A few days ago (November 26th to be precise) I had a chance to work on my public speaking at work. In the past, like many people, I have been scared to get up in front of people and talk. This time I was prepared and based upon feedback from people that attended my talk, I did quite well.
I took some simple steps to prepare for my “speaking engagement”.
- I thoroughly researched my subject matter and wrote several pages of text.
- I read my document several times before transcribing all my speaking notes to cards.
- I rehearsed several times in front of the mirror until I could deliver my speech within the time allocated to me.
All this prior preparation left me feeling confident that I could deliver, and did I ever! I actually enjoyed my speaking and my only wish was that I had more time.
What was really unique about this opportunity to speak was the format: think speed dating. Almost 40 presenters and 300 attendees took part in this event, speaking on many diverse topics… 8 minutes at a time! A ding of the bell and the audience would change tables. As a member of the committee that worked to put this event together, I was privy to audience feedback. Many people, including the die-hard pessimists, enjoyed this event.
Why was this event so enjoyable? No PowerPoint. Over and over again this comment was made.
So, why do people detest PowerPoint so much? Well, believe it or not, there has been some research regarding this. Forget for the minute that some of the PowerPoint slide styles are just plain ugly. The big culprits in this are (1) the way PowerPoint is used and (2) the way people learn.
PowerPoint comes with many standard page templates. These templates are used to excess, and unfortunately many people try to fit too much information into them. They also use these pages as both handout and speaking notes. In essense what happens is PowerPoint is used to deliver the message or content and the “speaker” merely regurgitates what is on the screen. This is a surefire way to bore your audience.
For a good presentation, you need to capture the audience’s attention by using your passion to deliver the message. If you are using PowerPoint to assist you, have the slides support or intensify what you are saying. This helps people to engage and remember your message because you have a strong auditory message being reinforced with pertinant images or multimedia.
Garr Reynolds is an Associate Professor of Management at Kansai Gaidai University where he teaches Marketing, Global Marketing and Multimedia Presentation Design. He has some really great ideas on presentation delivery. You should check out his presentation pages, as he has some great ideas to share. His Presentation Zen web site is dedicated to great presentation design.
If you’d like some great examples of how good presentations should be done, search YouTube for Steve Jobs. Many presentation professionals refer to his presentation styles as “the right stuff”.