Exhibition presentations.

As part of its role The Presenter's Handbook is asked by clients to view and comment on their presentations. This includes the general feelings of the audiences and their perception of the presentation.

On a recent trip to an exhibition I began to query whether the quality of the presentation actually mattered given the very poor presentation facilities open to clients. At The Presenter’s Handbook we feel it is the responsibility of the conference organisers to provide the facilities that allow speakers to present to the best of their ability. Conference organisers need to think long and hard about the venue layout. They have asked presenters to fill the schedule so at least give them the tools to make a good job.

During one trip to an exhibition at the NEC in Birmingham I witnessed the following.

Lectern

Every presenter had to present from behind a lectern. This automatically creates a barrier between you the presenter and the audience. The one idea of a presentation is to breakdown any barriers between presenter and audience. Let the presenter move around the stage, a radio microphone is inexpensive. All presenters should be using a clicker of some description rather than relying on a mouse click to advance slides.

Screen

Visiting several of the break-out theatres created within the exhibition venue the same issue was evident.  It is fine having a projection screen but please have it high enough for those at the back to be able to view the slide content. The photograph below highlights this problem. The view from my seat was not brilliant to say the least. 

The best presentation in the world will not be received well given this scenario. Get the screens higher which will allow all to have a decent view of the presentation.

Seating

Seating at exhibition theatres we accept has to be at floor level. Else a cost of building lecture theatre style seating would be incurred.  If as a conference organiser you are placing seats in a venue do not have seats at the side of the lectern, all delegates see is a side view of the presenter and lectern. Having part of the slide deck obscured by a lectern is extremely frustrating as a visitor to a crowded theatre.

Presenters

Make life easier for yourself and tell a story, do not simply read bullet points from a screen.  The slide is designed to be information for the audience not a prompt screen for you. Just because a graph appears in a typed report does not make it immediately relevant to a PowerPoint presentation. The two media can be treated independently, a report can contain complex graphical information as a reader has the time to analyse data. At a presentation in a conference venue the delegate does not have time to analyse the content. If it is relevant make the full graph available offline for download later.  Incidentally not one speaker I witnessed made their presentation available offline, to make the presentation carry more weight allow delegates to download or watch on-line.

 

Summary

As an invited presenter at a conference or exhibition you are walking into a theatre or venue that you have little or no control over. The issue lies with the organisers and their perceived perception of what makes a good venue. Poor seating arrangements, low projection screens and poorly positioned lecterns do not aid the presenter. If organisers have asked for presenters to fill a schedule allow those presenters to present to the best of their ability.  As a presenter make sure your message carries beyond the conference venue, make notes available off line. Greater detail can then be added to the presentation allowing for considered understanding and explanation for those particularly interested in the presentation.

The Presenter's Handbook - Contents

What is included in The Presenter's Handbook? 

The answer is below.  

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ISBN 978-0-9571909-0-0 (Paperback)

ISBN 978-0-9571909-1-7 (Hardback)

Contents

Acknowledgements 7

Introduction 9

How this book works 11

Section 1  You as a presenter 15

Introduction 16

Understand when your presentation starts 19

Processing & removing fears 22

Mirror neurons – Look at the best, learn to be the best 26

Anchors, anchoring and firing 30

Dress code – Be respected and remembered 33

Body Language – An introduction to the subject 36

Language – It’s about you not me 40

Language – Representational systems 42

What mood do I need to portray 46

Section 1 – You as a presenter: Summary 48

Section 2  Your presentation 52

Section 2 – Your presentation: Introduction 53

What is my story? 58

What message am I conveying? 60

What is the question you are going to answer? 63

Key messages – What? 64

Key messages – When? 67

Human attention span – 20, 20, 20 69

How long is the presentation scheduled for? 72

Short and long term memory 74

How many delegates are expected? 78

Who are my audience? – How well do they know me? 79

Evolution, surprise and what grabs attention 83

Emotions and connecting with the audience 86

Meet audience needs – Central six fitness indicators 90

The front cover slide: It has a number of objectives – Don't skimp 93

Providing too much information too quickly 95

Cognitive dissonance 99

Human brain limitations 102

Building slides 104

Animation dos and don’ts 107

Is the presentation numbers based? 110

Presenting text-based information 113

They can read faster than you 116

Presentations and handouts are different things 118

Bullets – No, no, no 121

Clip Art – No, no, no 125

Sourcing better graphics 127

Video dos and don’ts 128

Music & sounds 131

Owning someone else’s presentation 135

Section 2 – Your Presentation: Summary 137

Section 3  Your performance 144

Section 3 – Your performance: Introduction 145

Where are you in the big picture? 149

When was the last break for delegates? 154

What is the orientation of the room? 156

Freedom to move 163

Standing, moving and focussing 166

Where to look 169

Stand on the left: Where humans look 172

Creating attention and distraction 174

Dual encoding – Multi sensory processing 177

Synchronised dual encoding 179

Words are only 7% of the meaning 183

Remote presentation but not a laser 186

Pre-slide pausing 188

Learn from the weathermen and politicians 190

Rehearse, rehearse, and rehearse 193

Get a second opinion 196

Safety nets - A script somewhere, prompts and a back up 199

What backup plan do I have? 202

Delegate interaction 208

Audience participation 210

When allowing question and answers 213

Section 3 – Your Performance: Summary 218

Section 4  Final thoughts 226

Section 4 – Final thoughts: Introduction 227

Would you yourself sit through the presentation? 228

Reflection – Analyse and improve 230

Self reflection 233

Electronic feedback 237

Further support – Live advice 239

Section 4 – Final thoughts: Summary 243

About the authors

And finally do not forget about the supporting training courses that are available.

