Here are seven guaranteed ways to give a boring presentation.
Sin 1 - Tell the History of the Work You Do, and Apologise in Advance
It happens all the time. Through some misguided sense of direction, some presenters feel compelled to tell you, as the very first thing, a detailed history of their department, the work they do, and where it fits into the grand scheme of things. And just so you will understand that they're not incompetent, they will apologise for the out-of-date material, spelling errors, running over time, and the fact that they have a hard stop in 15 minutes.
Sin 2 - Do Not Explain Any Reason Why the Subject Has Any Value to the Audience
If you can't articulate a reason for the audience to pay attention to what you have to say, then you have nothing to say to the audience. And that's the problem. Many presentations are put together for a mass audience, with no customisation, to present material that is of great interest to the presenter, but of little interest to the audience. Here's the acid test. How many people do you think would show up if you charged them 100 rupees to get in to hear what you have to say?
Sin 3 - Use a Presentation Designed for One Audience, for a Different Audience
An example is the use of an internal presentation of a new product as a sales presentation to prospects. Do you think the audience can't tell?
Sin 4 - Tell the Audience More Than They Want to Know
This sin is worse than just boring an audience. My guess is that over 90% of all presentation could be given in less time and more effectively. Often in substantially less time. Think of it this way. You've heard hundreds of presentations. Have you ever sat through a presentation and at the end of it heard anyone say, "It was a great presentation, but it was too short." No. People are more likely to say that it was terrible and too long. If India Today can tell us the Breaking News in just 30 minutes, maybe we can tell our story in less time than we think. Voltaire said, "The secret of being a bore is to tell everything."
Sin 5 - Show Slides and Read From a Script
How many presentations like this have you had to sit through? And what if it's right after lunch? When the presentation is done, the audience en masse will blink their eyes, shake their heads, yawn, and stretch. What drama.
Sin 6 - Read Every Word in Every Slide
If your presentation consists of nothing but reading every word on every slide, then the audience can with good reason say, "I don't have to come to your meeting. Just email me a copy of the slides. I can read."
Sin 7 - Not Rehearsing
If there was a guaranteed formula for failure, this is it. If you want to stumble, fumble, and forget your lines, this is a sure way to do it. If that doesn't bother you, think about the audience that has to watch you. They deserve better than an amateur trying to think up what they are going to say. As with most endeavours, you have to pay your dues. And that means rehearse, rehearse, rehearse.
If you can plead "not guilty" to the Seven Deadly Sins, you're well on your way to acing your next presentation.
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