[Closed] I have been asked to do a presentation at a conference. HELP!!!!!

card prompts

Mr Woppit - Good point, would that be better than having a paper with all the promps it?

Yep card prompts are good but try to learn it enough that you don't read straight from them.

Look at the audience as much as possible - no need to focus on anyone, just look in their general direction.

Don't just lean on the PP presentation either - make sure you add a fair bit of extra speech to make it "come alive."

And try and be lighthearted when possible. Everyone hates a monotone drone-o-thon!

I am working through a PowerPoint presentation so that should help me a bit...

Are you sure you want to go down this route??
I've spoken at conferences before so could give some tips - whats the context, audience, length of talk etc

email in profile if you'd rather contact me off forum

Use the presentation itself as prompts.
dont have too much information on each slide

each bullet point should prompt you to speak about the topic

Practice, practice, practice

Unless you are funny, don't try to be. In fact don't be funny.

KISS - you know it makes sence 😀

don't read what's on the slides

10 minutes
20 slides
30 pt minimum font

What is it you are worried about? Content? Delivery Style? Peeing yourself?

Would be good to know, then we can sort you out!

Kev

Whether you love/hate the man himself, he does do a good presentation and the guidelines in this article are well worth following...

[url= http://www.businessweek.com/smallbiz/content/jan2008/sb20080125_269732.htm ]Deliver a Presentation like Steve Jobs[/url]

Rachel

Never more than one ! mark. Ditto ? marks.
Looks childish otherwise.
I'd avoid all exclamation marks TBH.
Too (above)is incorrectly spelt - so if you're going to add text anywhere, you'd best up your own game and at least run everything through Word.
"I" wants to be a capital too.

Stay away from any silly childish humour, it appears in your post about the naked audience, but don't let this spill into your presentation as if they're Doctors etc they are by definition pretty much Grade A students and will tire of your humour straight away, ergo pitch it at their level.

iDave's got it. The 10:20:30 rule
🙂

The last one I had to do, I was sent to Lithuania at a week's notice and told to write the presentation on an area I had minimal knowledge of.

I got so wasted on vodka the night after I'd presented to 200 of the biggest businessmen out htere, I remember very little about it.

However, my top tips are:

1. Make your slides look consistent.
2. No silly pictures, dodgy fonts or unreadable colours.
3. Prompt cards tied to the slides - click the slide, turn to the next card.
4. Know your slides - practise if necessary (I didn't - not my style to rehearse)
5. Address 3/4 of the way back through the room.
6. Scan for the person falling asleep and linger your gaze on them. They'll know you know.
7. Enjoy the beer when you've finished.

Easy..! 😀

i) one slide per minute

ii) you'll remember 60% of what you practise

iii) slides need to be simple an text free

iv) coffee and tabs

whats the context, audience, length of talk etc

[b]hitman[/b]:

whats the context - it is mostly about 2 way communication between staff and admin teams. There are 3 heddings; Shift Diary, Drugs Ordering, and Policies and procedures. All have been moved from paper based to web based. (all that i have designed on our website)

audience - Managers, Doctors/Nurses, Directors etc...

length of talk - I think it is about 20mins inc Questions (i am not to sure if i have 4 slots)

heddings

8. Ask someone to check your spelling, punctuation and grammar.

😀

20 slides in 10 minutes, **** me, I barely do half that number and I only ever have max 5 bullet points.

Fake a seizure in the first twenty seconds.
Spend twenty minutes being tended to by the nurses.
Miraculously recover, jump up and tell them it's clear you can't teach them anything.
Go to the bar.

Just go and practice it until you've got it nailed. You wouldnt go straight into hucking your meat of a huge jump on your mtb if you hadnt ridden off road before now would you?

Powerpoint..........

everyone will be asleep so it does not matter what you say.

Lee Bowman helped people like Jackie Stewart with business presentations.
High Impact Presentations by Lee Bowman.

Powerpoint is more than 25 years old and maybe a bit old fashioned,

There is nothing intrinsically wrong with powerpoint. It is all about the user. Avoid too much text. Depending on the context use the slides to complement what you say, not to repeat it. Most of what people will remember will come from visuals and listening to you, very little will be from words on the screen. Would a handout help?

Pick a simple back drop, ensure each slide has a similar style. Do not, under any circumstances include animations, sounds or effects when something appears or disappears. Also avoid transition effects.

