dazzle.
Whatever you do, don't have rented
equipment scheduled to arrive 10 minutes before you speak.
Check out
everything in advance. Then check it again.
Rehearsing the Presentation
There's something to be said for winging it: " Forget It!"
To present the most professional
image, you need to know your presentation. It's OK to occasionally leave
the main "script" but, wandering presentations that lack focus, or those
too dependent on working from notes, or long pauses to compose your
thoughts are never acceptable.
Rehearsing the presentation includes
more than just going over what you will be saying. Rehearsing includes
the entire presentation. Use the same tools too. If you are using
slides, or a projector, and have access to the room you will be
presenting in, rehearse there. Using a remote mouse and laser pointer
for the presentation, a microphone? Rehearse the presentation with these
devices.
Don't memorize
Rehearsing is one thing, committing the presentation to memory and
performing it by heart, is not the way to go. You need to present, not
to recite.
But use your notes very sparingly.
Dress for success.
Some say you can never overdress for a presentation. Others will
disagree. Our own belief is that other factors come in to play,
particularly how you handle yourself in the situation. Humor and how
formal your presentation is will impact whether you are "over"
presented.
But everyone agrees you should never underdress. How to
determine what is appropriate? Worst case: Ask people. It's all part of
doing it right.
Pace yourself - don't go too fast, or too slow.
A general rule, every "slide" deserves at least 10 seconds, and none
rate more than 100. If you find yourself spending several minutes on one
slide, consider breaking it up! (We're not suggesting this as a firm
rule, but a good guideline. Obviously, some charts or graphics may take
several minutes to properly present.) Then again, perhaps they could be
better as multiple "slides."
If you are done with a "slide" - lose
it. Don't leave an image up for your audience once you move on to other
points.
The Presentation Tools
Slides, LCD and DLP Projectors, Laptops, LCD panels, Video,
Multimedia, Sound. Laser Pointers, Lapel Microphones, Overheads,
Photo-quality printers, Posterprinters... There are a great many
presentation tools available to you as a presenter. Determine your
communication needs, the presentation environment, and select the right
group of tools to get your message across.
Creating Support
Materials
Great, you have put together the killer presentation of all time. You
looked good, your audience reacted positively. It couldn't have gone
better, so what's wrong?
Several attendees return to their
organizations. They go to brief their superior, after two questions, it
becomes apparent that they have the concept.
Unfortunately, it also
becomes apparent that they don't have any specifics.
Why?
No or
poor documentation/handouts.
When all the other pieces of the puzzle
are in place, don't limit the staying power of your message, by providing
it without the right support materials.
It is Time to Speak Out -- Giving an Effective Presentation
On Fear and
Death
The Naked Audience
It's been said that most people, including
a great many executives, fear presenting to large groups even more than
they fear death.
If you are that nervous going into a presentation, one
old technique we've heard before: Get out there, look around, close your
eyes for a moment, and picture the people in the front row, either naked
or in their underwear (depending on your moral fibre). Either way, it is
said to have a relaxing, almost humorous effect.
The person who said "there is nothing to fear, but fear itself"
has never had his computer crash in mid presentation, his overheads all
fall on the floor, her slide tray still be in the overhead
compartment....
Pick one (or two) people easily visible to you, and
"speak" to them. Oh, be sure to also observe others, but concentrate on
just a few. This may or may not solve your "audiencophobia" but it will
keep you in touch with your audience, and provide you with some
feedback.
Your place as a
Presenter
Controlling your Audience, not your computer
- Face your audience
- Observe them
- Make eye contact - don't wander around the room, don't look down.
Wandering can be a sign of nervousness, while looking down, may be taken
as "trying to figure out what's next". (Remember -- you're the speaker
-- you're supposed to know.
- Lose the computer -- that is -- don't hide behind it. Get a remote
mouse and get back up in front of the group, where you belong, as
presenter, leader, moderator, and communicator.
Deferring questions, following up
Depending on the nature of
the meeting you are presenting at, it may be appropriate to field
questions during the presentation. In some cases it will be proper to
answer the question on the spot, in other cases, you may be addressing
that point later, or want to cover it later on or after the meeting. You
are the best judge of how to handle it.
Retain control of the flow of
the presentation. Where appropriate defer questions to later in the
presentation or afterwards. It is perfectly acceptable to reply
with:
"I would like to address your question later on when I cover..."
or "You and I can discuss that after the conclusion of the
presentation..." or
"Regretfully, I do not have that information
readily available. Please meet me after the meeting, I will get your
name... and get back to you next week."
If you do defer any questions:
Follow through as promised.
Nothing will damage your credibility in the long run, more than not
keeping your word.
Measuring your audience
Hint: Snoring is a really bad
sign!
We have suggested you focus on only a few people in your
audience. Are they attentive? What about body language -- are they
fidgeting or checking their watches? Taking notes? Taking
naps?
Seriously, it is for you to take note as to which parts of your
presentation are having an impact, and which are lost on your
listeners.
Technology soothes the beast
It's the Nineties, do you have a
laptop and projector. In the last couple of years presentation products
have made tremendous strides. For example, today's projectors have evolved
at least as much in the past two years, as computers have done in the last
five. With the big improvements in capabilities, everyone expects more of
you and your presentation.
As we have said elsewhere, the changes are
rapid, so Lead, Follow, or Get out of the Game.
"They thought my slides were great last time (1988)"
Presentations: The State
of Confusion or "the presentation isn't till tomorrow"
"I have trouble sleeping on the plane, with a PC on my
lap."
