4 Tips Good Presenters Know – PowerPoint Death

4 Tips Every Good Presenter Knows

Nancy Buffington

Once you figured out how to get the attention of the attendees away from the PowerPoint and on you…You must know how to charm them like a pro. As part of the Saved From PowerPoint Death article, here is the second part…

1. Look at the audience, not the screen. There’s something magical and hypnotic about a screen that seems to suck us all in—but as the speaker you need to remain focused on the audience, not the screen. You created the slides, so you should already know what’s on them. Each time you look at the screen you signal your audience to look there too—which over time weakens the connection you’re trying to build with them.
2. Step away from the screen, ma’am. Same deal as above—the closer you are to the screen, the more you’ve bonded with it rather than your audience. Don’t use it as a security blanket; unless the room is set up so you really can’t move away from it, use that room!
3. Practice, practice, practice. Always a good idea when you’re preparing a talk, practice is essential when you’re using slideware to iron out technical glitches and sync your slides with your talk. And I don’t mean just a quick run-through on your laptop while you mumble to yourself—we’re talking project the slides on a big screen, use a remote to advance the slides, give your whole talk—to the room, not the screen. Turn the lights down if that’s how you’ll be presenting. Work out issues with timing. See where you need to insert blank slides. Make sure you’re comfortable with the remote. Find and fix print that’s too small for the audience to read, and font colors that don’t work in a large room.
4. Always have a back-up plan. We all know that tech sometimes fails us. Don’t worry about that possibility—just plan for it. Prepare handouts you can give out just in case, and be prepared to give your talk without the slides. You never know—it may turn out even better that way…