Q: I have a big presentation coming up. What is something big that I should remember?
A: Picture who might be sitting in each seat.
When you do a presentation you are trying to inform or persuade your audience. That means you should know your subject, create a presentation that is as short and concise as possible, and make your point three times during the presentation.
There is one other thing, however, that presenters sometimes forget. Let’s pretend there are nine folks who will be at your presentation. Draw a diagram and picture them in their seats. If there is a way to go to the actual room where you will be doing your presentation, do that. This will make it as close to the actual environment of your presentation as possible.
Why do we do this? It’s easy to prepare what you are going to say, but at the end of your presentation there will probably be questions. By picturing the actual people who might be there, you will anticipate their questions and be able to put the answers into your presentation in advance. This way, there will be fewer questions. If you do have some, you’ll already be prepared.
The other reason you want to picture them in their seats is so that you feel more comfortable. Think of the folks who will have “friendly eyes” during your presentation. You will want to keep your eyes on them so that you are motivated during the presentation.
ACTION STEPS FOR THIS WEEK
- Think of the next presentation you will be doing.
- List the people who will be in attendance.
- Do a diagram of where each person will probably sit.
- Look at each spot, picture the person and assume an attitude they might have.
- Go through your presentation out loud and see how it goes.
- Be sure to keep your eyes scanning the room and pretending the people who will be in attendance are there.
- Take notes of anything you want to add or change about your presentation and make the necessary adjustments.
