by Gilda Bonanno LLC www.gildabonanno.com
However, sometimes it's not practical to stand up
while presenting due to factors such as room constraints, organizational
culture and the short duration of the presentation. So if you must give a presentation while
seated, here are 9 tips to help you present successfully:
Gilda Bonanno's blog www.gildabonanno.blogspot.com
"You can't start a fire sitting down" is
an old cliché that I used in graduate school to explain to the supervising
professor why I taught my American history class standing up. The professor preferred that I sit down and
teach, to demonstrate more of a peer relationship with the students. At 5' 2" and only a few years older than
the students, I thought I looked enough like a "peer" and wanted more
authority - teaching while standing up helped.
I still believe that standing up while teaching and
presenting is a good idea. Standing
conveys confidence and authority, makes it easier to monitor the room and gauge
audience reaction, helps you keep up your energy and allows you to use the full
range of non-verbal communications, including gestures, posture and movement.
However, sometimes it's not practical to stand up
while presenting due to factors such as room constraints, organizational
culture and the short duration of the presentation. So if you must give a presentation while
seated, here are 9 tips to help you present successfully:
1.
Make Eye Contact
It's important to make eye contact with everyone at
the table. Depending on the seating
configuration, it may be difficult and you may have to turn your body to make
eye contact with those people seated on either side of you.
2.
Speak Loudly Enough
You have to speak loudly enough so that people can
understand you. And in addition to
speaking over ambient noise, you also have to be mindful of making sure people
on the opposite end of the table can hear you clearly, especially when you're
facing away from them to the other end.
3.
Use Gestures
Yes, it is still important to use gestures when you
are seated. Keep your hands empty and
use them for above-the-table gestures. Try
not to pick up and play with your pen, notes and water bottle.
4.
Sit Confidently
Sit up straight, with shoulders back and maintain
good posture as you present. Demonstrate
your confidence by taking up your space at the table instead of slouching or
shrinking.
5.
Control Your Nerves
If you are nervous or anxious about presenting, don't
let your nerves show through your hands grasping the table or playing with a
pencil. Even if you're tapping your foot
or shaking your leg under the table, the audience can see the nervousness show
in the rest of your body.
6.
Prepare for Distractions
A seated presentation may be considered less formal
so people may think it's okay to check email or their phones while you're
speaking. Ideally, whoever is conducting
the meeting will have set up ground rules with the participants at the start,
banning electronic devices of any kind during the presentations. However, if that didn't occur and the company
culture unwisely allows email/phones during meetings, then be prepared for the
behavior and don't let it shake your confidence.
7.
Do You Really Need Slides?
Before you use slides, consider whether you really
need them. Sometimes I think people use
PowerPoint during their seated presentations only so they don't have to make
eye contact with their colleagues! Perhaps handouts would be more effective –
or perhaps your presentation doesn't need any visual aids at all.
8.
Manage Questions
If you get a question, repeat it so everyone can
hear it and you have a chance to think of an answer. Direct your answer to the questioner and to
the whole audience, so you keep everyone's attention.
9.
Practice
Sitting at your desk and looking at your notes is not
the same as sitting at a conference table and saying the words of your presentation
out loud. So practice your presentation
in as close to the real environment as possible.
If you follow these 9 tips, your presentation will be effective,
no matter where you're seated.