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ISBN 978-0-9571909-0-0 (Paperback)

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  247

OOP’s that wasn’t meant to happen.

During presentations occasionally things go wrong. When things do not go as expected the key is not to panic and stay calm.  How many times have you sat through a presentation or training session and heard the line “It normally works at this point”, or “It worked fine this morning?" These lines are not what you want to hear as a delegate.  As a delegate you want to see the product in its best light. 

There are circumstances when something might go amiss which could have amusing connotations. 

These are generally outside the presenter’s control. This small burst in unscripted humour can be both a pause for breath for the audience and for you as the presenter to take a valuable few seconds to compose ready for the next important topic of the presentation.

What we will focus on are those items that are under your control as a presenter.

Software updates

Software updates are one of the most dangerous areas for presenters. Even more so in the current climate of tablets where automatic updates can be enabled, PC users will be familiar with experiencing Windows updates. These updates can have a dramatic effect if your computer connects to a WiFi network. An update can take place, which invariably slows the computers performance for a short while. More often than not this leads to the computer needing a reboot.  If the reboot notification is not cancelled the computer can shut down halfway through your presentation. For that reason try to have automatic updates switched off.

Virus software

Virus software can work in a similar way slowing down the computer performance whilst updates are taking place. For most tasks this may not even be noticed but start playing a video during a presentation and loading may become an issue, let alone performance. Therefore we recommend switching off these updates also.

Office connectivity

Office connectivity provides a standard and expected way of working, with shared diaries, email, interactive whiteboards and files stored online. Presentations in offices do provide their own set of problems.  Make sure during your presentation that email is switched off.  The group of delegates or key business figures do not want to see a notification pop on the screen stating you have an email from a friend inviting you to a drunken party that evening, fancy dress optional. The same can be said for any active social media sites you may be running.

Upgrades

Upgrades in software do provide many opportunities for the presenter and trainer to fall down.  Small changes in layout when you are in full flight during a presentation of software can lead to the thought of “Where has that icon disappeared too”. Alternatively new icons appear in unexpected position. 

Importantly as well, do not leave it to chance that old files will automatically load. New software may prevent older file versions loading or if they do load check that they open and that the layout is as expected. 

Therefore be vigilant when upgrading software, always run through and experience the upgraded version as much as possible ahead of a presentation.  

By following these tips your presentations will run smoother and without any unwelcome intrusion.

Your next presentation

Your next presentation

When you start preparing for your next presentation, take a step back and get a feel for what is at stake and the potential business to be gained. This should give an indication of the time needed to prepare and the level the presentation is aimed. One presentation very rarely fits all levels of management, with regard to information required.

If the direct consequence of a presentation is going to be worth millions to an organisation then quality time needs to be created to get the key message, presentation and delivery absolutely perfect. If you don’t your competitors will.

So are you ready to beat your competitors?

Your key message.

Be clear in the one key message (you do know your one key message don’t you?) you need to convey to win the contract – this could be quality, delivery, price, support or technical specification. Ground work prior to the design of the presentation should give an indication to criteria especially if a written proposal is included as part of a tendering process. 

You the presenter.

Know that as the presenter you have the ability to bring the audience with you so they adopt the key message. This includes learning body language, presentation techniques and a level of styling that will allow you to gain credibility and justify your position in the presentation.  A nervous presenter can wreck even the best deck of a crafted presentation.

Anchors.

Presenters suffer from nerves. The key is how each presenter controls those nerves allowing a hesitant free performance. Learn to create positive anchors that can be turned on instantly by performing a simple action. This action could be creating a mental picture of walking onto the stage to give a rapturous performance; other colleagues may tap their leg three times or click their fingers.  The tip here is what works for you then go with it.

Rehearse.

It should go without saying that rehearsing the presentation will be at the forefront of a quality presentation.  Do not simply stop at standing and reading through the script for each slide. Whilst practicing, each slide ought to carry the same emphasis as when you are standing up in front of your potential clients. Mentally prepare by imagining you are actually in the environment in which the presentation will take place. This offers the opportunity to choreograph movement and stance to sync with the presentation. Your presentation technique and hence delivery will improve dramatically if your presentation is analysed by a professional mentor through the use of video.

Presenting.

One of the first steps in becoming a great presenter is the acceptance that your presentation in both format and style are not perfect.  A driving analogy can be used at this point, we all think we are good safe drivers but are we? However long you have been driving bad habits creep in, subconsciously. At times these may be dangerous meaning you have to break suddenly or swerve to avoid an obstacle. Similarly when presentations are delivered the odd hesitant ummmhh may be forthcoming or hands stay in the trouser pocket at a key point. Afterwards the laptop closes and the presentation forgotten.  Always take time to review how the presentation could be improved even if you win that contract worth millions. Don’t fall into the trap of thinking you are invincible. 

Reduce the risk.

A starting point for improving your presentations and so add value to your company is by investing in “The Presenter’s Handbook”. This will outline some of the key stepping stones to becoming a Power Presenter.  Still not convinced then take the quick test at www.presentershandbook.com answer 15 questions and get immediate feedback.