Although the author is annoying, there are some useful tips [url= http://www.presentationzen.com/ ]here.[/url]

And watch some of [url= http://www.ted.com/ ]these[/url] for inspiration.

Ti29er - Posting on a forum is a lot difrent from doing text in a presentation. [b]I[/b] will be spellcheck and check over by a colleague before had (due to my dislexia) 😉 and it was done in word... so dont condem me for my spelling/gramer on a forum 🙂

samuri - now i like that idea 🙂

Cheers all for the tips 🙂

I have to use a powerpoint because i want to show people screen shots etc...

I am n ot saying it is going to be good or in any won will listen but i have to try my best 🙂

[i]Powerpoint is more than 25 years old and maybe a bit old fashioned,[/i]

Computers are even older. Can't understand why we're still using them 🙂

3 points per slide, maybe a minute or so per slide. I find the best way to present is to write a script and operate on the basis that you will only ever remember most of it.

Too much info on a slide is the biggest mistake in my view - the end result is ALWAYS people reading the slide rather than listening to you.

One more thing; while you are actually presenting, you'll be aware of all the little mistakes you make. Don't worry about them - rememebr you know what you should have said - they don't. Just get on with it and you'll be fine.

Rachel

Getting the ppt looking professional is important, each mistake or inconsistency will be noticed by someone, probably your boss.

Practice in front of someone, presenting to one is a lot harder than presenting to hundreds. Practice until you don't really need the presentation, practice in the car, in the shower. Try and practice in the location you'll be presenting in.

Make sure your hands have something to do, don't stand there fiddling with your keys and change or wringing your hands. Clothing - is it going to be hot? Don't stand there with pit-stains on a pale shirt or whatever, you'll feel and look terrible.

I was never a big fan of presentations but the more you do the less they bother you. I got the dubious pleasure of doing a daily 20 minute presentation to 2-300 people inc senior management for 3 months, now I'll talk about anything in front of anyone!

People can only concentrate on one thing at a time.

So if they are reading your slides they are not listening to you.

Avoid lots of text on slides.

And spend much longer practicing giving the speach than you do writing it.

I reckon that the trick to a presentation if practice, practice and more practice. If you know what your going to be talking about helps you to relax a bit!

And don't get hammered the night before in the free bar, guaranteed to make the sweat worse!!!

10:20:30

Seriously? 30secs per slide seems way too short to me. It will take more than 30secs to read the contents of a slide. It's been a while since I did a presentation but I'd be looking at about 5mins per slide.

1 Tell 'em what you are going to tell 'em
2 Tell 'em
3 Tell 'em what you've told them

Don't read the slides, consequently they only need to be bullets.

Is there a handout after/before - if so you can refer to that and no one will pay any attention to you, as they can read it (or not) later.

If you've websites to show, do not do it 'live' - pre-record everything.

Slides - consistant and clear, get it proof-read by someone who knows the subject, and then by one with no idea, but can spell.

Oh, and the slides should be the last thing you create. Remember, you are the presentation, not the stuff on the slides.

Just don't use Comic Sans. It'll make you look like an imbecile.

Or clip art, same reason.

I think the main problem is; to show people what they need to know it would take 2 mins and not 20.

i would like to KIS but i am going to have to waffel on about it...

Cheers everyone again for the advice 🙂

I guess the term i need here is "SUNK IT IN AN MAN UP"

Chances are nobody wants to be there. Keep it short and snappy, convey the information you need and nothing more. Keep it moving along at a good pace. Don't just read off the slides, talk around them.

20 minutes = plan to be talking for 10 minutes. They will not complain if you are short as long as you've told them everything. Especially if it is a day full of presentations because nobody else will realize this and the whole thing will run late.

Provide a quality handout
Check your presentation on the actual computer / projector you will be using before you present - you will be amazed at how many people don't do this and either they take ages finding and loading the presentation, the wrong version is loaded or it loads up not in 'slide show' format.
Before you present do deep-breathing exercises to steady your nerves.
Hold on to the lectern and plant your feet firmly - try not to fidget - this will help reduce any show of nervousness.
Scan the audience so that they all think you are talking to them - do not look at the screen on which your presentation is being projected.
Practice a few times - don't just read your presentation, do it our loud - you will be amazed at how quickly 20 minutes can go when you are stood up, and it is very easy to overrun.

