Six PowerPoint Nightmares (and How to Fix Them)
By Lincoln Spector, PCWorld
You're giving a speech in front of an audience, and suddenly you realize that you're naked.
Even if you've never experienced that particular nightmare, you've probably heard of it. Luckily, it will probably never happen to you in real life (and if it does, you work in a very interesting industry). But if your PowerPoint presentation goes wrong in front of a gathering of your peers--or worse, a gathering of your bosses--you have a real, waking nightmare on your hands.
Here are solutions to six PowerPoint nightmares. The first two deal with problems that may arise when you're designing a presentation. The remaining four focus on avoiding disasters that you might otherwise not see until your audience saw them, too.
These tips will help you save face when using either PowerPoint 2007 or PowerPoint 2010.
1. I Can't Format Text Around an Image
Why doesn't PowerPoint handle pictures and text as well as Microsoft Word does?
Whatever the reason, it doesn't. So if you want to place an image in the middle of a paragraph, you have to work around PowerPoint's limitations. Here are two ways to do that:
If you want to put the image in the middle of an otherwise normal paragraph, you have to create a space for it manually: Place the text box and image on the same slide. Then move the picture into the middle of the text block and resize it to your liking. Right-click the picture and select Send to Back. Now, starting with the first line of text that overlaps the picture, insert spaces or tabs until the text surrounds but doesn’t block the picture.
You've probably already guessed the problem with this solution: Any changes you make after adding all of the spaces will throw things off and require you to redo much of the work.
If instead you want text to curve around an image, you can use WordArt. Select the text box, and click the ribbon's Drawing Tools/Format tab. Click Text Effects (if you don't see the words 'Text Effects', look for the softly glowing blue letter A). In the resulting pull-down menu, select Transform, and then choose the most promising shape. Move, resize, and reshape the circle by dragging it.
2. I Hate That Font
Don't like the font that you (or a coworker) used throughout a lengthy presentation? Want to change it to something else?
In the Home tab's Editing group, pull down the Replace menu and select Replace Fonts. Select the appropriate fonts and click Replace.
3. PowerPoint Won't Open My Presentation
You bring your presentation on a flash drive, plug it into your host's computer (connected to a projector), double-click the file--and get the fateful error message.
You may have checked ahead to confirm that the host computer had PowerPoint loaded on it, but did you ask which version? The file format changed with PowerPoint 2007.
The easiest way to avoid compatibility issues is to use the old file format. Your files will be significantly bigger, but you probably won't run into other problems.
You can make the old format your default in the PowerPoint Options dialog box. To get there in PowerPoint 2007, click the Office orb in the upper-left corner, and then click the PowerPoint Options button. In version 2010, click the Ribbon's File tab, and in the left pane click Options.
Once you're in the dialog box, click Save in the left pane. For the 'Save files in this format' option, select PowerPoint Presentation 97-2003.
The owner of the computer can fix the problem by installing either the Microsoft Office Compatibility Pack for Word, Excel, and PowerPoint 2007 file formats or the PowerPoint Viewer 2007. Both are free. But that's their decision to make, not yours.
4. The Audience Can't Read the Text
Your slides can be completely legible in the office, but projected on the big screen they may be difficult for your audience to read.
You can't assume that the projector you'll be using during the presentation will exactly replicate the colors on your monitor. Subtle--or not so subtle--differences in shade, brightness, and contrast are common.
The solution is to avoid subtle color differences when choosing your font and background colors. Think in terms of color opposites:
Black and white
Red and cyan
Green and magenta
Blue and yellow
Of these four pairs, yellow text on a blue background is probably the most pleasing to the eye. White text on any truly dark color will also be readable.
If you want to experiment but ensure that your results will be readable, try Dave Paradi's Color Contrast Calculator. For a design tool, this Web page is surprisingly text-heavy and unfriendly, but it can tell you whether your two colors will produce legible results.
The calculator requires you to enter the three numbers that define each color. To obtain these numbers for the background color, right-click a blank spot on the slide and select Format Background. In the Fill section of the resulting dialog box, pull down the Color menu and select More Colors. You'll see Red, Green, and Blue values below the colorful graphic. (If you don't, change the Color model to RGB.)
For the text color, select some text and then click the Ribbon's Home tab. In the Font section, click the pull-down arrow by the color icon (an A with a thick, red underline) and select More Colors. You'll get the same dialog box.
5. That's Not the Font I Picked!
So you replaced an ugly-looking font with an attractive one (see problem #2 above), and then you got the colors right (see problem #4). But when you launched your presentation, the font onscreen wasn't the one you picked.
Unless you're sure that you'll be running your presentation from your own laptop, you should embed your fonts to avoid font overrides from the host machine. You can do the embedding from the PowerPoint Options dialog box.
To get to that box in PowerPoint 2007, click first the Office orb and then the PowerPoint Options button. In 2010, click the Ribbon's File tab and then click Options in the left pane.
Once you're in the dialog box, click Save the in left pane. Then check Embed fonts in the file.
6. Audio Plays Only on My PC
Fonts aren't the only components of your slideshow that may fail to follow your PowerPoint file to another PC. If you've added music or other audio to your presentation, it may play flawlessly on your computer, but elsewhere leave you with the sound of silence.
