You suck.
Sincerely,
Your Audience
Luckily most of our audiences are too polite or professional to write such a letter but that doesn't mean they don't want to. Business audiences across the globe complain about the same presenter shortcomings, yet somehow we presenters don't get the message. If our too-polite audience could tell us their concerns directly, what would they say?
1. Please don't read the slides to me. I can read. In fact, I can read faster than you can speak. If you are reading me the slides, why do I need you? Why don't you just send them to me and save us both a bunch of time? I'd much rather you shared the information with me yourself instead of relying on the slides to do it. I want to hear what you think and feel about your topic.
2. If you are going to use slides, I'd like them to further explain or illustrate what you're saying rather than duplicate it. Show me graphs or charts or illustrations or pictures that make your information more memorable. And put headlines on the slides, like in the newspaper, so I get the main point before looking at all the detail.
3. Don't ask me to hold my questions until the end of your presentation. That makes it easier for you, not me. I want to get points clarified as we go along because otherwise I might not be able to stay attentive -- I'll still be puzzling over my question.
4. When I do ask you a question, please let me finish. Don't cut me off part way through because you know what I'm going to ask. It's just plain polite not to interrupt me. But it's also possible that you've made the wrong assumption about what I'm going to say. And then you'll be answering the wrong question. Oh yeah, don't check your notes or look at your watch while I'm asking my question. Please listen and look at me while I'm speaking. Again, it's just plain polite.
5. If you want me to be able to read your slides, please make sure the font size is big enough. If you have to squint to read them, think what it's like for me sitting at the back of the room. When you are preparing your slides, why don't you walk a distance away from the screen and see if they're still readable. I find a 32 point size works really well.
6. Please make eye contact with me and smile from time to time to show me that you're interested in both me and your topic. That makes it so much easier for me to be engaged with you. And if I'm engaged with you, I'll be more likely to understand and remember what you're saying.
7. If you're going to use examples or stories -- and I really hope you do -- please make them relevant to my experience and situation. That means you need to find out a bit about me before you present to me. What job do I do? What are my challenges? How will I use the information you are providing? What do I already know about your topic?
Well, that's probably enough feedback for now. There are some other things, but I don't want to overwhelm you. If you can incorporate these suggestions into your upcoming presentations, I and all my colleagues in audiences everywhere will be forever grateful.
Photo Credit:
flickr/Writing a Letter C.C. 2.0
5 Ways to Get the Most Out of a Presentation Skills Course
Dear Presentation Skills Course Participant:
Now that you are scheduled to attend a training course to improve your public speaking skills, I know that you are looking forward to being transformed into a brilliant presenter upon completion. And while I, too, would like to see that happen, alas, my magic transforming wand can only accomplish so much.
Given that slight limitation, I offer you these suggestions for participating fully in the transformation process:
1. Come to the course with a specific objective. You have undoubtedly already had a small amount -- possibly a great deal -- of experience speaking in public. Reflect on what has gone well and what you wish could go more smoothly. From that analysis, pick 1 or 2 specific things you want to focus on in the course. Examples might be: manage presentation nerves; determine a process for organizing my content; create an interesting opening for my presentation; handle questions more effectively.
Although you will be tempted to focus on everything, picking just a couple things at a time will allow you to more effectively internalize the new skills.
2. During the course, question anything that doesn't make sense to you or that you couldn't see yourself doing. Ask for alternative methods. The instructor should certainly be able to help you modify various techniques to be more aligned with your personal style or circumstances.
For example, if the instructor recommends that you use small note cards to help you remember the main points of your presentation but you feel uncomfortable with that because everyone else in your organization uses PowerPoint notes, the instructor can show you how to either use the note cards unobtrusively or help you use the notes section of PowerPoint without compromising your eye contact with the audience.
3. Participate robustly in the videotaped practice. The feedback you receive from seeing yourself on video and the critique from the instructor and other participants will be the most valuable aspect of the course. You may feel shy, nervous, terrified or all of the above about being videotaped but find a way through those feelings so you can be present for this powerful piece of the learning. If necessary, speak to the instructor about your concerns and she can likely give you some perspectives that will help you manage your fears.
4. Take copious notes. Don't trust your memory to retain all the great ideas and techniques you're being exposed to. When you get ready to deliver a presentation, the elapsed time since the training and nervous anxiety will block out things that were crystal clear during the course. Take notes not only of the concepts being presented but also of thoughts that occur to you about specific applications or a particular [upcoming] presentation that would benefit from one of these new approaches.
5. Be generous in your feedback to others. By generous, I don't necessarily mean nice, although you certainly do want to look for the positives in others' presentations and comment on them. But equally important is the constructive feedback -- pointing out to others where they could have done something more effectively and what impact that would have had on you, their audience.
In many instances, if course participants are all from the same organization, you will have a better idea of company culture and context than the instructor and so your feedback will add valuable nuances. And best of all, if you're generous with your feedback, others will return the favor.
So, dear participant, embrace these five suggestions and you will speed up your transformation to brilliant presenter...and save me some wear and tear on my magic wand.
Photo Credit:
www.flickr.com C.C. 2.0
sheeshoo