If you want to learn how to improve your presentations, then you should consider whether you’re distracting your audience. You may be making little mistakes, with things like handouts, that divide their attention.
The good news is that this is an easy challenge to fix and a common one in public speaking. You want to improve your presentations to the point that they are like a well choreographed show.
In this episode of our Productivity Edge series, you will learn how this easy to use tip can make you a better communicator.
What Productivity Questions Does This Video Answer?
- How to improve my presentations?
- When should I pass out handouts during my presentation?
- How to give a better presentation?
- How to avoid distractions during your presentation?
Video Transcript For How to Improve Your Presentations
You’ve got your big presentation and people aren’t paying attention to you. What happened? Want to give you a quick presentation tip that I think could improve your productivity because we’ve all be in that situation where we are saying something that’s really important, but you look at the audience and they’re not paying attention.
Well, you may have sabotaged yourself. Sometimes I see this happening in boardrooms. Someone is giving a good presentation. They’ve got little handouts. They pass out the handouts.
But as soon as the audience gets those handouts, they look at them. They can’t help it. It’s like when you tell somebody, “Oh, don’t look at that person over there,” and your friend can’t help but look at that person over there. It’s human nature.
So when someone gets something in their hands, they want to look at it, feel the paper. They’re off to the races.
They’re not paying attention to you. That’s a concern. So really try to choreograph your presentation that you’re not introducing multiple elements, where people have to choose. You can hand out that handouts but do it at a certain point, where you’re not saying some sort of critical piece of information.
The same thing can go for slides. You want the slides to complement what you’re talking about. If they are a distraction or are ahead or behind what you’re saying, you’re going to lose your audience.
So make sure you focus people on one thing. Don’t distract them
About This Video Series
Ken Okel’s Productivity Edge video series is designed to make you more effective on the job. Every week, you’ll learn a new, easy to understand tip that you can use right away, including how to improve your presentations.
Got a productivity problem? Let us know and we’ll feature it in an upcoming episode.
About Ken Okel
Ken Okel works with leaders and organizations to boost productivity, performance, and profits. At conferences, conventions, and company meetings, he engages audiences with new ways to maximize their time at work. To see a sample of his keynote and workshop presentations, visit: https://www.kenokel.com/videos/