First question: Does the presentation PC have speakers attached to it, and are they powerful enough to fill the room? If you have sound with your presentation, you need to answer this question in advance.
But what if the setup is capable of blasting Beethoven's Fifth through the audience, and yet the song in your presentation doesn't make a peep? Unless you're sure that you'll never have to run the presentation off anything except your own laptop, you need to set up your slideshow in a way that avoids this particular embarrassment.
There are two ways to add sound to a PowerPoint presentation: You can link the audio, which tells PowerPoint to play a particular audio file, or you can embed the audio information inside the PowerPoint file itself.
You might expect, in view of the advice I gave earlier about fonts, that the better approach is to embed the audio into your PowerPoint file. But that's not the case here because PowerPoint will let you embed audio that it may not be able to play. For instance, if you embed an MP3 file in PowerPoint 2010, you may not be able to play it in PowerPoint 2007.
A better approach is to link to the audio file in a way that eliminates all path issues. Before inserting any sounds into your slideshow, create a separate folder for your presentation. Put the PowerPoint file there, along with any audio files that you'll be using. (If you're playing songs from your audio library, be sure to copy--rather than move--the files. Otherwise, you'll have trouble enjoying them later.)
When it's time to insert audio, be sure to link rather than embed:
In PowerPoint 2007, click first the Office orb in the upper-left corner and then the PowerPoint Options button. Click Advanced in the left pane. Scroll down to the Save section. Make sure that the value of the 'Link sounds with file size greater than' option is smaller than the size of the smallest audio file you'll be using.
There's no such setting in PowerPoint 2010. In the Insert Audio dialog box, select but don't double-click the file; then pull down the Insert menu near lower-right corner, and select Link to File.
Take the folder, rather than the file, with you to your presentation.
After you're done with your technically flawless presentation, you can go home and have a good night's sleep--assuming, of course, that everyone in the audience stayed awake during the presentation.
Articles of Related Interest: For a review of non-PowerPoint presentation-software options available online, see "PowerPoint Alternatives: Presentation-Tool Showdown." For a Mac-centric discussion of how to improve a PowerPoint presentation, see "Five Favorite PowerPoint Tips." And for examples of what not to do under any circumstances, see our slideshow, "The World's Worst PowerPoint Presentations."
Contributing Editor Lincoln Spector writes PC World's Answer Line column and blog, as well as the movie blog Bayflicks.net. Follow Lincoln on Twitter.
MY THOUGHTS
Great tips. I still need to check the color contrast thing but the rest of the tips seem easy to work on.
Showing posts with label presentation mistakes. Show all posts
Showing posts with label presentation mistakes. Show all posts
Saturday, August 13, 2011
Thursday, July 21, 2011
How to Answer the Question: "WHAT DO YOU DO?"
How to Answer the Question: “What Do You Do?”
By Penelope Trunk | July 21, 2011
So what do you do?
It’s the question that people are often asked. Some instinctively know how to answer it well. But most don’t. The fact is, the question is so open-ended that it’s almost like a trick question. Any answer is right, technically, but most answers are boring and so therefore, probably detrimental to your career.
The problem for most of us is that our lives are long and complicated, and it’s hard to know what’s most important.
Here are some tips:
1.Talk fast.
When someone says to you, “What do you do?” it’s an invitation to you to give your elevator pitch about you. And elevator pitch, it should be noted, is called that because you should be able to start and finish the answer to the question in the time it takes to ride in an elevator.
Entrepreneurs have to be ready at all times to catch someone in an elevator who can fund their company, and then pitch that person, on the spot, to convince them to hear more about the company later.
So the answer to the question should be only a few sentences. If they are good sentences, the person will ask for more info. If you can’t give a good answer in less than a minute, then you have no idea how to talk about yourself when someone wants to talk longer.
2. Convey self-respect.
It’s hard to cover up self-doubt when you feel it. But talking about yourself in a framework of self-doubt does not make you honest - it makes you boring. Because we all have self-doubt. It’s natural to have self-doubt. It’s an accomplishment to figure out how to work around it and still get things done. What it interesting about each of us is how to get around the self-doubt. Talk about that.
When I was married to my ex-husband, and people would ask me what he does, I’d say, “I don’t know.” I think my answer revealed the inevitable demise of our marriage. Because having an answer to the question is a sign of self-respect - for ones spouse or for oneself.
3. Know your audience.
There is no one, single, right way to describe “what you do.” The key is to tailor your answer to your audience. And the way to know which answer is best for which audience is knowing your list of possibilities. Then, you can choose your one-sentence summary from the list you have in your head. For example, if you paint at home and you are a sales person, your summary of your life includes painting AND sales if you’re interviewing for a sales position at an art company. But if you’re interviewing at a software company? Your summary does not include painting.
4. Leave out boring stuff.
When people ask you what do you do, they are really asking, “what is interesting about you?” So you don’t need to confess that you stay in bed until noon and then watch movies for five hours. Retail may be a great way to support yourself when you are trying to figure out what’s next. And moving back into your parents house is a smart, conservative step in a wacky economy. But you don’t need to tell people this stuff. It’s not going to reveal interesting things about you.
