In the spirit of April Fool’s Day, we thought that we would approach our monthly tip a little differently. Take a look at this short, technical presentation that is sure to get you chuckling…
10 Ways to Lose Your Audience with Your Presentation
This video may be a joke, but the reality that technical presentations are missing the mark every day is no joke. If you should decide that you WANT TO lose your audience with your next technical — or non-technical — presentation, here are ten ways to accomplish the goal:
- Just wing it — Don’t prepare. Don’t practice.
- Never consider what your audience knows or really needs to know.
- Make it all about the data.
- Don’t spell out the bottom line of your presentation up front.
- Don’t clarify why the audience should care.
- Don’t clarify what you want the audience to do with your information.
- Use technical jargon and never define your terms.
- Move from point to point without clear transitions.
- Focus on the body of the presentation, neglecting the opening and the closing.
- Don’t give your audience the opportunity to ask questions.
On a serious note…
Technical presentations are part of everyday business. They also have the potential to highlight your leadership, contributions and ideas. Don’t let a bad technical presentation happen to you. Consider one of our presentation skills for technical presenters programs for your organization. In the meantime, you can apply one simple tip today: Begin with the End, because no presenter really intends to lose their audience.