Good luck!

Presentations. As far as I can remember:

- As above. Say what you're going to say. Say it, Say what you've just said.
- Keep the info on the slides to a minimum or people will just read those & won't be listening.
- Don't put your hands in your pockets, but equally don't fiddle with a pen, jangle keys etc.
- Keep some water handy to take a sip if you get a dry throat. Also works as a good way to gather yourself if you forget something or get flustered. Stop to take a drink while claming yourself down.
- Don't talk down at your feet & don't talk too fast.
- I wouldn't give out a handout until the end (unless it's needed for referring to stuff), as half the people will just flick through it instead of listening.
- Practice & make sure you know where the PP file is, how the projector connects if it's not all set-up for you etc.

sorry, 10 slides, 20 minutes - the heat stroke is affecting me

and talk slowly

of course as your subject is communication, this will all be second nature...

Load of good tips there - but would second what Philby just said. If you're nervous/ inexperienced at it then do actually practice saying it out loud! Being comfortable with what you are saying & knowing how one bit links to the next will give you much more confidence and free you from reading notes/ cards which never, ever comes across well. After years of presenting (fortunately I have to do it lots less now) I still hate it, but there are a raft of tips and tricks that you can use to make it bearable and god forbid, interesting for the audience. 😉

organic355 - Member

Use the presentation itself as prompts.
dont have too much information on each slide

each bullet point should prompt you to speak about the topic

Practice, practice, practice

yup, that's pretty muich it.
keep the slides simple and use them to reinforce what you're talking about at the time. That way they act as reminders to the audiencce and prompts to you.
Do NOT read off cards, use the presentation, it means you're not fannying about with someoething else and keeps things flowing.
It's hard to gauge pitch, but talk to the back of the room, you want everyone to hear you.
Don't get drunk the night before, hangovers don't help (I know)
Finally, remember, tou're there to deliver the presentation so it's about you not the Powerpoint.

I have to use a powerpoint because i want to show people screen shots etc...

That is the perfect kind of thing to stick in a powerpoint presentation - don't use a template and stick loads of crap around the edges, just stick in the screenshots full screen and talk about them. If you're talking about a picture, anything other than the picture is wasted screen space, especially when you're giving a large presentation, where people at the back will want to see the pictues too.

each bullet point should prompt you to speak about the topic

If you are using the bullet points on the screen as prompts, just put them on your prompt cards, get rid of the bullet points. As long as you speak clearly, people will listen to you. There's actually evidence that sticking text on your slides that you then talk about has been shown to decrease the amount people remember compared to just using pictures on your visual aids.

If you are using a laptop to present on, learn how to setup dual screen mode, and powerpoint presenter view. That way, you get to see a screen with a small version of your slide, notes for each slide, and most importantly a timer showing how long you've spoken for, so you can pace well. Don't overrun your time - it is rude and shows a lack of respect for your audience, and also you inevitably lose the audience as they are looking at their watches, and nothing goes in. There is nothing wrong with going short on your time though - if what you have to say can be said in 10 minutes, don't make a 15 minute presentation, make a 10 minute presentation. Remember, whilst you're asked to do a presentation for a bunch of people, the questions people ask afterwards can really be useful for you - as a presenter, the most important bit is the questions, if you present too short, you get more of the useful stuff (or everyone gets to go to the coffee break early, which makes you popular).

Personally, I write notes for presentations, but I don't actually practice them - I think the best presentations are ones that seem like they're off the cuff, but are concise, entertaining, and include all the important points and no filler. Having said that, I've done tons of them in my time, and a fair bit of stand up in front of people type performing of other kinds too, which really helps. The best practice I ever got for doing presentations was doing juggling acts in front of large numbers of people, which I've done a few times - compared to that, standing in front of a bunch of people telling them about my work is pretty easy - I mean you hardly ever drop all the balls and make a fool of yourself!

I guess thinking about it, how I do a presentation is:
1) Know what you're talking about, back to front.
2) Work out a list of things you have to tell people.
3) Put the list of things in an order as if they were a story and group them (you've already done this with your 3 headings I guess).
4) The way things group up in some way relates to the slides you have, so make a visual aid for each group.
5)Talk about each slide in order. Keep an eye on the clock.

Joe