Presentation Expertise – Presenting with PowerPoint – The place’s the Energy, What is the Level?
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It is Friday afternoon, after lunch and you might be about to look at a colleague’s presentation. Because the lights dim and the uninteresting purring sound of the projector lulls you right into a semi-comatosed state, emotions of despair start to take over, because the presenter introduces their 30 slides. You brace your self for the endurance check that lies forward.
Recognise the scene? It’s changing into an more and more frequent state of affairs within the enterprise surroundings and we now have to take inventory and ask ourselves of PowerPoint – “what’s the objective of this presentation help?”
At first, PowerPoint appeared to be the reply to all our presentation issues. To the much less skilled presenter it grew to become a good way to place a presentation collectively. With its neat devices and easy-to-follow construction, PowerPoint supplied a ‘fast repair’ resolution to our presentation anxieties – all of the presenter wanted to do was to ‘ship’ their slides.”
So why then does not the viewers evangelise about it in fairly the identical method? I’m typically requested by those that attend my workshops how can they interact extra with their audiences when they’re presenting with PowerPoint and why do their audiences appear detached and even disinterested in what they’re making an attempt to current?
One motive for this rising response lies within the presenter’s misinterpretation of the verb ‘to ship’. Solely too typically this phrase has turn into changed by the phrase ‘to learn out aloud’ and even by the phrase ‘to cover behind’.
Who desires to hearken to somebody studying out aloud – do not everyone knows find out how to learn already? Would not or not it’s simpler if we simply give the slides to our viewers to remove and skim at their leisure -in extra amenable environment?
The slick and polished nature of PowerPoint has weakened the human enter in presenting to such a low stage of insignificance that now, the presenter’s position is usually diminished to not more than the ‘PowerPoint Operator’.
So the place has all of it gone mistaken and the way can we re-address the stability?
One of many key elements within the demise of the artwork of presenting is right down to our fundamental human phobia of public talking and our lack of motivation to deal with this difficulty. Public talking is the truth is probably the most frequent public fears – nearly as sturdy as concern of demise!
So PowerPoint grew to become our knight in shining armour – it gave us the crutch we wanted to recover from our fears by hiding behind the expertise. The display grew to become our shining armour – it protected our emotions of insecurity by taking the viewers’s consideration away from us – the presenter and directing their consideration to the massive display behind us which was one thing much more ‘thrilling’ to have a look at.
Sadly, the shine of the display diminishes very quickly while you begin to see the eyes of your viewers tackle a set glazed expression – and you might be solely in your third slide out of thirty. You suppose to your self “It’s time to mount my steed and flee” – if solely you may – however you continue to have twenty seven slides to battle by.
So we have to return to fundamentals – now we have to be taught to recover from our fears and anxieties and re-gain management of our shows. We need not ditch the PowerPoint however we have to begin utilizing it somewhat than abusing it – the latter – which has turn into extra the case lately.
Going again to fundamentals requires us to return to the primary golden rule of PowerPoint which nearly everybody ignores. That is to recollect that you’re the presenter main the PowerPoint not the opposite method spherical.
However – as now we have already mentioned, nerves play an important position right here. As a result of we’re nervous we cling on to our PowerPoint for expensive life – as if we’re clinging to a rock in a stormy sea. We subsequently want sensible methods to permit ourselves to let go with out concern of drowning.
Good supply abilities will present us with this a lot desired confidence. We’ve to re-learn the which means of ‘supply’ – that it’s not studying off the slide or hiding behind your laptop. It’s all concerning the artwork of communication whereby to be taught to command and have interaction along with your viewers. These are abilities that may be learnt – the truth is most good presenters spend a whole lot of time practising their supply methods to assist them turn into assured and efficient presenters.
You voice is a vital component within the success of your presentation supply. Only a few individuals use their voice to its full potential. After we work with individuals on their vocal approach they’re shocked at how empowering that is in serving to them to ship with larger confidence.
A powerful presence can also be crucial. Poor stance, irritating habits, lack of eye contact will all inhibit your skill to have interaction along with your viewers. Typically, the PowerPoint presenter stays too near and even hooked up to their laptop. It’s as if they’re saying to their viewers “Do not take a look at me – I am not vital – I am simply an adjunct to the tools.”
I all the time advise the presenter to maneuver away from the tools after they start their presentation. By shifting nearer to the viewers at the beginning you might be saying to them “I’m in charge of the presentation and welcome you to pay attention.” Utilizing a distant somewhat than the mouse will encourage you to maneuver extra. The extra you progress, the extra you command your area and have interaction along with your viewers
The following difficulty in regards to the abuse of PowerPoint is the development of the slides. Have you ever ever had a dialog with somebody the place you did not take a look at one another in any respect? You’ll have finished so however likelihood is there wasn’t a whole lot of rapport between the 2 of you. We do want to have a look at individuals – give eye contact to them if we need to interact with them and construct rapport. That is additionally the case once we current to our viewers. However how can we do that once we are studying off our slides – and infrequently wanting on the display behind us – leaving us with our backs to the viewers?
This brings us to the second golden rule of PowerPoint, once more – one pitifully ignored which is that ‘the only purpose of PowerPoint is to assist our message not be the message.’
Studying your slides verbatim shouldn’t be the reply -take a take a look at what’s in your slides and ask your self if that is viewers pleasant. The idea of ‘pleasant’ has acquired somewhat confused and slides have now turn into much less of a buddy and extra of a foe. Who wants a buddy who throws an infinite stream of phrases at you with the only consequence of boring you to demise?
Slides need to be saved clear. Filter out the pointless phrases. Fewer phrases say extra and have far larger influence. Use punchy phrases that seize consideration and are simple to learn at a look. Bear in mind the extra the viewers reads off the slide, the much less they’re listening to you. And studying is tiring – particularly on a Friday afternoon after lunch – quickly your viewers will undertake that glazed expression and their minds will drift away to excited about their plans for the weekend.
“However how will I keep on observe if I haven’t got all my notes on display?” – is the standard cry of alarm I get from individuals after I give them this recommendation.
It’s truly simpler to current with cleaner slides. Slides with simply brief phrases and key phrases present an efficient immediate but in addition provide the freedom to turn into extra spontaneous and conversational along with your viewers. Bear in mind, the slides are there to your viewers, they don’t seem to be your notes – don’t confuse the 2 – they’ve totally different functions.
PowerPoint presentation that stimulates and conjures up – is that this doable? Sure – when you’ve got the ability to ship with confidence and yes- in case your presentation makes the correct factors. Maintain the PowerPoint in perspective and do not permit it to dominate. At all times bear in mind – you’re the presenter and you might be your greatest visible help.