Talk about that one hour, toward the end of the day, when you finally motivate yourself to do something. What if your most interesting work occurs outside of your day job? That’s okay. You should talk about what excites you and what you’re passionate about, even if this is something you don’t get paid for. People are not asking about money when they “what do you do?” they are asking about passion.
5. Show off your expertise.
Trying lots of jobs on for size is a great way to figure out what you want to do next. In fact, dilletantism might be the best career change tool around. But it should be a path to specializing. Because ultimately, specialists are the people who are most successful in the work world.
So you might be tempted to tell people how you do a little bit of this and a little bit of that. Don’t. But instead, force yourself to talk about your career like you’re a specialist.
6. Hire a career coach to help you tell stories.
I think everyone needs a career counselor at some point in their life, and the reason is that they need help shaping their story. We should each make choices that feel right at a given time and not worry about our story, but then we should be great at crafting our story to make sense of our lives after the fact.
Most people have coherent stories, but they don’t see it. Their resumes are a mess and their elevator pitch is a bore. Hire a professional to help you make a story that makes sense for where you want to go.
And, in the end, the only way we get where we want to be is to tell ourselves stories of what we look like on that path. So if you want to chase your dreams, first chase that elusively enchanting elevator pitch.
MY THOUGHTS
That's something that's worth learning-the elevator pitch. What can be more concise than that? Brief. To the point. Hitting the right spot. At the right time. With nothing else but the most crucial of details.
By Penelope Trunk | July 21, 2011
So what do you do?
It’s the question that people are often asked. Some instinctively know how to answer it well. But most don’t. The fact is, the question is so open-ended that it’s almost like a trick question. Any answer is right, technically, but most answers are boring and so therefore, probably detrimental to your career.
The problem for most of us is that our lives are long and complicated, and it’s hard to know what’s most important.
Here are some tips:
1.Talk fast.
When someone says to you, “What do you do?” it’s an invitation to you to give your elevator pitch about you. And elevator pitch, it should be noted, is called that because you should be able to start and finish the answer to the question in the time it takes to ride in an elevator.
Entrepreneurs have to be ready at all times to catch someone in an elevator who can fund their company, and then pitch that person, on the spot, to convince them to hear more about the company later.
So the answer to the question should be only a few sentences. If they are good sentences, the person will ask for more info. If you can’t give a good answer in less than a minute, then you have no idea how to talk about yourself when someone wants to talk longer.
2. Convey self-respect.
It’s hard to cover up self-doubt when you feel it. But talking about yourself in a framework of self-doubt does not make you honest - it makes you boring. Because we all have self-doubt. It’s natural to have self-doubt. It’s an accomplishment to figure out how to work around it and still get things done. What it interesting about each of us is how to get around the self-doubt. Talk about that.
When I was married to my ex-husband, and people would ask me what he does, I’d say, “I don’t know.” I think my answer revealed the inevitable demise of our marriage. Because having an answer to the question is a sign of self-respect - for ones spouse or for oneself.
3. Know your audience.
There is no one, single, right way to describe “what you do.” The key is to tailor your answer to your audience. And the way to know which answer is best for which audience is knowing your list of possibilities. Then, you can choose your one-sentence summary from the list you have in your head. For example, if you paint at home and you are a sales person, your summary of your life includes painting AND sales if you’re interviewing for a sales position at an art company. But if you’re interviewing at a software company? Your summary does not include painting.
4. Leave out boring stuff.
When people ask you what do you do, they are really asking, “what is interesting about you?” So you don’t need to confess that you stay in bed until noon and then watch movies for five hours. Retail may be a great way to support yourself when you are trying to figure out what’s next. And moving back into your parents house is a smart, conservative step in a wacky economy. But you don’t need to tell people this stuff. It’s not going to reveal interesting things about you.
Talk about that one hour, toward the end of the day, when you finally motivate yourself to do something. What if your most interesting work occurs outside of your day job? That’s okay. You should talk about what excites you and what you’re passionate about, even if this is something you don’t get paid for. People are not asking about money when they “what do you do?” they are asking about passion.
5. Show off your expertise.
Trying lots of jobs on for size is a great way to figure out what you want to do next. In fact, dilletantism might be the best career change tool around. But it should be a path to specializing. Because ultimately, specialists are the people who are most successful in the work world.
So you might be tempted to tell people how you do a little bit of this and a little bit of that. Don’t. But instead, force yourself to talk about your career like you’re a specialist.
6. Hire a career coach to help you tell stories.
I think everyone needs a career counselor at some point in their life, and the reason is that they need help shaping their story. We should each make choices that feel right at a given time and not worry about our story, but then we should be great at crafting our story to make sense of our lives after the fact.
Most people have coherent stories, but they don’t see it. Their resumes are a mess and their elevator pitch is a bore. Hire a professional to help you make a story that makes sense for where you want to go.
And, in the end, the only way we get where we want to be is to tell ourselves stories of what we look like on that path. So if you want to chase your dreams, first chase that elusively enchanting elevator pitch.
MY THOUGHTS
That's something that's worth learning-the elevator pitch. What can be more concise than that? Brief. To the point. Hitting the right spot. At the right time. With nothing else but the most crucial of details.
