You're traveling non-stop and you've got a speaking date coming up soon. So you ask a couple of people in the office to write your presentation slides for you. You figure you can add a few of your own notes the day before the presentation and you'll be fine. This is a huge mistake!
Remember that the audience will be expecting that you'll be giving them a perspective and ideas that are yours, derived from your expertise and your unique world view. No one else can formulate your presentation content like you can.
I believe this mistake comes from the modern practice of defining "presentation" as "slide deck".
"Presentation" must be defined as the "delivery of interesting content that moves towards a call-to-action for the audience." Slides are only a means of delivering your content.
When you have a clear call-to-action in mind for your audience, you then identify two or three key points that will persuasively drive the audience to take action on your call-to-action. Make your notes on paper or in a word document and see yourself delivering the ideas rather than presenting slides.
Visualizing the presentation as a series of notes, handwritten or keyboarded, will change the way you develop the content around the key points and will radically improve the way you deliver your ideas to your audience.
Stand in front of the audience with note cards, and speak to them as if you're in a conversation with them.The audience will be engaged and you'll feel more comfortable, knowing all the content is your own, fully derived from your knowledge and expertise. There is not a single slide or fancy technological feature that can persuade an audience as effectively as your own speaking voice filled with passion and commitment to an idea.
Try this for your next three presentations. Ask the audience what they learned. Check with them a few days later to hear what they retained. I believe you'll get better results than you've ever gotten after a slide presentation.
Share your thoughts about power point presentations through our comment link below.
Recent Comments