Move from Left to Right

English and other languages originating from Europe read left to right. That means that those people naturally move their eyes from left to right when reading.

They prefer to absorb information in the same manner.

When you speak before an audience you can use that principle to enhance the acceptance of your message.

First you must realize that it’s the audience’s perception of left to right and not your on-stage left to right that counts. It’s not what you thought you said. It’s what they thought you said that is important.

How can you use this principle in your presentation?

Timeline

Ask these folks to draw a timeline of a project and they will likely draw it from left to right. The left represents the beginning while the right represents the end or the future.

Here’s how to move while presenting about your project or proposal. Talk about the past while standing on the extreme left side of the stage (your right). Stand in the middle of the stage when talking about the present and move to the far right of the audience when describing the desired future.

You could also simply gesture to your right when talking about the past and to your left when talking about the future.

Progress

Use the same methods to place problems in the past and solutions in the future.

This is not natural so you will need to rehearse these movements. But the audience will be more willing to accept your ideas when they can SEE progress.

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Pursuit of the Perfect Presentation

It doesn't exist. It will never happen. You won’t deliver the perfect presentation. However you can deliver a successful presentation that is less than perfect.

Success should be your goal – not perfection. Success is achievable.

Define the success of every presentation you plan to deliver in terms of this three part question.

What do you want people to think, feel or do as a result of your presentation?

The purpose of your presentation is to move people. If you did – it was successful. Don’t waste your effort on chasing perfect – simply move people in the direction that you want.

Define success before you create your presentation and you will avoid tangents. Be clear on your definition of success while presenting and you will stay on target. Most importantly if you know what’s important you are more likely to get to your destination.

Don’t fret about perfection. Focus on success. Don't work for a perfect 10.

What do you want people to think, feel or do?

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Avoid the Scientific Presentation Format - It's still boring

Many of us learned the scientific presentation format in school. It was boring then. It's still boring.

Don't write and deliver your presentation in the scientific presentation style - unless you are a scientist speaking to a group of academics.

This is the scientific format.

1. Problem
2. Theory
3. Process
4. Results
5. Conclusion

Boring - boring - boring!

Instead - tell us the conclusion. If we don't like your conclusion - we don't care about your process. If we like your conclusion - we don't care about your process.

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How to Close Your Presentation

The close to your presentation is the last thing that your audience hears. It is the last impression, therefore it could be memorable if you make it powerful.

The close to your presentation should direct people in the direction that you have been nudging them throughout your presentation.

Make it clear in your close what you want them to do next.

When writing the closing to your presentation consider that someone wakes up or arrives late and only hears your close. Will they know what to do next?

For those reasons it's good to include a summary or call to action in your closing statement.


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Open Your Presentation Like Restaurant Greeters

How to open your speech?

The opening to a speech is often overlooked - yet it is so important because it is the first impression that the audience has of you and your presentation.

The two fellows on my right were the greeters at a middle eastern restaurant. They served as perfect examples of what the opening of your presentation should do.

Think of your presentation opening as the store-front or lobby of a retail shop.

The opening of your presentation should do these three things:

• Grab Attention
• Build Rapport
• Set Direction

When we entered this restaurant these two greeters grabbed our attention with their colourful costumes and contrasting size.

They built rapport with their smiles, bowing and gestures of welcome.

They set the direction for the experience that we could expect from this restaurant with their welcoming presentation. We knew that we were in for an exotic experience that would go beyond good food.

That's what the opening to your presentation needs to do - every time you speak.

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Presentation Success: What do you want people to think?

What do you want people in your audience to think during and especially after your presentation?

That is one measure of a successful presentation.

A successful presentation is not about being perfect - because that will probably never happen. Instead focus on your real goals.

Do you want to influence how people will think?

Then design and deliver your presentation to meet that goal.

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How to Arrange the Chairs for Your Presentation

Follow these three rules for setting up the chairs for your presentation. Notice the seats at a baseball stadium.

1. Curves are better than straight lines. 

Place the chairs in curved rows to be warmer and more friendly. Straight lines look and feel like fences. Straight rows also isolate your audience members because they end up looking at the back of heads and can’t see other faces.

2. Make it easy for your audience to see you while they look straight ahead. 

If they need to turn their head to see you – at some point they get a pain in their neck. They stop listening and they blame you for giving them a pain in the neck. The curved seating will help alleviate this pain.

3. Position yourself in the room so that all members are as equidistant from you as possible. 

This helps creates warmth. You want to avoid having some people very close and some very far. That would be the case where you stand at the front of a long narrow room. You want to arrange the chairs into the fewest possible rows.

