In case we need a reminder that bad presentations still happen, here is an email from one of my readers, who prefers to remain anonymous:
I thought of you several times yesterday morning, when I attended the XYZ program [name changed to protect the guilty!] in which the presenter needed your help:
- He began with a rambling introduction that ate up precious time.
- He did not have a remote, so he had to stand at the computer to advance his slides, which blocked many people’s view of the slides.
- Without a remote, he went up to the screen and pointed, with the light from the projector covering his body.
- He had no printed copy of the slides, so when he wanted to find a slide to answer a question, he had to scroll through his slide deck rather than just glancing at a paper copy and seamlessly clicking once to the slide he wanted.
- He did not budget his time. With just 7 minutes to go (of a 90-minute presentation), he had us start a game that would take 15 minutes. He explained being behind on the schedule by saying he thought he would be starting at 7:30 rather than 8 (we have 30 minutes for networking). But when he realized he was starting at 8, he should have adjusted his presentation!
It was unfortunate that he was not a better presenter because I was interested in the content. His behavior was a distraction.
This is definitely not the reaction that you want from your audience! If you are given an opportunity to present, don't make these mistakes.
Gilda Bonanno's blog www.gildabonanno.blogspot.com