Elements of a Great Presentation

By I.J. Hudson

Consider this a follow up to the “bad demonstration” posting a few days ago.

I saw a demonstration recently that justified all the hype about the newer phones that let your fingers do the selecting/shifting/expanding/moving/shrinking – whether it’s pictures or video.  In less than five minutes of pics/short videos we “met” a young member of our extended family.  The young tike lives in the UK, and until this demonstration we had heard about him and seen a few pictures – but really didn’t have a sense of who he was.  Now we do – thanks to the capabilities of the device, his dad’s familiarity with his new ‘Google phone’ and unbridled enthusiasm.

Let me be clear.  IMHO, successful presentations/demonstrations are a combination of three basic things.

     1. Quality of visuals

     2. How they’re presented – did things happen they way they should

     3. And mostly importantly, the way the person interacts with the audience – passion v. routine

I give a lot of weight to item number three because of an event about three years ago.  I sat next to the head of one of the tech councils in our area.  We always compared notes at these events and she showed me real wallet-sized pictures of her grandkids. She fanned out the pictures in her hand. Her pride came through loudly and clearly.  I was impressed.

They were great shots of her grandkids, and the overall personal “presentation” was awesome.  But if her presentation had it been coupled with the larger clearer photos/video displayed by an iPhone, Droid or other new touch-screen phone, it would have been even better.  (Maybe she’s using one today.) 

So, whether you’re showing off a grandkid, a newborn, or your company --- work on all three elements to make a truly effective presentation.  Have great pictures/videos to show your audience on the phone or iPad (or any of the other tablets coming out), know your device and practice, practice, practice.

Grandparents don’t need a lot of rehearsal to brag about their Grandkids, but you may need to brush up on what you’re going to say about your company and how you’re going to say it.  The pictures and video may say a lot, but your passion and how you move through the presentation have the potential to say a lot more ---- or a lot less.  Take nothing for granted. 

Tools don’t make a presentation – you do.