Like many readers of this blog, I go to a lot of conferences and see lots of presentations. Recently, I was chatting with an industry contact about good presentations and I outlined a list of things I believe presenters need to do to capture my attention:
- Know your information cold. You should know your topic so well that if there were no projector you could still deliver a solid presentation. If you read every word off your slides you’ve lost me very quickly.
- The more pictures, the better! Perhaps this is due to my ADD, but it breaks up the presentation and is aesthetically pleasing.
- Please move around, if I wanted to look at a statue, I’d go to a museum. In my opinion, moving around allows you to connect with the room better and humanize your presentation very quickly.
- Tell stories…tell lots of stories! To me, this drives home a point and allows me to really think deeper about what you are saying.
- 30 seconds about your company. Please don’t make your presentation an infomercial. Yes, you are important. Yes, your company is awesome…but if you spend too much time telling us how great you and your company are, you will do more damage than good and that will be an invitation for most of the room to check Facebook or their email.
Ok, your turn!
- What do you think of my list?
- What would you add to my list?
- What percentage of presentations do you feel hold your attention from start to finish?
dan Rangel says:
I like it when the presenter brings a box of toys and gifts for audience members who participate in the presentation and who answer questions posed by the speaker.
Those people are the best presenters!
Merrill Dubrow says:
Dan – that always helps!
Merrill
janet savoie says:
Videos are great. High energy, enthusiastic, organized, encourages audience participation are all important. Monotone presenters put me to sleep as do colorless, crowded slides that cant be read from the back of the room. A big pet peeve is when tables or charts are shown that even people in the front row cant read.
roger austin says:
Your list is spot on. Also, add humor.
Merrill Dubrow says:
Roger,
Good addition – humor is critical – done right can drive home the point!
Merrill
Ed Sugar says:
Great list Merrill and I love the additional items cited above.
I would add including classic quotations that can be tied to and underscore the point the speaker is making. Classic quotes can be insightful, funny and can create that “Ah Hah” moment that all great speakers strive for.
Jeff Adler says:
I would add…
Make sure the length of Q&A is longer than the length of the presentation.
Bob Graham says:
I think the secret to great presentations corresponds to what James Cagney described as the secret to great acting: “Walk out. Plan your feet firmly on the stage. Look the people in the eyes and tell them the truth.”
Kelly Heatly says:
Great list. I totally agree with including lots of photos and also agree with Janet’s suggestion to include videos — but only if they are short, powerful, and good quality. I also like it when presenters engage the audience in some way, i.e., asking a group question with show of hands.