"There are always three speeches, for every one you actually gave. The one you practiced, the one you gave, and the one you wish you gave." -- Dale Carnegie
Here is a list of DOs and DON'Ts for effective presentations:
DOs
- Specify the Agenda (scope), total duration and benefits for the audience during the introduction. You can specify what is in scope and what is out of scope for the presentation just to ensure that there is no expectation mismatch. You can avoid irrelevant/premature questions from the audience by specifying a clear agenda at the very outse
- Before you begin, you can request a show of hands from the audience to get a feel of the familiarity of the audience on the presentation subject. I have noticed that experienced speakers always do this.
- Whenever possible share personal experiences & opinions related to the subject. Sharing personal experiences (both good and bad) adds life to any presentation. You can also ask if anybody in the audience has had similar experiences. This will encourage audience participation and make the presentation more engaging for the audience.
- Use Analogies as much as possible. It is very effective to explain the unfamiliar with an analogy/comparison with the familiar.
- Provide real life examples as much as possible.
- Try to defer Q&A till the end. Too many questions from the audience can derail the presentation. Avoid answering questions that needs time consuming answer/explanation. In such cases it is better to request the questioner to see you after the presentation.
- One or two good quotations/jokes during the presentation is always helpful. But do not overdo this. I have witnessed presentations with a quotation on every slide!
- Conclude the talk with a brief summary of what was presented. Specify takeaways for the audience and follow up action if any. Direct the audience to web sites, blogs, etc for further information on the topic.
- Specify your email ID for the audience to reach you for any follow up communication and feedback. Also direct the audience to the link where they can download the presentation.
- Plan to finish in the alloted time.
- If the question from the audience is not audible to everybody in the room, repeat the question before you answer.
- Before presenting to a wider audience rehearse with your friends and colleagues.
DON'Ts
- Avoid slides torture (too many slides). Too many slides are bound to make even the most alert audience drowsy!
- Avoid trying to cover too much ground. Keep the presentation focused. When in doubt, choose depth over breadth to make the presentation valuable to the audience. If you try to cover too much, your audience will loose interest on the topic. The goal of any presentation is never to fully educate the audience on the subject. It is rather more important to design the presentation to arouse interest on the subject and motivate the audience to learn more on the topic after they have attended the presentation.
- Never attempt a presentation without adequate preparation. Do not attempt to present anything which you have not earned the right to present by adequate practice and self study.
- Exercise restraint and avoid copy paste from other people's presentations. It is easy to detect copy paste work.
- Don't spend too much time on theory. Theory can be learned from books and the internet and is also easy to forget. Try to cover the practical aspects, best practices, examples, etc.
- Avoid fictitious examples as much as possible. Try to provide examples from real life.
- Try to avoid presenting right after lunch. If you are the unlucky speaker to present something right after lunch, I wish you all the best!
Recommended Reading: The Quick & Easy Way to Effective Speaking
