Presentation skills

The Place

It is important to have as much advance information as possible about the place where you are going to speak.

It can be helpful to arrange to see the venue before the event. It does much to quell fear if you can visualize the place while you are preparing your talk. However, even if you cannot visit, you will probably find it helpful to know:

• The size of the room; the seating arrangements (for example, theatre-style, with rows of seats; or round-table);
• The availability of equipment, e.g., microphone, laptop and projector, flip chart;
• The availability of power points and if an extension lead is required for any equipment you intend to use;
• If the room has curtains or blinds. This is relevant if you intend to use visual aids, and so that you can ensure the correct ambiance for your presentation;
• The position of the light switches.  Check if you need someone to help if you are using audio/visual equipment and need to turn off the lights;
• The likelihood of outside distractions, e.g., noise from another room; and
• The availability of parking facilities so you do not have a long walk carrying any equipment you might need to take.

If this information is not available ahead of time, it will help to get there a bit early, to give you time to set up.

The Time

There will often be no flexibility in the time of day that a presentation is made. However, it does affect what you can do, and how you might organize your presentation, because of the likely state of your audience

And finally…

Being asked to give a presentation is an honor, not a chore.

You are representing your organization or yourself, if you are self-employed. You are also not there by right, but by invitation. It is therefore important that you put in the time and effort to ensure that you deliver what your audience wants. That way, you may just be invited back another time.