My last 10 posts have been talking about how to improve your presentations. Hope you found some of the tips useful! Here are all 10 tips in one handy list:
10 Tips to Do Presentations Like Me:
- Don’t Use Templates
- Use Presenter Notes
- Use Presenter View
- Learn Your PC
- Use Screenshots
- Do What You Said You’d Do
- Tidy up Those Transitions
- Rehearse
- Interact with the Audience
- It’s a Performance
Have anything to add? Something I missed? Please add it in the comments!
Really good information! I implement these tips in a couple of weeks. Thanks David
David, I don’t see anywhere where you tell them to say “Cool” a lot. :->
Nice job David. There are some really good ideas in here, I need to go back and re-tool some of my presentations.
There are definitely some good points here. If it was my list here are four other things you’d see:
1. Start by telling the audience exactly what they are going to hear about in the presentation – shoot for three things – don’t try to do too much. Maybe like your #6 – but tell them again right at the start.
2. Start with a story. People like to hear stories – but only tell a story that you can easily bridge to your starting point. I’ve told stories about my dad’s cadillac, why we have to remember clear cutting forests, the time my sister brought home a chicken, etc. We all have stories and some will be good ways to start a talk – as much as possible – have a little mystery in there (where’s he going with this).
3. Use VIDEO – a great way to incorporate mini-stories in the presentation. I don’t care how good your static slides are – people get tired of looking at them. I don’t get presentations with 90 or 100 slides – screenshot after screenshot. Videos are also great for starting discussions with the audience (What just happened there?). If you don’t find the perfect 2-3 minute video, get out your Flip and make it using the tons of existing video out there. For more on this go read: http://bit.ly/bUPTP9
4. Try drawing your own slides – there’s so much more you can say with a drawing than a screenshot or a picture of flowers with a big word stamped on it. You don’t have to be a great artist. I’m not, but people won’t mind if the illustrations are part of a good story. One time after a talk an attendee came up to me and said “the only thing I’ll remember about this conference is your drawings and what you said about them”. For an example of a typical drawing check out this column: http://bit.ly/hQanD9
Ok. I hope these tips are helpful to others.