Rule 7: Presos Do Not Require Projectors

I’m actually kind of ashamed that this rule hasn’t come up until now. Through many conversations with other preso advocates it has become increasingly evident that the root of many of the frustrations had in the worst of worst presos is that the preso (i.e., PowerPoint) is simply a crutch. With the slides handling the brunt of the preso, it is becoming less necessary for the presenter to actually present. Here is a quote from Rule 2:

Remember this: You are the presenter. The presentation is not the presenter. If the presentation has all of the information, you are not needed. Don’t let this happen.

I think that is what I’m trying to get at here. For illustrative purposes, I would like to present two cases.

But first! If anyone in your audience EVER looks like this… you’re doing it wrong.

1. Live Presenting - I know sometimes there is a debate about whether the “live” in question is the “live” as in, “I live just down the street,” or the “live” as in, “live band playing at seven!” I’m going to go with the latter. That is, this preso is happening in this life. In the preso, you (as the presenter) should be the main attraction. If your dashing good looks don’t carry you all the way to a stellar preso, you’ve got your witty humor, your ability to connect with the audience, and (often overlooked) something worth hearing.

Now, if the last point gave you a shutter, I need you to know one thing: IF YOU DON”T THINK THAT YOU HAVE SOMETHING WORTH HEARING, STOP NOW.

In LIVE PRESENTING, it is more important for you to connect with the audience than having them connect with your slides. If the audience is only connected to the slides, then not only must you have the most explicit slides ever, but you should probably bring some pillows as props.

Finally, if you are presenting LIVE, please let the world know that you are ALIVE. Machines can now read text aloud and sound pretty normal. Separate yourself. At this, I will simply say, slides are not, and never should be, the focus.

2. Dead Presenting - I bring up this type of preso to show the opposite point where slides are necessary. However, I am naming it ”dead” because I think it further illustrates my point that in this type of preso, the presenter could actually be dead and the preso would still work! Unfortunately, this type of preso is often used in a LIVE situation! Can you believe it? (yes…)

In this case, you probably do want a preso with plenty of text…maybe even notes to go along and supplement what is being conveyed. Maybe even a short narrative… Here, the question is not about you in the sense of how much does Suzie Q know and can she capture my attention? But, it is about whether or not Suzie Q can make a logical argument fit in a preso?

My point? If you are going with the Dead Preso model AND you are actually going to be in the room… you are mixing oil and water, my friend. Steer clear.

I’m looking forward to hearing your thoughts on this one.

fibo.out

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