Saturday, April 23, 2011
HOW MUCH OF YOUR PRESENTATION SHOULD BE ABOUT YOUR COMPANY
HOW MUCH OF YOUR PRESENTATION SHOULD BE ABOUT YOUR COMPANY
Death by Corporate Overview
by Peter Cohan
Published on April 19, 2005
Tags: Marketing Smarter, PowerPoint, Sales
We are often asked, "How much of our company's corporate overview presentation should we include in a demo meeting?" Good question. The answer: as little as possible!
Many salespeople and technical staff feel comfortable opening a demonstration meeting with a "brief" overview of their company. Most customers refer to this as "Death by PowerPoint."
Why? Because at the beginning of such meetings, customers are not interested in vendor history—they only want to whether a vendor can help address their critical business issues (CBIs) or enable them to achieve their objectives.
Making the customer wait through and watch and listen to three, six or ten or more slides from a standard corporate overview presentation about the vendor is just cruel!
Instead, start the meeting with a "situation slide."
In the case of a technical proof demonstration, this slide simply recalls the information gathered previously from during qualification/discovery discussions. You should list the following:
The customer's name and job title for each major player or department
The CBIs, reasons, and specific capabilities needed for each player or department
The desired change/result ("delta") for each situation (you may want to create a situation slide for each major player or department involved)
A CBI is a problem that the customer sees as important enough to invest resources to address. It is best to use the customer's words, such as "I'm concerned about our ability to achieve our forecasted revenues this year," which might come from a VP of Sales. In your situation slide, you would rephrase this:
VP of Sales, Acme Software
CBI: Concerned about achieving forecast revenues
Read the Full Article
Read more: http://www.marketingprofs.com/articles/2005/1465/death-by-corporate-overview#ixzz1KJKipRBI
MY THOUGHTS
It'll be good to remind yourself that your presentation is not a company orientation.
Death by Corporate Overview
by Peter Cohan
Published on April 19, 2005
Tags: Marketing Smarter, PowerPoint, Sales
We are often asked, "How much of our company's corporate overview presentation should we include in a demo meeting?" Good question. The answer: as little as possible!
Many salespeople and technical staff feel comfortable opening a demonstration meeting with a "brief" overview of their company. Most customers refer to this as "Death by PowerPoint."
Why? Because at the beginning of such meetings, customers are not interested in vendor history—they only want to whether a vendor can help address their critical business issues (CBIs) or enable them to achieve their objectives.
Making the customer wait through and watch and listen to three, six or ten or more slides from a standard corporate overview presentation about the vendor is just cruel!
Instead, start the meeting with a "situation slide."
In the case of a technical proof demonstration, this slide simply recalls the information gathered previously from during qualification/discovery discussions. You should list the following:
The customer's name and job title for each major player or department
The CBIs, reasons, and specific capabilities needed for each player or department
The desired change/result ("delta") for each situation (you may want to create a situation slide for each major player or department involved)
A CBI is a problem that the customer sees as important enough to invest resources to address. It is best to use the customer's words, such as "I'm concerned about our ability to achieve our forecasted revenues this year," which might come from a VP of Sales. In your situation slide, you would rephrase this:
VP of Sales, Acme Software
CBI: Concerned about achieving forecast revenues
Read the Full Article
Read more: http://www.marketingprofs.com/articles/2005/1465/death-by-corporate-overview#ixzz1KJKipRBI
MY THOUGHTS
It'll be good to remind yourself that your presentation is not a company orientation.
Friday, February 11, 2011
HOW TO FIX LONG PRESENTATIONS
HOW TO FIX TOO LONG PRESENTATIONS
from the articleTop 20 Reasons Presentations Suck and How To Fix Them
By Geoffrey James
www.bnet.com
Most business presentations suck. They're boring. They're confusing. They're out of touch. This gallery explains exactly why most presentations are so dreadful, and what to do make your own presentations better.
Too Freakin' Long
* Diagnosis: It presents way more than anybody wants to know.
* Why It Happens: The speaker is “spraying and praying” in hope that something works.
* What Results: Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz…
* How to Fix It: Always make your presentation less than half as long as you think it should be.
MY THOUGHTS
in other words, don't get carried away.know how much time you have for the presentation. if the presentation is short simply tell the audience the "must-know". if you have more time, include the "should-know". if there are no other speakers and you have all the time, then you can share the "nice-to-know". whatever you've prepared,long or short, be very sensitive to your audience. when you see them getting restless or already snoring,it's time to change gears or put a break.
from the articleTop 20 Reasons Presentations Suck and How To Fix Them
By Geoffrey James
www.bnet.com
Most business presentations suck. They're boring. They're confusing. They're out of touch. This gallery explains exactly why most presentations are so dreadful, and what to do make your own presentations better.
Too Freakin' Long
* Diagnosis: It presents way more than anybody wants to know.
* Why It Happens: The speaker is “spraying and praying” in hope that something works.
* What Results: Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz…
* How to Fix It: Always make your presentation less than half as long as you think it should be.
MY THOUGHTS
in other words, don't get carried away.know how much time you have for the presentation. if the presentation is short simply tell the audience the "must-know". if you have more time, include the "should-know". if there are no other speakers and you have all the time, then you can share the "nice-to-know". whatever you've prepared,long or short, be very sensitive to your audience. when you see them getting restless or already snoring,it's time to change gears or put a break.