Have soft chairs, but not too comfortable or participants will fall asleep! Sit in some of the chairs before anyone arrives so you can check sight lines and comfort. If the chairs are “ganged” or hooked to each other – unhook them and spread them a few inches apart so your audience can sit in every chair and still feel comfortable. Few people want to sit butt cheek-to-cheek so if they have a choice they will sit in every second chair which makes your room look half empty.

   

As people arrive the back rows tend to fill up first, which could leave you with vacant seats in the front. To avoid this, mark the back rows with “reserved” signs, so that no one will sit there. You could also tape off the back rows with masking tape. As the room fills, you can remove the signs or tape. Another idea is to put out fewer chairs than you will need, leaving the rest stacked at the back to be used as required. Full seats at the front of the room help to make your talk appear more interesting plus the late arrivals can sit at the back without disturbing your presentation.

It is best to have everyone comfortably seated before you are introduced. The main thing to remember is that you want everyone situated so as to best hear and see your presentation. If you speak in a board room and know the names of the attendees, you might wish to pre-assign seating. It is better to position participants so they meet new people.

Arranged seating also reduces idle chatter. If your company’s President or some other important business leader is expected to attend, plan to position that person near the front where everyone, including you, can see their reaction to what you say. If the boss likes it, the rest of the room will like it too!

If you expect people to take notes you might furnish them with a writing surface where they can spread out notes, handouts, briefcases, etc. Each person should have a table space approximately 2.5 to 3 feet wide. You might supply notepaper, pens, mints, water, and other conveniences. 

For presentations involving a screen, do not arrange chairs closer than twice the height of the screen.

          Example:     10 foot screen - not closer than 20 feet.

                            3 meter screen - not closer than 6 meters.

          

The last row of seats should not be farther than eight times (8x) the vertical dimension of the screen.

          Example:  10 foot screen x 8 - not farther than 80 feet.

Set up the chairs to make your audience more comfortable and hence more inclined to listen to your message.

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Presentation Environment

The place and conditions in which you present have an important influence on how well your message is received. If the environment isn’t right, participants might not pay attention and worse - will become irritated. When the audience is irritated they always blame the speaker.

To do a truly great job, it is important that you are familiar with your presentation room in advance. 

• Where will it be? 
• Will you be in a board room at head office or a district branch? 
• At a hotel, a college, or a conference centre? 
• What facilities will be available?
• Where are the bathrooms?
• What parking challenges will people face?

Make every effort to visit the location so that you can determine what adjustments are necessary. Give yourself enough lead time for special arrangements as to seating, equipment, microphones, lighting, and whatever you want to change.

The presentation environment can make or break your presentation. It means that you must pay attention to the little details that influence the thinking and feelings of your audience.

I recall attending a workshop at university. The way to the presentation room was well and consistently marked with signs and directions. I wouldn't have found the room without the directions. By the time I entered the room I was already impressed with the presenter.

What a great way to influence your audience before you even speak.

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How to Attract the Eyes in Your Multi-Media Presentation

Two Key Principles of Eye Movement

Let’s look at two important principles of presenting with a computer and screen.

Our Eyes are Attracted to Light

Perhaps you have noticed when walking or driving at night that your eyes flash to the source of the brightest light.

You can use this attraction to light principle in the development and delivery of your presentation. When presenting you should always stand in the brightest light so people focus on you. Have the lights slightly dimmer at the back of the room. Bright lights at the back or side of the room will continually distract them.

On a screen it is easier to read lighter coloured letters on a darker coloured background. Our eyes are naturally attracted to the lighter letters – just where we want them to focus. (But don't use white on black. It's eye catching but difficult to read.) 

In contrast black letters on a white background is punishing to our eyes Because it is a light-emitting source our eyes are naturally attracted to the light background. Meanwhile we are forcing our eyes to focus on the black letters. This creates an internal conflict, which tires and annoys. The other pain this type of slide inflicts is that the eyes spend most of the time looking at the bright white light – which tires first the eyes and secondly the person.

Our Eyes are Attracted to Motion

For our cave-dwelling ancestors this was probably an important survival trait because movement signified either food or danger.

When you are speaking don’t have things moving on the screen because people will watch the movement and ignore what you say. Our brain can generally do one thing well at a time – watch or listen. Watching seems to take precedence. When you want people to look at the screen, gesture towards the screen then stand still. To recapture their attention after they have been studying the screen – take a step, stop, and then speak. Your movement draws their attention back to you. This principle explains why we easily get distracted by the speaker fidgeting or pacing. 

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