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"B" is for Beware
Don't worry: These
horror stories aim to help
Claudyne Wilder
I tell these presentation
horror stories so you can prepare yourself and those you work with. May
they never happen to you.
The Size Nightmare
I am not sure which is
worse: being told that you'll have 50 people and having only nine show up,
or being told that you'll have 20 people and having 100 show up. Personally,
I prefer to have more people show up than planned, unless there aren't enough
handouts, because larger audiences can create extra energy in the room and
they build the excitement. But what do you do if you have nine people in
a room set up for 50?
First, don't act
as if nothing is wrong. Ask everyone to move up to one part of the room,
and try to set up a cozy atmosphere. Second, begin with an informal question,
such as, "Since this is a small group, perhaps you can tell me what you'd
like from my talk. I can then add or change some information based on
your interests." In doing this, you'll be establishing rapport with everyone
in the room.
Many people find adjusting
to a small audience difficult to do, and they have trouble switching gears
from a prepared speech to a less formal presentation. Should you find
yourself in this position, however, you will discover that relating to
your audience's interest does wonders for your own confidence.
Many
technical speakers share the fear that someone in the audience will have
written a book on their subject.
The End of the Day
You're the last speaker.
Your audience is exhausted. According to the program, 20 minutes are left
for your 40-minute talk. You decide to give your entire presentation and
tell your audience that you'll try not to run too far over allotted time.
But you don't qualify "too far," and the audience is left to wonder when
you will end and whether you will really talk for the entire 40 minutes.
You speed up. Your talk is terrible
Why not state the
obvious before you begin? "You know I was supposed to give a 40-minute
presentation, but we have only 20 minutes left in our schedule. I'll tell
you what: I'll speak for 20 minutes and then take questions." Your audience
will relax and, more important, you can, too, now that you have their
attention.
Wrong Directions
A colleague of mine travels
around New England on business. The driving directions she receives are
sometimes vague and she ends up lost. But she never panics. She has a cellular
phone and can call to get revised direction while in transit. If your presentations
tend to be scheduled in unfamiliar areas, get a cell phone. You won't waste
time by stopping to make your call.
Remember: You won't
endear yourself to the audience if you say, "The reason I'm late is that
someone in your company gave me terrible directions, and I spend an hour
going to the wrong way on the interstate. Now, why don't you stick around
for an extra half hour so I can set up my presentation properly and tell
you all about my product?"
The Expert Who Comments
Many technical speakers
share the fear that someone in the audience will have written a book on
their subject. Although having another expert in the audience can be unnerving,
it shouldn't derail your presentation. If the person decides to let everyone
in the audience that you don't know as much as he or she does, however,
you've got a problem.
A typical scenario
for this situation begins when the expert questions your data or statistics
or suggests that they were improperly collected. In some cases, he or
she may challenge your conclusions or launch into a long rebuttal of information
you've included on a specific screen.
What are the options
when things get out of hand? Don't get mad or hostile, which may only
encourage the person to intensify his or her attack. Make the expert your
friend. Give the person recognition by saying, "you sound very informed
on the topic. Tell me how you've learned so much," or "I appreciate your
added comments and would like to speak to you after the meeting about
your expertise." This may be going overboard, but you could even ask the
person in question to introduce himself or herself to the audience in
case anyone wants to pursue the topic.
Many presenters believe
that recognizing an audience member diminishes their credibility. This
is not the case. You will actually elevate your credibility by treating
the audience expert with respect and give him or her an opportunity to
show off (even if the behavior is inappropriate). You will not only appear
gracious but, more important, in control of the presentation.
A Second-Language
Audience
No one has told you that
half of your audience doesn't speak English as their first language; in
fact, you learn this only after you've just about finished your presentation.
That explain why no one has laughed at your funny comments that you worked
so hard to perfect.
Why does it matter
that you know about such disadvantages ahead of time? Because you'll know
to speak more slowly and distinctly. You can leave some of the regional
jokes. You can put additional explanatory text on your screens, because
many people understand languages better when they read them than when
they hear them. With enough advance warning, you can even take an entirely
different approach to the presentation, developing a multimedia program
that tells a more visual-and consequently universal-story.
Other Classic Mistakes
This last piece of advice
may seem obvious, but it can be surprising how much even the smallest detail
can work against you: Don't use the competition's products in your presentation.
If you are wearing jeans on a sales visit to Levi-Strauss, wear their
jeans. When visiting Lotus, don't show your product in a Microsoft PowerPoint
presentation. When giving a demo at Gillette, don't use a Cross pen (Gillette
owns Waterman). Do your homework. This simple rule will ensure that you
start and stay on your audience's best side.
I'm sure that these
horror stories are just the tip of the iceberg. If you've heard of other
disaster-or had one of your own-please send me your tales.
AV
Video & Multimedia Producer, June 1997
Copyright ©
2000, Wilder Presentations
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