Your presentation setup suddenly changes. How will you navigate distractions and stay on track?
No matter how much you prepare, sometimes the presentation setup changes at the last minute. Here's how to stay focused:
- **Embrace Flexibility**: Quickly assess the new setup and adjust your materials or speaking style accordingly.
- **Minimize Distractions**: If possible, remove any distracting elements or use them to your advantage to engage the audience.
- **Maintain Eye Contact**: Keep connecting with your audience to stay grounded and in control of the room.
How do you handle unexpected changes during presentations? Share your strategies.
Your presentation setup suddenly changes. How will you navigate distractions and stay on track?
No matter how much you prepare, sometimes the presentation setup changes at the last minute. Here's how to stay focused:
- **Embrace Flexibility**: Quickly assess the new setup and adjust your materials or speaking style accordingly.
- **Minimize Distractions**: If possible, remove any distracting elements or use them to your advantage to engage the audience.
- **Maintain Eye Contact**: Keep connecting with your audience to stay grounded and in control of the room.
How do you handle unexpected changes during presentations? Share your strategies.
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"Do you wanna hear a joke?" was what I asked my audience when told by the secretariat that they were unable to find my slides deck that I gave them 2 hours prior. I was on a podium facing 300+ audience and VIPs seated on stage behind me. The audience were kind to say yes, given that they could see the distress in the scuttling secretariat and also in me because it took me time to prepare the slides of my report. After 2 well-received jokes, I decided to just present without slides based on my memory - I did well enough to do the job, then gave the audience a parting joke to end my time on stage. Despite the seriousness of the event, jokes can save the day. I suppose, you fight distractions with distractions, and then bring in the focus.
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Back when I was working in defense I was asked to my team's work to another organization. Due to a mixup in how the classified charts were sent, my presentation didn't make it - no charts, no nothing! I was horrified. I thought about it for a bit, and from memory recalled the key themes, transitions, and messages, and formulated that into a story that conveyed the same points as my original briefing. I took the stage and told the story, and found that the audience was actually at least as engaged as when I had the charts. We connected through the story, it made the experience much more memorable. Going forward, I always do an exercise: what would I talk about if the charts didn't make it. It helps you really hone the story!
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Deal with the elephant in the room directly. I was introduced by a CEO who "just wanted to say something." He told the audience they had just lost millions, and that would impact their retirements, but "we'll talk about that later. And now Bob Phibbs, the Retail Doctor." One hand clapped in the Dallas Convention Center. I said, "We have a choice. I can't do anything about those figures but if you'd like I can either do my presentation to help you do better this year or you can talk about this among yourselves." One woman yelled up, "Let's hear from you." And with that, we were off.
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Please Avoid this one mistake if there is a technical challenge: Don’t talk about it. Don’t explain what’s going on. Don’t talk about what you were going to do. Don’t get distracted. Pivot and move on. As a speaker you have a tremendous responsibility. Individuals and their companies have invested significant of time and money to have you present. Respect that responsibility.
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If you encounter technical issues during your presentation, having a backup, such as a printed copy of your materials, can ensure you're prepared. Stay calm, proceed with your presentation confidently, and make sure not to leave your audience feeling disconnected or confused.
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