Should you start your presentation with a joke? If not, what is a better way to start your presentation or speech and be funny without offending the audience?
Three Most Common Mistakes with a PowerPoint Presentation
You’ve probably endured too many painful presentations – most of them dominated by PowerPoint slides. Have you wondered why so many presenters still deliver painful PowerPoint presentations?
Why are the presenters reading the slides to you? Do they believe you can’t read? Why did they put so much text on the slide? Why is the slide so cluttered and confusing? Why are presenters ignoring the audience experience?
“Thank You” is a poor way to end your presentation
Don’t end your presentation with the words, “Thank you”.
You might be thinking, “What’s wrong ending your presentation with ‘Thank you’?’ That’s just being polite, right?
Let’s address the first three questions.
What’s wrong ending on ‘thank you’?
What’s a better ending?
Is it polite?
Presentation Mechanics: The Three Gears of your Presentation
Your presentation leverages three gears – Content, Structure and Delivery. Mesh these three gears for a successful presentation.
Master the Pause to become a Powerful Communicator
It might be the most difficult communication skill, the dramatic use of silence. Consider that the most effective technique is to say nothing. That means, that sometimes, you need to stop talking. The use of the dramatic pause might be the most powerful tool in your communication toolbox.
Why do Zoom presentations suck and what to do about that?
It’s not your imagination. Zoom or virtual presentations do suck both figuratively and literally. They sap energy and magnify flaws. Presenting online is challenging. What might you do to improve? Understand the challenges, adapt your presentation delivery, and enhance your skills.
Five Habits of Effective Public Speakers
Imagine your success when you consistently deliver more effective presentations. You can do that when you develop the habits of effective public speakers. Success in any pursuit is the result of establishing smarter habits. Study and adopt these five habits of effective public speaking.
Engage Your Audience with Three Types of Questions
Questions are much more engaging than statements. Use questions throughout your presentation to keep your audience interested. Sprinkle these three types of questions within your presentation to make it feel more like a conversation instead of a lecture. Use all three types of questions and you’ll keep your audience actively engaged during your presentation.
Why So Serious? Are you cold to your audience?
Heath Ledger, as the Joker, delivered that line in the Batman movie, The Dark Knight. The Joker delivered that line as he explained the permanent smile on his face.
What’s most relevant to you is a question that more business presenters need to ask themselves when they speak.
Why so serious?
Intended vs Unintended Messages: What did you mean?
You control the message you send, and you can make it more successful when you understand the filters and adapt your message to successfully pass through the filters unchanged.
These are the challenges you face with your intended message.