Tuesday, February 1, 2011
CONQUER YOUR FEAR OF PUBLIC SPEAKING
Conquering Your Fear of Public Speaking
By Steve Tobak | January 26, 2009
http://www.bnet.com/blog/ceo/conquering-your-fear-of-public-speaking/1690
People fear public speaking more than anything else. You probably knew that, but did you know that a significant percentage of accomplished professionals, managers, and executives suffer from this debilitating fear? That’s right, people just like you.
Apparently, career-minded, achievement-oriented people are more likely to worry about performance and appearances - the source of most speaking fear - than others are.
To make matters worse, sufferers are typically embarrassed and reluctant to admit they have a problem. They hide a deep concern about the phobia’s affect on their careers in an industry that values presentation skills so highly.
One particular experience at an executive conference sticks with me. While a senior Microsoft executive and I sat in the audience, sharing techniques for calming our own nerves, we watched the president of a large Japanese company present. His hands were trembling and his voice was shaky. He had a rough time, but he got through it.
My heart went out to him, not just because I was scheduled to present the following day and shared his fear, but because he had the courage to confront it.
What’s the cause?
In short, it’s part of the fight or flight response that generates adrenaline, an ancient survival mechanism that lives within each of us. That’s what accounts for the nerves, anxiety, and panic. The underlying cause may be a single unpleasant event or something deeper. In any case, it’s a learned response, and as such, it can be unlearned.
How do you conquer it?
The worst thing you can do is ignore it or avoid public speaking. This is no different from any other challenge you’ve addressed in the past. Deal with it logically and methodically and improvement will follow.
Here are five steps to Conquer Your Fear of Public Speaking:
1. Face your fear. Admit that you have a problem, seek to understand it, and have faith that you will eventually conquer it. You’re far from alone and in very good company. Isolation is a big part of this fear. Talk about it with friends and family. Get it out. Then be brave and determined. You can conquer this and you will.
2. Know your material cold. When you do present, put your best foot forward by knowing your material backwards and forwards. Don’t memorize, just be clear on the key points you want to get across and be prepared to converse intelligently on the subject. Ability to think on your feet is really about confidence, knowledge, and preparation.
3. It’s not all about you. You worry that all eyes are on you and everyone can see how nervous you are. Well, guess what? They may be looking at you, but they’re either thinking about themselves or the content. And if you consider that half your audience has the same fear you have, they’re likely to be empathetic.
4. Interact with the audience. Relieve the feeling of isolation by interacting with the audience. Draw them into your presentation by asking leading questions and encouraging interaction. You’ll instantly feel more comfortable, and so will your audience. Side benefit: you’ll be a more dynamic and engaging speaker.
5. What’s the worst that can happen? That question can diffuse most life problems and it certainly applies here. What if your hands shake, you screw up, or you panic? First, that’s not likely to happen; it’s all in your head. Second, so what if it does? You pick yourself up, dust yourself off, and try again. Failing is part of life and business; this is no different.
Also, check out How to Give a Killer Presentation; it’ll help build your confidence and reduce your fear.
If you have a fear of public speaking, have addressed your fear in the past, or have coached others, please share your feelings and experiences. It’s anonymous, a good way to start, and will help thousands of others.
MY THOUGHTS
i avoided speaking in public for years. then i ended up in training. i used to think numbers cause my nerves to get all tangled up. not so. it's who. not how many. i can get away with 500 employees in the audience. but 10 board members make me want to call in sick.
i don't think i've really conquered my fear. i just learned how to live with it. yes, preparation is the key. prayer can get you through it. and so what if i foul up? that won't make me a lesser person.
By Steve Tobak | January 26, 2009
http://www.bnet.com/blog/ceo/conquering-your-fear-of-public-speaking/1690
People fear public speaking more than anything else. You probably knew that, but did you know that a significant percentage of accomplished professionals, managers, and executives suffer from this debilitating fear? That’s right, people just like you.
Apparently, career-minded, achievement-oriented people are more likely to worry about performance and appearances - the source of most speaking fear - than others are.
To make matters worse, sufferers are typically embarrassed and reluctant to admit they have a problem. They hide a deep concern about the phobia’s affect on their careers in an industry that values presentation skills so highly.
One particular experience at an executive conference sticks with me. While a senior Microsoft executive and I sat in the audience, sharing techniques for calming our own nerves, we watched the president of a large Japanese company present. His hands were trembling and his voice was shaky. He had a rough time, but he got through it.
My heart went out to him, not just because I was scheduled to present the following day and shared his fear, but because he had the courage to confront it.
What’s the cause?
In short, it’s part of the fight or flight response that generates adrenaline, an ancient survival mechanism that lives within each of us. That’s what accounts for the nerves, anxiety, and panic. The underlying cause may be a single unpleasant event or something deeper. In any case, it’s a learned response, and as such, it can be unlearned.
How do you conquer it?
The worst thing you can do is ignore it or avoid public speaking. This is no different from any other challenge you’ve addressed in the past. Deal with it logically and methodically and improvement will follow.
Here are five steps to Conquer Your Fear of Public Speaking:
1. Face your fear. Admit that you have a problem, seek to understand it, and have faith that you will eventually conquer it. You’re far from alone and in very good company. Isolation is a big part of this fear. Talk about it with friends and family. Get it out. Then be brave and determined. You can conquer this and you will.
