Hot Stuff

Have you ever noticed that some times you’re on fire when you give a presentation?

Everything is going your way; no nerves, the audience is listening and laughing, you speak effortlessly and at the end of the presentation people actually come up to you and tell you how much they enjoyed your segment.

Why is it, that some times you can do no wrong and other times everything seems to go wrong?

I had one of these hot presentations the other day. I don’t think I prepared any more than usual, I don’t think I worked harder than usual, so why was this one so much better than others?

Your audience can have a lot to do with your presentations: how well do they know each other, how much have they endured before you speak, how interested are they in your topic and how well you connect with them can make the difference between a good, bad or hot presentation.

Other things like the time of day you speak, the venue, distractions – both visual and noisy can all have an impact on your presentation.

You, as the presenter, have to try and factor everything in to ensure you give the best presentation you possibly can on the day, but sometimes the gods are just smiling on you and you’re “Hot Stuff”.

Keep speaking – Carrol

“Someone’s sleeping in my presentation” – part 2

Last week we looked at the signs your audience may be giving you if they’ve disconnected from you and your presentation.

Today we’ll look at how you can re-connect and get back on track.

Keeping your finger on the pulse of your audience is very important so that you don’t loose that vital connection with them.

* Understand what your audience wants from your presentation – Many presenters are only interested in making themselves look important or intelligent, reporting on everything they know without showing how their information can assist the audience or how it is relevant to their lives – remember, your audience will be asking “what’s in it for me”.

* Ask “you” focused questions throughout your presentation – Questions such as: Have you ever – Can you think of a time – Do you know. These types of question allow the audience to think about what you have been talking about and relate it to their own world.

* Use different formats for your presentation – use visual ways of displaying information (charts, pictures, short video clips). If people have something to look at this will help them to stay connected.

* Have discussions – can you have an audience discussion or break them up into small groups to discuss what you’ve been presenting.

* Maintain eye contact with your audience – If your audience members feel that you are talking to them personally it will be harder for them to disengage from you.

Keeping the attention of your audience is vitally important because no one wants to send their audience members to sleep; ensure you’re connecting with your audience to keep them engaged.

Keep speaking – Carrol

“Someone’s sleeping in my presentation”

Do you remember the story of Goldilocks?

Baby Bear discovered that someone was sleeping in his bed; “Someone’s sleeping in my bed, and she’s still there.”

Could you be putting your audience to sleep in your presentation?

You start off with a bang, but somewhere in the middle you start to see the signals:

• *People have a glazed look on their face
• *Something, anything is more interesting to your audience members
• *People are yawning
• *Your audience is fidgeting
• *Participants are laid back with their eyes closed

Oh no, someone’s sleeping in your presentation! What do you do?

Don’t panic, next week we’ll have a look at how to get back on track and re-connect with your audience.

Keep speaking – Carrol