Giving Presentations From An Audience Perspective #3
This is the third part of this new “42 things” series as we reach 1/7th of the way through – you can catch up from previous posts, starting here Giving Presentations, From An Audience Perspective.
Three important factors that can impact your presentation are discussed here: find a balance between waffle and getting to the point and talk about things the audience can relate to.
Relate To The Audience
Think about who your audience are, what they do, what their expectations may be and adjust your presentation to match. A list of facts is one thing but relatable examples put into an appropriate context can make a presentation more accessible and much more interesting. As an example, imagine trying to convey the benefits of a Wiki to an audience of Marketing people – do you talk about the mechanics of Wiki, the workflow, or technical implications or do you instead talk about how ideas can be presented quickly, shared and collaborated upon? Try and relate facts into a scenario or useful story that the audience can relate to. Use metaphors if need be – you need to make a connection to the audience.
Rehearse But Don’t Memorise
Preparation is everything. As audience members we really want to hear what you have to say – but we don’t want a monotone recital – this could prove worse than just reading the slides so be a little freer with your delivery – obviously you need to remember your key points but it has to come across as being natural otherwise you are going to lose the audience interest. Always remember – it is the key points that you want the audience to go away with.
Get To The Point As Soon As Possible
The audience has come to hear about the topic of the presentation so you need to connect quickly. Get to the point as soon as possible but don’t rush and don’t waffle on endlessly about who you are, how great you are, who you work for, and why they are great. Of course this information may be important in setting the scene but try and keep it short – one or two slides only. Some presentations I have seen can span six or more slides on company background and take half an hour or more to get to the main event. By that time interest starts to wane quite a bit as the desire for coffee and a walk around sets in. You can always include a more detailed background in your hand-outs at the end of the presentation – so get to the point quickly and delivery your key points early.
This article was brought to you by Jason Slater Technology Blog
Related Posts…
- Giving Presentations, From An Audience Perspective
- Giving Presentations From An Audience Perspective #2
Previous 42 things…
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