2. Know your material cold. When you do present, put your best foot forward by knowing your material backwards and forwards. Don’t memorize, just be clear on the key points you want to get across and be prepared to converse intelligently on the subject. Ability to think on your feet is really about confidence, knowledge, and preparation.
3. It’s not all about you. You worry that all eyes are on you and everyone can see how nervous you are. Well, guess what? They may be looking at you, but they’re either thinking about themselves or the content. And if you consider that half your audience has the same fear you have, they’re likely to be empathetic.
4. Interact with the audience. Relieve the feeling of isolation by interacting with the audience. Draw them into your presentation by asking leading questions and encouraging interaction. You’ll instantly feel more comfortable, and so will your audience. Side benefit: you’ll be a more dynamic and engaging speaker.
5. What’s the worst that can happen? That question can diffuse most life problems and it certainly applies here. What if your hands shake, you screw up, or you panic? First, that’s not likely to happen; it’s all in your head. Second, so what if it does? You pick yourself up, dust yourself off, and try again. Failing is part of life and business; this is no different.
Also, check out How to Give a Killer Presentation; it’ll help build your confidence and reduce your fear.
If you have a fear of public speaking, have addressed your fear in the past, or have coached others, please share your feelings and experiences. It’s anonymous, a good way to start, and will help thousands of others.
MY THOUGHTS
i avoided speaking in public for years. then i ended up in training. i used to think numbers cause my nerves to get all tangled up. not so. it's who. not how many. i can get away with 500 employees in the audience. but 10 board members make me want to call in sick.
i don't think i've really conquered my fear. i just learned how to live with it. yes, preparation is the key. prayer can get you through it. and so what if i foul up? that won't make me a lesser person.
Saturday, January 29, 2011
HOW TO BE A GREAT STORYTELLER - PART 4
How to Be a Great Storyteller and Win Over Any Audience - Part 4
By Steve Tobak | January 12, 2011
Part IV: The Close
The close is the easiest part to get right and the easiest part to screw up. I know that sounds contradictory, but it’s not. Here’s why. It’s the easiest to screw up because, all-too-often, folks forget to do it. They get so wound up in telling the story that they simply blow it.
It’s also the easiest to get right because the close is either telling them what you told them, as succinctly as possible, and/or driving home the one key point, the single message you want them to take away from your story or pitch. Simple. Just don’t forget to do it.
And yes, I have forgotten to close. I gave a speech at Beijing University where the audience was so engaged and the response was so overwhelming that I got caught up in the moment and forgot. I had a speech coach at the time. When she and I watched the tape together, at the end, she looked at me and said, “What the hell was that? You go all the way to China, give an incredible speech, and forget to close?!” I never forgot again.
Finally, remember this. Some people are more naturally adept at this than others are. You weren’t born with the ability to stand up in front of an audience and tell a story. It takes practice.
Videotape yourself presenting to an empty conference room or get someone with experience to watch you and provide feedback. If your company hires a speech coach for executives and up-and-comers, get in on it.
Most importantly, be patient with yourself. Finding your own style where you feel comfortable comes with experience. It may take a few years, but it’s worth it. Nothing can boost your career - or be more fulfilling - than being adept at telling a story and truly connecting with your audience. Nothing.
MY THOUGHTS
maybe i should get a speech coach. how many times have i forgotten to drive that one most important point in my closing. talk of getting carried away!
By Steve Tobak | January 12, 2011
Part IV: The Close
The close is the easiest part to get right and the easiest part to screw up. I know that sounds contradictory, but it’s not. Here’s why. It’s the easiest to screw up because, all-too-often, folks forget to do it. They get so wound up in telling the story that they simply blow it.
It’s also the easiest to get right because the close is either telling them what you told them, as succinctly as possible, and/or driving home the one key point, the single message you want them to take away from your story or pitch. Simple. Just don’t forget to do it.
And yes, I have forgotten to close. I gave a speech at Beijing University where the audience was so engaged and the response was so overwhelming that I got caught up in the moment and forgot. I had a speech coach at the time. When she and I watched the tape together, at the end, she looked at me and said, “What the hell was that? You go all the way to China, give an incredible speech, and forget to close?!” I never forgot again.
Finally, remember this. Some people are more naturally adept at this than others are. You weren’t born with the ability to stand up in front of an audience and tell a story. It takes practice.
Videotape yourself presenting to an empty conference room or get someone with experience to watch you and provide feedback. If your company hires a speech coach for executives and up-and-comers, get in on it.
Most importantly, be patient with yourself. Finding your own style where you feel comfortable comes with experience. It may take a few years, but it’s worth it. Nothing can boost your career - or be more fulfilling - than being adept at telling a story and truly connecting with your audience. Nothing.
MY THOUGHTS
maybe i should get a speech coach. how many times have i forgotten to drive that one most important point in my closing. talk of getting carried away!
Friday, May 21, 2010
Top Seven Presentation Bloopers to Avoid
Top Seven Presentation Bloopers to Avoid
By Eric Feng Eric Feng
Level: Platinum
ERIC FENG BC (Hons), ACC, ATM-B Associate Certified Coach, ICF Humorous Contest (Div Level) Champ 2005 Straits Time Top 25 Alternative Achiever 2006 Eric’s trademark ...
