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Beyond Bells and Whistles

ool graphics, laser pointers and the like might help you grab the audience's attention, but if you want them to learn, remember or even act based on your presentation, it's that matters. Here are some tips:
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  • Know your audience. Do your homework. There's nothing worse than a presentation that's too basic or one that goes over audience members' heads. Why are they there? What do they hope to get out of your presentation?
  • Get feedback on your presentations, both by rehearsing them in front of a candid friend or colleague and by asking audiences and planners of previous events what they thought of your presentation. Hand out evaluation forms. Best of all: Videotape yourself.
  • When in doubt, leave it out. Simpler is better.
  • Don't read-speak. Use notes, but not a script. You know your material, or what are you doing up there?
  • Embrace nervousness. It's excitement with a bad name. It shows you're psyched up. Use it.
  • If you have any extra preparation time, spend it on presentation skills: eye contact, confidence, what you do with your hands. Most communication is nonverbal.

    Software tips

  • Think first. Make an outline, just as you would when you're writing. Ask yourself, "What do I want my audience to do? What is my main message?" Don't just throw everything you know about a subject on slides and hope to impress the audience.
  • Be prepared. Technology fails. Do you know what you would do if your computer didn't work? Have a Plan B.
  • Don't tell the audience everything you know about a subject. When planning the presentation, start at the end (what you want them to remember or do) and work backward from there.
  • Less is more. Use slides to reinforce your main points. Use your voice to fill in the details. Nothing is more deadly than having a presenter read from slides. (If viewers can read it on the slide, why do they need the presenter?)
  • Use high-contrast colors, keep designs simple and use large, easy-to-read fonts. Which do you want them to remember: your graphics, or your ideas?

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