Problems with Business Presentations [SlideShare]
Problems with Business Presentations from Erica Olson
Blog: Blog
Simplify or Die! (Technical Presentations)
Simplify or Die! (Technical Presentations) from Erica Olson
8 Tips for Sitting Presentations
Different types of presentations obviously have different requirements. The majority of presentations go better when they are delivered standing up, but there are presentations that require a presenter to sit or would be received better if the presenter were seated, such as a webinar. There are benefits and drawbacks to sitting, but if the need for a sitting presentation arises, here are some great tips: 1) Know Your Situation– Choose your seat wisely because where you sit can subtly effect your effectiveness. A seated presenter is generally seen by the audience as an equal or part of the team, not the leader of the team. Different situations require different strategies when it comes to sitting presentations. For example, a client update would be weird if the client were sitting and you were towering above them. The head of the table is generally viewed as the figurehead while sitting in the
3 Tips for Better Public Speaking to Win RFPs & Proposals
For most professionals, speaking is the best way to establish expertise and gain business in the process. For other industries, speaking is required to move past the paperwork stage such as the case with Request for Proposals (RFPs). In my experience, I’ve discovered a few tips for helping develop the skill of public speaking. 1) Practice– I’ve discovered a lot through trial and error in the last 7 years that I’ve been speaking to audiences. Not everyone has the opportunity to practice on a daily basis like I did at the zoo, but there are professional outlets that will allow you to gain your own experience. Professional organizations such as BNI, Toastmasters, and other industry groups often require some sort of presentation. Having the ability to frequently give presenting a try is the antidote to fear of public speaking. Practice at talent shows, weddings, luncheons, and breakfast meetings; you can
Why Eye Contact is Important
Have you ever noticed that it’s weird talking to others wearing sunglasses? It bothers me actually that I can’t see their eyes to know if they are even interested in what I’m saying. They could be tuning me out while staring at the demonstration behind me, I wouldn’t even know. It is equally weird talking to a person who is obviously staring off into space; you begin to wonder if they are even hearing you or if they are in an alternate state of mind. Eye contact makes a verbal exchange a conversation, otherwise you are just talking to air. While speaking in front of a group of people, it’s important to make direct eye contact with others, the audience feels involved and you are assured the attention is captured. For speakers who get nervous and stare at the ceiling or the corner at the back of the room, the
Avoiding the Death of A Presentation
Including acronyms in a presentation is the best way to ensure death to your presentation and complete boredom from the audience. That’s a bold statement, but it’s the truth nonetheless. For individuals outside an industry, acronyms might mean something different or have no meaning at all, making the audience clueless to what you are discussing. I was recently coaching a local construction company on a presentation they had been working on for two years. They brought me in for an objective opinion just days before the scheduled presentation. Naturally, I didn’t have time to change much. The presentation team assured me that they were speaking to others inside the field and the acronyms would be understood. I only took that with a grain of salt and questioned each and every one for my understanding (and to double-check them that the audience would understand). We went through this presentation section by
Four Steps to Basic Presentation Skills
When I was in high school, we were required to take a full year of speech class. High school speech class wasn’t the best preparation for presentations, but it’s better than nothing. It taught us the basics of preparation and gave us a place to practice speaking in front of peers, what nerves feel like, and the guts to overcome them. When I went to college, we were again required to take a speech class. Again, it didn’t teach us everything we needed to know, but it was still a base of information so one wouldn’t embarrass themselves during a presentation. Since this was my experience, I assumed that today’s students were also taking speech classes and getting some training, at least getting the basics– turns out they are not. Even my husband didn’t take speech in high school or in college, but instead classes required presentations on research papers.
4 Steps to Avoid Miscommunication
Before I left the zoo, I went through an animal training course to become a certified animal trainer. There are different types of animal trainers including horse trainers, marine mammal trainers, dog trainers, and exotic animal trainers. All are in the same field, but specialize in training in different species of animals. While in the course, the instructor gave us an example that rang extremely familiar. He is a marine mammal trainer that was talking to a horse trainer and the horse trainer began talking in acronyms that sounded familiar, but were being used in an unfamiliar way. All of these trainers have the same acronyms, but the acronyms mean different things to each of the trainers. The the instructor, also a marine mammal trainer, was extremely lost in this conversation because even though he was using familiar acronyms, the message wasn’t adding up. Even within the same field of
How to Ensure You Aren’t Saying Something Else
I’ve talked about acronyms a lot in my blog because it is an easy to item to change to ensure you engage your audience. I still get push back that everyone knows what this or that acronym means, but many times they mean something different because of age and geographic differences. For example, the acronym OPP to a child or teenager in the early 1990s probably thinks of the Naughty by Nature song called “OPP-Other People’s Property”. Well, I remember that song, but OPP here in New Orleans also refers to Orleans Parish Prison. Same three-letter acronym, but completely different meanings. Be careful when you present because audiences will be diverse in education level, professions, gender, geography, and age. Think about how it sounds to sit in the audience while another person slings acronyms at you. You sit there lost wondering when the torture will end. Does NBE mean anything
How to Avoid Presentation Disaster
A 2009 study shows that the cost of poor communication was approximately $35,500 a year per worker. That is a lot of money to lose because you couldn’t explain what you were attempting to say. More often than not a presentation is the cause of losing a bid, not the numbers or plan. If this is a situation that you have found yourself in, then let me introduce you to Interpretation. Interpretation is a process of explaining the complicated and rephrasing into simpler terms. Not just for explanation, but also to relate to whom you are talking to (your audience). It’s important for your audience to not just understand, because understanding doesn’t mean they care. It’s important to make them relate to the information and have it touch them. Many times, this is the difference between a good presentation and a great presentation, touching the audience so they are compelled