Additional reminders for an effective presentation

Follow these suggestions to help you deliver an effective presentation

A conference I attended recently included six very informative presentations. Overall, the quality of the material was very good. However, I witnessed a number of common presentation gaffes. Keep these tips in mind the next time you step in front of an audience.
 

1. Test the microphone. Make sure you know the microphone’s working range. Speak louder, and/or stay close to the microphone. Use a lapel mic if you can. They’re closer to your face naturally, and allow you to move around. (And for handheld units, keep the mic close to your mouth. Don’t worry: it won’t bite you.)
Make sure your audience can hear you well before you begin. It’s better to be too loud than too soft.
 
2. Repeat questions posed by audience members. This is especially true if speaking in a large room. People in the back can’t hear the question that’s posed by someone up front. Just say, “The question is,….”, then answer it.

How to conduct a webinar with problems

It can happen to the best. I sat in on a webinar today hosted by a veteran professional speaker. For the first 10 minutes there was no sound. (Actually, there was some odd background noise, including a cell phone ringing.) Eventually the presenter realized he had a problem (perhaps from the person calling), corrected the … Read more

Some tips for effective presentations

Attending a presentation the other day, I was reminded of some of the common mistakes presenters make. Here is what came to mind, and what you can do to enhance your presentation skills. Text heavy slides: Boring and difficult to read. There’s no need to fill the screen with your information. Use an outline format, with … Read more