Posts Tagged ‘rehearse’

Murphy’s Presentation Law

We’re all well acquainted with Murphy’s Law: if anything can go wrong, it will go wrong. Well the same applies to presentations, and when you’re giving a presentation there are so many things that could go wrong… Did you bring your own pc? It won’t recognize the projector! You have a Mac? You’re missing the cable adaptor! If not this, your remote will probably run out of battery or your powerpoint file isn’t compatible with the program version they have at the venue… I’ve even seen someone forget his password and not be able to start his computer to show his slideshow! Anyway, so many things that can go wrong, one of them probably will.

It’s not easy to anticipate every single one of the problems that can come your way, but the important part is not to anticipate them, it’s how you deal with them when they come up. I know someone who copies her presentations on 2 USB sticks in 2 different formats (pre and post 2003), which I think is pretty clever. But instead of relying so much on your slides and finding ways to prevent presentation glitches, the best thing you can do is prepare yourself so much for it that nothing can stop you. How many times have I said that you are the presentation? If you prepare your presentation so that you are the most important part of it, then, even without your slides, you can still present.

Many people, however, choke when something like this happens and they aren’t able to start the presentation. This is where you can tell there has been a lack of preparation; here you can really see they didn’t spend time rehearsing. I had one of these moments the other day, I had a presentation to give, I showed up at the venue, connected my laptop, found the audio cable, tested it, I turned on the projector… but I didn’t test it! 20 minutes later, when it was time to start, my slides weren’t showing up! I could have waited for the IT guy to find the problem before I began so I could show the beautiful slides it took me so long to create; but why make the audience waste their time like that? So I started the presentation. I told them who I am, where I’m from and why I was there. I do have slides that go with the story, but I don’t really need them! I was simply telling my story. And telling it like that, without any slides, I connected much more with the audience.

Solving technical issues takes time, time you shouldn’t make your audience waste. If you prepare all you presentations knowing that these things can also happen to you, then when they do happen you’ll be ready to react. Introduce the subject, tell them why it’s important; these are things that you know perfectly if you spent time preparing. I’m sure someone dealt with the issue by the time you’re done and your audience will appreciate not having to wait for 15 minutes. Can’t fix the problem no matter what? No worries! Remember they came to see you! Rehearse your presentation thoroughly and you won’t need slides, they’ll just support your message.

Good luck in your next presentation, don’t forget Murphy’s presentation law!

Byron Stanford for Project Presentation.

Tuesday, 15 February 2011 16:14 Written by Byron Stanford 5 Comments

How to rehearse a presentation

One of the most important things to do to deliver a good presentation is to rehearse. Rehearse it until you are perfectly confident of what you are saying, how you are saying it and when to switch to the next slide. Don’t you just hate those presentations in which the speaker keeps saying: “ummmmm”, “eeehhhh”? Or when they don’t know when to change to a new slide? So they either repeat themselves or say: “oh, I forgot!” That’s what we are trying to avoid by rehearsing.

Rule number one is that you have to rehearse out loud; it’s not good enough to do it in your head. In our heads we either go slower or faster than we do when we actually speak the words. This is very important if we are dealing with time constraints in our presentations. It is also very important that you practice with your slides so that when you are giving the presentation you don’t skip any or get ahead of yourself. This can also be avoided by using the Presenter View function in your presentation software, of course, but by rehearsing with your visual aids you can avoid those “ummms” and “ehhhhs” that we all dread so much.

Another good piece of advice is to rehearse in front of other people, your colleagues, family, husbands or wives, even the pizza delivery guy! It’s not only important that you perfectly control what you are saying, but also how you are saying it. Your gestures and facial expressions are a big part of the message you are trying to convey, and those don’t come out naturally when you are by yourself, you need a test audience. Also, it is very good to receive any type of criticism before your presentation so you can fine-tune any final details.

Good rehearsal is crucial if you are presenting in a second language; you have to be perfectly sure that what you are saying makes sense and is grammatically correct. When you rehearse the wording you are going to use you avoid making mistakes and confusing your audience.

After you have rehearsed your presentation enough times to know it better than you know the script from your favorite movie, you are ready to perform it. You can let go of those pieces of paper you hold to remember what comes next and concentrate on what you are saying and how you are saying it. Combine this with the Notes View option from your presentation software and a remote for presentations and you will be ready to give your most engaging presentation yet.

Until next time,

Byron Stanford for Project Presentation.