After all these years I am still amazed at the number of ways some presenters choose to mess up their few minutes in the spot light.
Please stop it!
In no particular order, I offer a selection of ten classics.
1) Please don’t tell me that you won’t “bore” me for too long. Now I expect to be bored!
2) Please don’t tell me that you are not an “expert” if the person who introduced you told me that you were! Now I’m just confused.
3) Please don’t distract me because you have chosen to turn up looking like an unmade bed. I know that first impressions aren’t fair but there they are anyway!
4) Please don’t choose to present with equipment you haven’t already practiced with. There’s simply no excuse!
5) Please don’t incorrectly deliver or attribute any quotes or research you use. If I know you are wrong I won’t believe anything else you say.
6) Please don’t “wing it” – you should prepare yourself, you owe me that in return for my attention!
7) Please don’t talk at the floor, the ceiling, the flip chart, the screen or the wall because I’m not sitting there AND every once in a while look at me!
8) Please don’t tell me what you are going to talk about and then talk about something else. I’ll feel cheated!
9) Please, please, please don’t think it’s clever to swear your way through your talk. Sometimes a “bloody” or a well place “s**t” can be effective or funny BUT not all the time AND never ever drop the “F-Bomb” on me!
10) Please don’t throw lots of big words, jargon or abbreviations at me because I won’t understand, I’ll switch off, I’ll feel like an idiot and then I’ll blame YOU!
Thank you! Any questions?