Blooper #1: Not telling us why we should listen to you
Never assume that just because you have an audience, we are obliged to listen to you. We may love you (that's why we came in the first place) but never take advantage of the trust we have for you. It is an extreme turn-off when the audience has to do the work i.e. figure out how your presentation is relevant to us. We are a bunch of selfish egomaniacs. We love ourselves so much! And we don't care about your experiences unless it teaches us something that we can use for ourselves. So here's a word of advice: If you want to share your experiences, please do. But always include a message, something that will benefit us, your beloved audience!
Blooper #2: Ignoring us throughout your speech
We get bored easily. Period. If you keep talking about you, you, you, you, you... we will switch off. We want to be part of your speech. We really do. Get us involved. It could be as simple as asking us a question. It gives us a chance to hear ourselves talk. It could be as simple as playing a mini game with us. It gets us up on our seat. Please entertain us! Make us love you. We really want to because if you keep ignoring our needs, we will do the same. Lucky for the speaker, he allowed us to ask questions at any point in his presentation and guess what, we did! In my opinion, that was his saving grace!
Blooper #3: Going overtime
No matter how good you are, never ever go over time!!! Unless we paid you thousands of dollars to teach us something and you are about to share with us the ultimate secret to earning another ten million. If you want your audience to love you, end earlier than expected! It tells us that you respect our time. It makes you special because most speakers don't observe that. And guess what, the next time you give your presentation; we will be there to support you!
Blooper #4: Spelling errors on your slides
Imagine sitting in a formal business presentation with a presentation slide like this:
In the gamming industry...?Microfsoft?Upluft and Profit?Generated an annual revenue of $1.000000 dollars (huh???!!!)?Curent Maket size of 30 billion people
Ok, you get my point. When you have these glaring spelling mistakes in your slides, here's the image you are portraying to your audience: sloppy and cannot be bothered. Unless that's what you want the audience to think of you, I suggest you get someone to do a spell check.
Blooper #5: Bad pronunciation of words
It cracks me up when some presenters stumble upon the same word every single time, without any sign of remorse. There was one time I sat through a presentation where the team had to review a company's product named Morange. And throughout the ten minutes presentation, they came up with oh so many ways to pronounce this word.
Moo-ronge?Ma-range?Ma-rangi?Mo-ran?Moo-rock
And I swear one time I heard Moron. They might as well labelled the product Moronic Morange. That would be... memorable. Some "credit" has to be given to the company who named their product mo-range.
Blooper #6: Reading off the script
Although my preference is to go without a script, sometimes there is a need for it. However more often than not, speakers are too reliant on their script. You see them referring to their script even if it is just reading their name and designation??!! Yes, this is very puzzling. I once came across a book that taught me how to read from a script. Here's the golden rule. Never ever speak when your eyes are on your script. Instead, you should follow this three-step process: see, stop, say.
First, look down and take a snapshot of your script. Memorize a chunk of words. Bring your head up and then pause for a second. When you are ready, say what you have memorized in your own words. It's a three-step process: see, stop and say. It is very important that you pause. Yes, it may be weird for you but in reality, the pause helps make your speech conversational. It also creates anticipation, which further deepen the impact.
Let's use President SR Nathan's opening speech at the Parliament as an example. Instead of reading the script word for word, he could use the see-stop-say strategy.
Forty one years ago?(pause)?Singapore was thrust into independence and an uncertain future?(pause)?At that defining moment of our history?(pause)?we resolved to succeed.?(longer pause for impact)?Together?(pause)?Singaporeans made key choices that made us who we are today?(pause)?a united people of different races?(pause)?living and prospering in harmony.
Blooper #7: Starting your presentation weak
Maybe it is just me but I get really pissed off when a speaker starts off his presentation with "Urm.. I guess I should probably start... ah ok, here goes...". Or even worse "I am not really prepared for this presentation because (give some lame excuse). But anyway, I will start..." Trust me, giving excuses of why you may not do a good job will hardly win the sympathy of your audience. Instead, you will make us feel that we are unworthy of your time. You will be better off not giving the presentation since no one will be listening anyway.
As the saying goes, you will not get a second chance to make a good first impression. So make full use of your first 30 seconds to impress your audience. Here are a couple of ways you can start a presentation powerfully. You can tell a personal story and relate it back to the message of your presentation. Starting your presentation with a visual stimulating or humorous video clip will also create impact. Or begin with a thought provoking quote or a shocking statistic, which will create the listening for your presentation. All these are far more superior to your usual good morning/afternoon/evening niceties or worse apologies.
Eric recently won the International Humor Contest at Division level, earning the title of “Philadelphia Funniest Man”. Besides being a member of Panorama and NUS Toastmasters Club, he also writes regularly at his public speaking blog: [http://blog.ericfeng.com]
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Eric_Feng
MY THOUGHTS
It pays to listen - so take heed. i particularly like the "see-stop-say strategy". for myself, the worst presentation i ever gave was the one i didn't believe in. how can you convince others if you're not convinced.
