Most of the presentations I see lack the following:
- Conciseness
- Clarity
- Decent graphic design
- Original images
- A clear objective
But the biggest one? The real omission?
Emotion.
As an audience member, I want to know that this stuff matters to you. Why are you giving this presentation in the first place? Is it because you have to? Or because it’s ‘just what we always do on Monday morning’? Here’s a radical idea: give the presentation because you care about the subject, because it really matters to you and you’re excited about sharing this information with your audience. If you don’t really care, do everyone a favour and just send the slides by email instead. The whole point of delivering a presentation – and of all the audience members giving their time by turning up – is that going through this process in person is supposed to be better. Make it better for everyone concerned by getting excited about your material.
It’s Not Exciting Though, Jon
Think your subject’s boring? You’re wrong. Yes, I can say that because I find (nearly*) everything interesting, especially what I don’t know enough about yet. You think your subject’s boring because you’re too close to it, and can’t see how exploring the characters involved could create that personal connection that your presentation is crying out for.
* Other than people being pessimistic or aggressive. Although the reasons for each of those can be quite interesting. Ah. so it appears that I do find everything interesting after all. Lucky me.
Stand-Up Technique
Try to find a child-like curiosity about your subject – the fundamentals, the characters, the way it relates to your audience, and most important of all… why. Why you do it, why those things you’ve described happen, why it matters.
Related Things to Further Stimulate Your Brain Muscle
Presentation Fails and How to Fix Them #5: Emotion