Comments on: Seven Secrets of Good Presentations

By: Jenni

Jenni — Thu, 03 Dec 2009 21:35:33 +0000

Oh my gosh, I’ve heard so many bad presentations in the past three years, it’s ridiculous. I’m in a science field, and granted, presentations on your research are a little different–you have to show certain graphs for a certain amount of time to explain what’s on them.

But seriously? If you sound bored with your own research, why should I be interested in it? If you put up a graph with axes that are labeled in 0.5 size font, or with no labels at all, how can I follow you? If your ‘presentation’ means reading word-for-word from your slides, why didn’t you just forward the Powerpoint and I can read it on my own time? And for goodness sake, please STOP waving your laser pointer at every word as we read along together.

Scientists would greatly benefit from a class in presenting.

By: Patty

Patty — Mon, 30 Nov 2009 03:37:41 +0000

I just finished a speech at a state wide event, so I’ll add a few items. I agree, less is better on a slide. Keep the movement on the slides to a minimum so that they don’t become a distraction. Make sure you have extra batteries for your electronic pointer/clicker. Make eye contact with as many people in the audience as possible and smile a lot. I gave out a set of handouts that contained most of the slides.

Remember – most of all – have a great time! The audience is there to hear the subject matter and to hear you.

By: Johanna

Johanna — Sun, 29 Nov 2009 22:09:48 +0000

For a lot of these, I think it depends what you’re trying to present. Like Heather, I’ve been to a lot of seminars in which scientists present very technical scientific results. In those, the slides are not just there for decoration while you give your talk – they’re needed to convey information as well, whether in the form of graphs, schematic pictures, equations, tables, or words. And while I agree that reading your slides word for word is not ideal, some redundancy between what the audience hears from you and what they see on the screen can be a good thing. You don’t want somebody to find the entire second half of your talk incomprehensible because they zoned out for five seconds in the middle (as we all do from time to time) and missed a crucial point. If that crucial point is on one of your slides as well as in what you say, they at least have a second chance to absorb it and catch back up.

Regardless of what you’re talking about, though, if you’ve been allotted a specific amount of time for your talk, stick to it. The message you send when you go over time is that you don’t respect anyone else in the room – that no one matters but you. That’s a bad message to send.

By: Claudia

Claudia — Sun, 29 Nov 2009 00:47:07 +0000

Oh my! Just re-read my post–”I already has sitting” ??? Whoops!

By: Claudia

Claudia — Sat, 28 Nov 2009 22:42:28 +0000

Some good points. I have gone to a lot of seminars over the years, many relating to billing Medicare. It’s much easier to have someone interpret the new rules, they change continually and reading the ever-changing Medicare manuals is not conducive to staying awake. But, some of these speakers! Most handout a copy of their Power Point presentation and elaborate on the Power Point. But some just read the Power Point slides which I already has sitting in front of me! I can’t help but think “I drove 2 1/2 hrs one way for this? You could have just mailed me the Power Point.”

By: Louise

Louise — Sat, 28 Nov 2009 14:40:04 +0000

Great list! I’ve bookmarked this for future reference.

To find great pictures for your slides, search Flickr for Creative Commons licensed photos. Then sort them by “Interesting” instead of “Relevance.” This will bring up photo that others have found to be particularly eye-catching. Works well for websites, too.

By: David/Yourfinances101

David/Yourfinances101 — Sat, 28 Nov 2009 11:30:13 +0000

When presenting, you have GOT to tell a story. Simply re-gurgitating information is pointless.

Second, YOU don’t have to be funny, but your presentation needs to have at least a tiny bit of humor in it.

Fianlly, you have to finish strong. This is typically where I decide to always inject a little humor. It makes the audience remember the whole presentation a little btter.

By: John DeFlumeri Jr

John DeFlumeri Jr — Sat, 28 Nov 2009 10:42:39 +0000

It is true that most of the remembering of any presentation is the last few minutes. There is no sense making the main points at the beginning of the show if you’re not going to recap, because the message will not to conveyed.

John DeFlumeri Jr

By: Bill

Bill — Sat, 28 Nov 2009 01:49:55 +0000

Do NOT just read the slides. As much common sense as this makes it needs to be repeated.

By: Heather

Heather — Fri, 27 Nov 2009 22:14:14 +0000

You make many great suggestions but I have to agree with Russ and Kevin here – fewer slides is better. Admittedly my presentation experience is skewed towards scientific/academic presentations, but some of the ones I (and my peers and mentors) dislike the most are the ones with tonnes of slides (this goes for both students presentations and those given by experts in the field). Flying through slides really does detract from your words and the concepts you are trying to get across.

A carefully chosen, limited set of slides that visually reinforce your points has more impact. After all the focus is supposed to be on the speaker, not on fast-flying flashy pictures or slides full of words.

By: Kevin

Kevin — Fri, 27 Nov 2009 21:57:57 +0000

Some good, basic points, but I agree completely with Russ. A slide every 10 seconds will draw attention away from your words just as much as wordy slides will.

For inspiration and examples, see PresentationZen.com, look at a few TED talks, or find a few classic Steve Jobs speeches on YouTube. You won’t see slides flying by at breakneck pace.

By: Russ

Russ — Fri, 27 Nov 2009 21:19:21 +0000

Most of your points are good, especially about practicing and being completely comfortable with the information you are presenting. However, I think #4 is way off. assuming the slides have substance, a slide every 10 seconds is way to many slides. At that speed the slides are often a distraction from what you are saying, rather than a complimentary piece to your presentation.

Granted, this may change based on subject matter and audience but in business school the general rule of thumb is one slide every 30-60 seconds. This allows you to talk at a reasonable pace while still giving the audience important information and keeping their interest.

By: katie

katie — Fri, 27 Nov 2009 20:15:56 +0000

This is a great list of tips Trent. I used to do competitive public speaking, and the points you mention are quite salient.

It’s also helpful to practice, practice, practice. Know your speech/presentation before you get up there. It’s OK if you change the wording up; just make sure you feel comfortable and know what you’re going to say before you go in front of lots of people.

I hope your nerves have been easing up as you do more presentations. I still get nervous, but I know that it has gotten easier for me to speak in front of others. I LOVE giving presentations, even if I get butterflies in my stomach.