When people ask me for my advice, I suggest they talk about what they know. When you are expected to give a presentation, you need to be the expert on that topic and feel one hundred percent comfortable talking about it in depth. The biggest problem with this piece of advice is that professionals know too much, which leads me to the dangers of impromptu presentations.

Business professionals spend 8-12 hours a day, 50 weeks a year, for years, which makes them very close to everything they know on the subject. When opportunities for presentations arise, professionals think that they are capable of crafting a presentation at the spur of the moment. Presenters tend to either cram their preparation steps into just a few minutes the night before or skip the steps of preparation altogether. These presenters get up in front of people and stumble through a presentation because they realize just how difficult it is to be effective without any time to prepare.

These rambling presentations are the most common and are the least effective types of presentations because they don’t make any sense. With no preparation, presentations tend to get stuck and go in several different directions without having a point, both leaving listeners utterly confused and frustrated. Listeners get frustrated because they wasted their time and sometimes entrance fee to be enriched by your presentation, and you let them down.

Be respectful of your audience’s time and take the time to prepare for your presentation to effectively share your message and make it worthwhile for them. If you need help preparing that amazing presentation, just let me know.

Additional Resources

• Download a free chapter from Erica Olson’s first book, Speak Simple – The Art of Simplifying Technical Presentations. 
• Master winning presentations by graduating from SpeakU!
• Want even more presentation skills and tips? Follow Speak Simple on Facebook and SlideShare.

How Speak Simple Can Help You

Increase your value by being an expert. Buyers pay more and come to you when you’re the expert. The best way to show expertise over a topic to present at industry conferences, workshops, and webinars. Speak Simple can train you to be a better presenter, craft messages your audience understands, and how to maximize every opportunity. Learn how Speak Simple can grow your sales pipeline and bottom line.