Everybody's Talking At Me

As the song lyric goes: Everybody's talking at me/I don't hear a word they're saying. . .

The month of September brought into my life an AMAZING array of PRESENTATIONS. Our kids go to two different schools, and I went to a couple of community events. Overall, I saw more than 15 formal "presentations".

I'm going to be brutally honest: I was bored out of my mind in every one. And, when something bothers/bores me, I gets my creative wheels spinning. I started pondering What ARE they keys to a great presentation?

Presenting information should be a CREATIVE and ENGAGING endeavor. Not a chore. If you hate it, the audience will know! So, find ways to be creative if you HAVE to give a presentation.

I reflected back on some of the greatest presentations I've seen and here are some tips:

Honesty - Presenters who are their honest selves capture my attention every time. The ones that talk to a roomful of people the same way they'd talk to one or two people convey honesty. The people on the platform at my church all have this skill. I'm certain they were chosen to be ON the platform for this very skill.

Eye Contact - If you are reading from notes; or looking OVER the heads of your audience, you will not capture anyone's attention. The greatest presenters make each audience member feel as if they are engaged in a direct conversation with the presenter.

Humor - Presenters who take themselves and/or their subject TOO seriously are going to lose the entire crowd within the first 3 seconds. Smiling, finding light-hearded moments, sharing an honest moment all those things relax your audience and helps them to relate to what you're saying.

Stories - Telling a story is always more powerful than reciting statistics. Don't tell me how many kids have been through your program, share the stories of how those kids have been positively affected. Share the stories of the rough times, the funny times, the touching times.

Passion - If you are truly passionate about your subject, it shines through. If you "have" to give a presentation, make sure you find some aspect of it to be passionate about. If you can't, then maybe someone else should give the presentation.

Interact - Find spots in your presentation where the audience interacts with you. Answering questions, playing a super-quick game, asking them to repeat a point, anything, get them involved.

Don't Ramble - Make your point. What are you trying to say. Boil it down to one or two talking points, then share that information. Don't let anyone leave the room feeling like they wasted their time.

Test the Technology - Build in time for a mic check, slide check, clicker check, whatever. Make sure you know where your light is, etc. Don't waste the audience's time with mics that crap out, slide shows that don't work, etc - you should test that at least 15 mins before the presentation.

Keep it Interesting or Keep it brief - There's a showbiz saying, "Always leave them wanting more." If you have 15 minutes to speak don't speak even a second longer than that. Better yet, speak for 12 minutes and give 3 minutes to Q & A.

KILL YOUR POWERPOINT - Seriously. Unless you use it sparingly to punctuate a thought or a story, get rid of the blankety-blank slides. Especially if you are just reading to us from the slides. We can read. You insult your audience when you just read from your slides and don't add any new information.

SAME WITH HANDOUTS - Unless you have crucial information, like a calendar, don't bother with handouts. If there is important info that people just NEED to know, tell them you're giving them a handout with the crucial stuff AT THE END OF THE PRESENTATION. Again, just like the Power Point, if you are just going to pass out a handout and read from it, don't even bother. That's not a presentation that's a reading recitation.

Get creative - You don't have to give a presentation in exactly the same way all the people before you have given presentations. Bring your UNIQUE style and view to the table.

What tips would you give to presenters?
What bothers you most at presentations?
What was the most creative presentation you ever saw?