By Eric Feng Eric Feng
Level: Platinum
ERIC FENG BC (Hons), ACC, ATM-B Associate Certified Coach, ICF Humorous Contest (Div Level) Champ 2005 Straits Time Top 25 Alternative Achiever 2006 Eric’s trademark ...
Blooper #1: Not telling us why we should listen to you
Never assume that just because you have an audience, we are obliged to listen to you. We may love you (that's why we came in the first place) but never take advantage of the trust we have for you. It is an extreme turn-off when the audience has to do the work i.e. figure out how your presentation is relevant to us. We are a bunch of selfish egomaniacs. We love ourselves so much! And we don't care about your experiences unless it teaches us something that we can use for ourselves. So here's a word of advice: If you want to share your experiences, please do. But always include a message, something that will benefit us, your beloved audience!
Blooper #2: Ignoring us throughout your speech
We get bored easily. Period. If you keep talking about you, you, you, you, you... we will switch off. We want to be part of your speech. We really do. Get us involved. It could be as simple as asking us a question. It gives us a chance to hear ourselves talk. It could be as simple as playing a mini game with us. It gets us up on our seat. Please entertain us! Make us love you. We really want to because if you keep ignoring our needs, we will do the same. Lucky for the speaker, he allowed us to ask questions at any point in his presentation and guess what, we did! In my opinion, that was his saving grace!
Blooper #3: Going overtime
No matter how good you are, never ever go over time!!! Unless we paid you thousands of dollars to teach us something and you are about to share with us the ultimate secret to earning another ten million. If you want your audience to love you, end earlier than expected! It tells us that you respect our time. It makes you special because most speakers don't observe that. And guess what, the next time you give your presentation; we will be there to support you!
Blooper #4: Spelling errors on your slides
Imagine sitting in a formal business presentation with a presentation slide like this:
In the gamming industry...?Microfsoft?Upluft and Profit?Generated an annual revenue of $1.000000 dollars (huh???!!!)?Curent Maket size of 30 billion people
Ok, you get my point. When you have these glaring spelling mistakes in your slides, here's the image you are portraying to your audience: sloppy and cannot be bothered. Unless that's what you want the audience to think of you, I suggest you get someone to do a spell check.
Blooper #5: Bad pronunciation of words
It cracks me up when some presenters stumble upon the same word every single time, without any sign of remorse. There was one time I sat through a presentation where the team had to review a company's product named Morange. And throughout the ten minutes presentation, they came up with oh so many ways to pronounce this word.
Moo-ronge?Ma-range?Ma-rangi?Mo-ran?Moo-rock
And I swear one time I heard Moron. They might as well labelled the product Moronic Morange. That would be... memorable. Some "credit" has to be given to the company who named their product mo-range.
Blooper #6: Reading off the script
Although my preference is to go without a script, sometimes there is a need for it. However more often than not, speakers are too reliant on their script. You see them referring to their script even if it is just reading their name and designation??!! Yes, this is very puzzling. I once came across a book that taught me how to read from a script. Here's the golden rule. Never ever speak when your eyes are on your script. Instead, you should follow this three-step process: see, stop, say.
First, look down and take a snapshot of your script. Memorize a chunk of words. Bring your head up and then pause for a second. When you are ready, say what you have memorized in your own words. It's a three-step process: see, stop and say. It is very important that you pause. Yes, it may be weird for you but in reality, the pause helps make your speech conversational. It also creates anticipation, which further deepen the impact.
Let's use President SR Nathan's opening speech at the Parliament as an example. Instead of reading the script word for word, he could use the see-stop-say strategy.
Forty one years ago?(pause)?Singapore was thrust into independence and an uncertain future?(pause)?At that defining moment of our history?(pause)?we resolved to succeed.?(longer pause for impact)?Together?(pause)?Singaporeans made key choices that made us who we are today?(pause)?a united people of different races?(pause)?living and prospering in harmony.
Blooper #7: Starting your presentation weak
Maybe it is just me but I get really pissed off when a speaker starts off his presentation with "Urm.. I guess I should probably start... ah ok, here goes...". Or even worse "I am not really prepared for this presentation because (give some lame excuse). But anyway, I will start..." Trust me, giving excuses of why you may not do a good job will hardly win the sympathy of your audience. Instead, you will make us feel that we are unworthy of your time. You will be better off not giving the presentation since no one will be listening anyway.
As the saying goes, you will not get a second chance to make a good first impression. So make full use of your first 30 seconds to impress your audience. Here are a couple of ways you can start a presentation powerfully. You can tell a personal story and relate it back to the message of your presentation. Starting your presentation with a visual stimulating or humorous video clip will also create impact. Or begin with a thought provoking quote or a shocking statistic, which will create the listening for your presentation. All these are far more superior to your usual good morning/afternoon/evening niceties or worse apologies.
Eric recently won the International Humor Contest at Division level, earning the title of “Philadelphia Funniest Man”. Besides being a member of Panorama and NUS Toastmasters Club, he also writes regularly at his public speaking blog: [http://blog.ericfeng.com]
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Eric_Feng
MY THOUGHTS
It pays to listen - so take heed. i particularly like the "see-stop-say strategy". for myself, the worst presentation i ever gave was the one i didn't believe in. how can you convince others if you're not convinced.
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