Lecterns

Most established speakers prefer not to use a lectern.  This is because it creates a divide between you and your audience.  Be brave and step out from behind the lectern.  You are the most important visual aid in your presentation, so make sure people can see you.

When you are using a lectern, do not be tempted to rest your hands on either side of it.  They will become stuck to that lectern and you will find yourself incapable of moving.

Presentation Training and Coaching is available from the author of this blog. Please visit my presentation training  website.

Give me a day and I’ll change your presentations, forever

Language

For most presentations, it is OK to use bad language.  I am not suggesting you swear and blaspheme your way through a presentation that is definitely wrong.  But starting a sentence with a preposition, using split infinitives, or even turning nouns into verbs is all right for most presentations.

Use conversational language.  Speak to the audience as if you are speaking to a friend.  This is just one of the reasons why reading from a script does not come across well.  When we are writing we use different formats and sentence constructions from when we are talking.

Use contractions.  Use short words and sentences, plus active verbs.  Do not be afraid of sentence fragments — people talk that way.

It is however best to avoid heavy use of jargon and abbreviations, unless you know for certain that everyone in your audience will know what you are talking about.  Be careful, it is sometimes surprising, as a vendor in a market, how little potential prospects know or understand about the market as a whole.

Presentation Training and Coaching is available from the author of this blog. Please visit my presentation training  website.

Give me a day and I’ll change your presentations, forever

Little Things

Little things can irritate, especially when they are repetitive.  Along with ‘Do not let the audience get ahead’, ‘little things irritate’ should be the second golden rule of presentations.  Little fonts that are too small to read irritate.  Little repetitive movements backwards and forwards irritate, little repetitive hand gestures irritate, adding ‘alright?’ or ‘you know’ at the end of every sentence irritates.  Watch out for these little things, as you probably do not even realise that you are doing them.  Making a video recording of your presentation while you are practising can be a very good way to see and recognise these sub-conscious mistakes.

Presentation Training and Coaching is available from the author of this blog. Please visit my presentation training  website.

Give me a day and I’ll change your presentations, forever