Presentation skill is a must for anyone aspiring to move up the ladders and reach heights of success. Be it professional venues or others, it is clear that how effectively you convey is what is going to make the impact. There are a lot of resources on how to make a great impact through your presentations, with ample good suggestions to make a convincing pitch. The target of this article is to serve as food for thought, covering the other side of the presentation spectrum -What not to do or say.
There are couple of areas under which I would like to categorize this article
- How not to make a presentation?
- What phrases not to say in a presentation?
In short, these two areas cover the visual content you convey and the audible content you say.
How not to make a presentation?
This is a good summary article on how not to make a presentation.
Here are my added suggestions on how not to make a presentation and what not to do
- If you don’t understand a picture, don’t put it because its cool and it can probably psyche the audience out.
- Never repeat a sentence unless its in a different context. Don’t keep repeating sentences in an effort to get an acknowledgement and then proceed.
- Never openly deny or try to prove the audience’s views are wrong, unless you have statistics to prove. You can agree to revisit it with statistics, but put the topic off for offline discussion.
What phrases not to say in a presentation?
I found this one to be ‘one of its kind’ article on ‘what phrases not to say‘.
The 5 phrases mentioned in the article are
- MAKE SOME NOISE!!!
- Um…
- Did That Make Sense?
- What Else Can I Show You?
- I Guess That’s it.
Here are my added suggestions of phrases to avoid.
- Its kind of: when trying to start talking about an analogy or reference
- Something like that: when conveying that the topic is in discussion or the point communicated is similar to what the audience is comparing to.
- This or that: when conveying choices or alternatives
- Of course you don’t want to use the words like shacks, geez, shoot etc
All said and done, you need to understand that the audience is there to listen and absorb what you want to say. You can take it for granted (apart from the obnoxious few who manifest now and then), everyone will appreciate if you just stuck to what you want to say and let the audience themselves make the analysis and observations.
In short,
Stick to you story, let the slides be short and simple and deliver looking directly to the audience.
Tags: Presentation
March 7th, 2008 at 2:59 pm
These are all good points.
One of the best ways to improve upon presentations is to shred verbal filler. Never use words like uh, um, so, like, you know, basically, etc. unless you are using them in an exact manner (which given the nature of these words is rare). These sorts of fillers make the presenter seem less articulate and less sure of themselves and their message.
Here are some techniques that you can use to shed the use of verbal filler (uh, um, so, like, you know, basically, etc.)
1. Record yourself practicing a presentation, watch it, and count your verbal fillers. It’s painful but can fuel your determination to shed the fillers.
2. Enlist the help of those around you – your partner / spouse, friends, co-workers, family, etc. Empower them to repeat your fillers whenever they hear you using it. That can also be painful and embarrassing – even more fuel for your determination.
3. Listen for your use of verbal filler at ALL times – presenting, in conversation, on the phone, with friends, etc.
4. Don’t beat yourself up about it. Just make a mental note and remind yourself that you want to change your speech pattern.
5. Use pause instead. Focus on the behavior you want. Grow comfortable with silence. Learn to enjoy it.
6. Be willing to pause even in the middle of sentences as you struggle to think of the word that you want.
7. It’s said that you can change any behavior if you focus on it for 21 days. Put “I will use pause not filler” on your to-do list for 21 consecutive days.
8. Don’t give up! As American writer and philosopher Ralph Waldo Emerson observed, “Once you make a decision, the universe conspires to make it happen.”
March 8th, 2008 at 12:20 am
@Terry
Great points! I also watched the video you have on your ‘Henderson Group’ website and I can related well to the points you mentioned in the comment and the video. I also had a chance to look through your company’s service offerings. Exhaustive set of services to cater to every aspect in improving communication.
For the benefit of people who will see these comments, I am linking the video here.
http://www.hendersongroup.com/art_pres_info.asp
Guys, check it out!