Kazira

OK, this is the last in the sequence of the article on the ‘art of presentation’. You can look up the first two articles on this series at Part I and Part II.

This is an effort to document all the knowledge that I have accumulated on the subject so far. It’s an attempt to provide tangible suggestions on how a briefing must be prepared and presented and all the common pitfalls to avoid. This is the last one in the series which would focus on your audience and the delivery of your pitch.

This is the point where the rubber meets the road. You have all of your slides prepared to the best of your ability – but, this is the place where you truly score. The best pitch is when your briefing and talk completely complement each other. This is th epoint where the science of presentation becomes art. And all I can say is that over time you can learn this art with some caution and suggestions that I’ve outlines here in this series.

I must say that I have observed myself and countless other folks who really get nervous about their talk at this point. You could be an expert in your field, but there is something about getting in front of a group of people and pitching your idea. In the beginning, I personally used to keep ‘cheat sheet’ for points that I would like to cover on each slides and I remember my throat getting all dry as I’m about to reach the podium. I guess English being my second language had much to do with it. But over time, with practice, and learning from others (believe me, I’ve seen some really good presenters), I think I’ve reached a place, where I no longer embarrass myself and my team. 

OK. Here’s my list of things to do before you arrive at the stage for your show.

• Know your audience. Your level of preparation must be in line with what your audience would like to hear. Presenting financial information to engineers and equations to manager will only make things worse. Understand the context for which people are listening to you. No one has free time – so be precise and to the point. If the audience is not ready to learn the details – dumb it down to a point where you can explain to a manager. Sometimes, it may be possible to contact some members of your audience before hand so you can get the context right and get to know the issues at hand.
• Make eye contacts with your audience. Looking at the slides and reading only alienates them. Keep a copy of your presentation handy in case you don’t have a visual props directly in front of you. 
• Tell a story. Don’t assume that folks that have come to listen to you know the background or the context of your briefing. Include some background slides, if you think, the folks are already aware of those background, then go through them quickly. Keep the tone of the briefing as if you are conversing with the audience. 
• Solicit Feedback. Unless you are in a formal setting, where the Q&A is reserved towards the end of the talk – poll the audience if they are with you so far. This encourages dialogue. 
• Conventional wisdom. “If you are nervous - Visualize them naked” – this guidance is a pile of worthless bullshit – I tried it in the past, it does not work. What’s worse, if there are good looking folks in the audience, it will only distract you more. Go prepared and make your time worth while.
• Enthusiasm and Positive image. There is something that must be said about this. In my past experience, those who present their charts with enthusiasm are very well received.
• Avoid Monotones – Man O man … Sometimes I get into this mode where I can make people sleep with the just the tone I present my briefing. The thing is, one should avoid this and become more expressive, not only with your hand gestures, but also with your tone. Never – ever talk from a script, just use notes and weave a story in it. Humor is very helpful here as well.

God speed and good luck.