Nicholas Bate

PresTips: Handout vs. Notes vs. Help for Audience

Don't confuse the three. You may need notes: for your eyes only. They may need visuals or similar to give them clarity. And they may need summary/'take-aways'. Many presenters compromise and use PowerPoint to do all three in one. It does, but badly. Each requires their own format and own approach.

Bonus 1: more pres tips

Bonus 2: Love Presenting Hate (badly used) PowerPoint, the book

Pres Tips: Get Close

Get close to your audience. Remove barriers, get off stages, walk up the aisle. Wander the classroom, stand at the side, sit in the middle. Leave the podium, put aside PowerPoint, jettison your 3 by 5 cards. The closer you can get, the more you amplify the emotional connection of your message. Get close.

Bonus 1: more pres tips here.

Bouns 2: love presenting, hate (badly used) PowerPoint the book here.

Presentation Tips: Where's The Value?

Ensure your content, your flow, your structure, your call to action has value. Many presentations rely on 'marketing' to produce value. Clever videos, beautiful slides and a stream of speakers. But if not handled carefully the latter can mean the audience are entertained but do not take action. And that is the only reason we have gathered people: to take action. Ensure the value is in the message, not in the distractions.

Presentation Tips : Start on Time

Start on time to reward those who turn up on time, to be able to manage your schedule and because it might be impossible to wait for everybody. But how do you cope with the problem of latecomers missing part of your message? Offer 100% value from the start but ensure that it is not integral to your argument until say 5/10 minutes in. Then 'on-timers' are rewarded with extra ideas. You get into the flow. And late-comers have enough to pick up the story. Start on time.