Presentation Points...

Some points for improving your next presentation:

• On a slide, always put 5 +/- 2 (i.e., 3 to 7) items
• Too few and audience loses interest
• Too many and it looks crowded
• Give a copy of the slides to the audiences before presentation
• If you tie a point to an example, you get a better retention factor
• Slides (overheads) are a background for an improvisation act
• Don't Apologize (shows an error or lack of planning)
• Have the room clean, simple, and setup before anyone arrives
• Meet and welcome people at door with smiles (generates enthusiasm, sets mood)
• Call people by name, it creates a rapport (Make sure your name tag is readable)
• Show people out to door at end
• When meeting people, have some form of physical contact (creates rapport)
• shake hands, place hand on back when leading them in
• Be aware of cultural differences
• Before presentation, gain rapport
• mingle, get info from audience
• Don't stand at front shuffling papers, looks like you aren't ready

Work in stages:

1. Rapport building
2. clarity of talk
1. Sitting creates conversation, standing indicates dominance - presentation
2. If you can't get eye contact, audience isn't paying attention (change tracts!)
3. Eye Contact:
1. When talking, look at someone directly
2. Only move eyes to someone else when not talking
3. This brings people to present
4. Talk to individuals, not the whole group at a time
5. After asking a question, wait 5 full seconds
1. let's people absorb info & formulate question
6. Thank and acknowledge all contributions from the audience
1. "Great question", "That's a good comment"
7. Don't try to answer a question you don't know
8. 50% of communications is non-verbal
1. smile, be energetic
2. stand up straight
3. use non-verbal communications when appropriate
4. use visuals (pictures, hands)
5. Be explanatory with your hands
6. If nothing, leave hands at side
1. crossed arms <> open mind
2. hands on hip <> flexible
3. don't slap hands on sides
9. Don't use `but', as in `Yes,but"
1. it alienates, negates everything before
2. use `and' instead
3. Contribute & share
• Give People a chance to play. If you play, they will too
• Give credit to audiences knowledge, and they will credit yours
• If you say `It's a fact", you will be proven wrong
• be flexible, don't take a position
• "I believe its true", "In my experience"
• Don't assess, look for possibilities in all audience contributions
• If an audience viewpoint doesn't match yours, ask for elaboration
• contribution is wanted
• Ask for an experience which validates their viewpoint
• explain why your viewpoint is also valid
• Clarify audience question, ask for specifics.
• Repeat question, ask if that's what they are asking
• Don't be tied to content! Be present, here and now!
• Be flexible, allow interrupts in presentation
• know your purpose
• know what you want to say, worry about order
4. At beginning, state purpose of presentation
• 1 clear concise statement
• Allows you to avoid off the wall questions (doesn't fit purpose of talk)
5. Voice: Construction
• Have contrast
• loud, soft, fast, slow
• articulate
6. Make sure you start from audience viewpoint
• why should they learn what you are about to teach
• use their examples from mingling
• find out where customers are coming from
• Repeat things
• allows it to soak in
• denotes importance
• Don't overdo it!