Simply put: DON'T WAIT TILL THE VERY LAST MINUTE TO WORK ON YOUR
PRESENTATION.
We all know that few presentations are really
finished and "in the can" even a couple of days before the presentation
must go on. That's even with best intentions.
Get an early start on
your presentation. You will still be changing it at the last minute
regardless.
It's the knowledge stupid, not the graphics
This is probably
a corollary of KISS: The purpose of your presentation is to communicate
ideas and information, not to dazzle people with fancy graphics.
. When
the session is over, you want your audience marching out discussing the
ideas you set forth, not talking about the neat graphics, the special
effects, etc.
Your Presentation
Achieves Consciousness: or How to Make an Impression.
Alternative: Your audience achieves unconsciousness
If you had to do it again, and again
You have the content
worked out, you followed all the rules, everything you must have in the
presentation -- direction, focus, information, reinforcement is there.
Now what will make it even better?:
Enthusiasm -- Absolutely nothing will help your
presentation more than communicating your passion and confidence. It
doesn't have to be an evangelical "Do you BELIEVE -- I BELIEVE," but
the audience will recognize your belief, and confidence, and it will add
credibility to your message.
The Power of Language
The words you select will dramatically
impact your audiences reaction -- to both your ideas and your
effectiveness as a presenter.
Your word processor has a thesaurus --
learn to use it -- effectively. Use "power" and "command" words to get
your audiences attention and to give the impression of confidence and
competence.
A few examples: Instead of "I think you will agree" try "I
am certain you will agree"
I hope you will consider vs. I recommend you
to consider.
Address your audience in second person. "You" is a very
powerful word, generally audiences react much better to being addressed as
"you" than in the third person as they. "As a participant, you will
benefit" vs. Participants will benefit.
Not only should you put a
thesaurus to work to find "better" words with more impact, but also to
prevent excessive use of the same word over and over again. (Throughout
this web site we have suffered from excessive use of the words need,
requirement, and solution, even with the thesaurus, we enjoyed little
relief, but still we probably reduced the use of "need" be 50%. Other than
that, "requirement" and "requisite" make a more powerful impact.
Humor
The right amount of humor - used judiciously, can go a
long way to build rapport with your audience, and keep your audience
interested and attentive.
As a rule, don't tell jokes for their own
sake, drop in your humor where it fits, relating to a point, or a break
between sections. Small amounts of humor or a irreverent comment from time
to time can go a long way to liven a presentation. Remember, a sleeping
audience remembers little.
Don't push your luck! Rehearsing your
presentation in front of real people is a great way to test the
"acceptability" of your humor.
Quotations
Appropriate quotations can make a noticeable
impact on your audience. It's not always possible to find quotes that are
directly relevant to your presentation, but it is often easy to find a
series of quotes that complement or promote concepts that are part of your
presentation.
One presenter I know, in the Multi-level marketing
business, likes to put a series of quotes from computer "visionaries"
including Thomas Watson (IBM), Ken Olson (DEC), Bill Gates
(Microsoft)...in his presentations.
These quotes go back many years:
- Thomas Watson (former Chairman of IBM, didn't think computers would
ever be popular.
- Ken Olson (founder and former president o DEC) couldn't figure out
why anyone would want a computer at home.
- Bill Gates thought that 640K of memory would be enough for everyone.
With the less than stellar credibility much of multi-level marketing is
perceived to have, these quotes which are all "way off the mark" provide a
cautionary tale that tells you that perceptions are not always
right.
Better still, after the first couple of quotes, the audience is
"looking" for more -- they are having an impact on the audience.
Bottom
line: Make your Quotations relevant -- and interesting!
What is the difference between your audience and an elephant? The
elephant never forgets -- the audience occasionally remembers!
Art's Rule of Five (Five
presentation reminders in five categories)
Five things to do: Rehearse
- When rehearsing before a live being, eliminate your overview and
summary slide. Find out what they found interesting, memorable,
confusing. Have them list what they thought was most important! Did they
get your message?
- Test all your equipment in advance of the presentation.
- Rehearse using as much or all of the tools you plan use during the
real thing.
- Have a backup plan: What if your projector dies, computer crashes,
slide tray still on the plane. What is plan B. (And did you practice
it?)
- Introduction, Objective, Overview, Presentation, Summary
(Conclusion)
Five things for your audience to do
- Stay awake.
- Receive the information they seek.
- Get your message.
- Take away supporting materials that help them disseminate the
information you presented.
- Act on your information.
Five things to do when you are done
- Thank them!
- Make materials available
- Make yourself available
- Provide them with a method of reaching you
- Get feedback -- Find out what they thought of you, what they
learned, what they were hoping to learn but didn't, how you can improve
your presentation, how to improve your communication skills.
Five other things you could be doing now instead of reading this
(don't think you can get away this easily)
- Link to other sites (with similar or related information). Also
sites that are relevant to your career.
- Start working on your next presentation
- Review your last presentation, analyze it based on what you have
learned, and figure out how it can be improved.
- Link to an on-line bookstore and buy a book on better presentations.
- Log off, visit a friend, a spouse, take a vacation, TAKE A BREAK!
Five items we appreciate your doing!
- Bookmark our site!
- Purchase a projector, film recorder or other presentation products
from us!
- Tell or email colleagues about our site, great products, great
prices, etc. And don't forget to give them our email and web address.
- Visit us again for the latest news, trends and tips in the
presentation world. Plus the latest product introductions and Special
Pricing and Programs.
- Accept our thanks for visiting us, providing feedback, spreading the
word, and giving us the opportunity to provide you with your
presentation equipment.
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