clients. They attempt to overwhelm their audience with an
over-sophisticated presentation and the people subjected to
it are not impressed. They may prefer presenters who can
get their points across without being propped up by
PowerPoint – it shows that they can express themselves
without resource to a visual aid. There is often a reaction
against over-slick or clever-clever presentations.- PowerPoint slides provide useful notes but don’t just read
them out, point by point. Your audience may well ask them-
selves the question, ‘What’s the use of listening to this
person who is simply telling me something which I can
equally well read?’ - It is sometimes a good idea to show a slide with a series of
bullet points and give the audience the chance to read it.
Then elaborate as necessary or, better still, get some partici-
pation by encouraging them to make comments or ask ques-
tions. - Never use the pre-packaged PowerPoint presentations. It
always shows and it reveals the speaker as someone who
cannot think of anything original to say. Never use other
people’s slides. You need to present your own ideas, not
theirs. - Rehearse using the slides (the handouts if you do not have a
projector) to ensure that you can elaborate as necessary, and
to indicate where you might get the audience to read them,
with follow-up questions from yourself. You must be quite
clear about the sequence of slides, and it is a good idea to
prepare bridging remarks in advance to link slides together.
A succession of unconnected slides will not impress.
CONCLUSION
■ You can learn to become an effective speaker with practice.
Seize every opportunity to develop your skills.
■ Nervousness can be controlled by preparation and know-
ledge of technique.
■ Good preparation is more than half the battle.
■ Technique is there to help you to exploit your personality
and style to the full, not to obliterate them.
280 How to be an Even Better Manager