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PRESENTERS:
WALKING AROUND
A
presenter once told me that he liked to walk around. That's what
he did — he
paced from one side of the room to the other, never stopping. Another
presenter told me that he just liked to stand still. He did. He
never moved from that one spot for one hour.
Both
stuck to their positions: constantly moving or not moving at all.
Both were operating from their own viewpoints of what makes an effective
presenter. Both got stuck in their own misconceptions.
Misconception 1: Keep the audience alive by always moving. By moving around all the time I keep my audience engaged. They
have to follow me around the room.
Reality:
Presenters moving around so much have no time for eye contact. They
appear to be racing. Because they never stop and really look at
someone in the audience, they seem nervous. Some movement is fine.
It reduces presenter anxiety and keeps the energy moving in the
room. Just don’t overdo it.
Misconception 2: Stand still to feel good. I am uncomfortable walking around, so I
just stand still. That makes me feel calm.
Reality:
When a presenter stands in one spot for over ten minutes and never
moves at all, the presenter’s voice usually becomes monotone
and the audience starts to lose interest. Standing still is great
as long as you gesture and keep a lively voice. But don’t
stand in one spot the whole time.
Misconception 3: I have to stand by the screen. I should stand by the screen all the time — that’s
what everyone is focusing on.
Reality:
Ideally, as you present you should be talking about points and giving
examples that are not on your slides. At that point, feel free to
move towards your audience. You don’t have to stand close
to the screen when you’re not talking about the points on
the slide.
Try these experiments:
Walk forward a couple of steps: If you find you shuffle your feet when you
stand, then walk forward a few steps. Not just one step —
take a couple. You will set up a connection with your audience both
literally and figuratively. By moving forward, you’ll also
signal that you are about to say something important.
Walk from one side of the screen to the other: Everyone has their own view about this.
Some people say: “Don’t walk in front of the LCD projector
and light.” Others say: “Go ahead. Walk in front of
the light if you want.” When would you do this? If your decision
maker is sitting on the other side of the room, get closer to that
person. When talking for more than half an hour, you need to change
the energy in the room. One way to do that is to walk to another
part of the room. Blank out the screen and then walk across it.
Many remotes do that for you. Or, if you cannot blank out the screen,
just walk in front of the projector very nonchalantly. But don’t
look at the projector’s light as you do so or you will see
dots in front of your eyes. The important point is to change the
energy in the room.
Consider that anything done too long standing in one place, moving
all the time — does not keep your audience’s interest
or keep the energy flowing in the room.
PRESENTERS:
THE PERSUSIVE PRESENTATION
You
often have to persuade your audience, even in the midst of a work
update. You are persuading them to give you more money, more people,
or more time. Here is one format to use.
1.
Situation
2.
Recommendation
3.
Evidence supporting recommendation
4.
Next steps
Let's
use an example I hear all the time in my seminars.
Situation
I
really don't look very confident when I stand in front of a group.
Recommendation
Do
some exercises to help you hold your stomach in, your chest up,
and your shoulders back.
Evidence
supporting recommendation
Your
shoulders are hunched over a caved-in chest. Your stomach sticks
out more than your chest even though it is not that big. Your gestures
look weak and ineffective because they don't originate from your
back.
Next
steps
Start
doing a series of exercises that will enable you to look confident
and in charge in front of a group.
DESIGNERS:
THE ANIMATION TOOLBAR
Matt Gebhardt is the editor and writer
for Inside PowerPoint Microsoft Newsletter. His newsletter is full
of excellent ideas on how to save time creating PowerPoint slides,
plus ways to make them look more professional. To subscribe to the
newsletter, call 800-223-8720. Outside the US call 585-240-7301.
Here are Matt's tips for using the
animation effects toolbar.
Go to View to Toolbars and click on
Animation Effects. You'll see the Animation Toolbar.
To add new animations to the toolbar:
Go to Tools to Customize and click on the Commands tab in the
Customize dialog box. From the categories list, select and highlight
Animation Effects. Scroll through the Commands list box and pick
the effect you want to add to the Toolbar. Click on the effect and
drag it to the toolbar. It will appear as text.
To remove animations from the toolbar:
Select something on your slide. This activates your toolbar so you
can use it. Hold down the alt key, click the animation effect, and
drag it off the toolbar. Release the mouse pointer when you see
the x next to it.
MONTHLY CHALLENGES
PRESENTERS:
Walk deliberately in your next presentation.
DESIGNERS:
Experiment with the Animation Toolbar.
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BEFORE AND AFTER SLIDE EXAMPLE
USING A SUB-HEADING ON A SLIDE
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