If you talk to your audience in language that they can relate to, then you’re treating them with a respect that they will return. But giving a presentation can sometimes bring about alarming changes in a speaker. Firstly, there are speakers who litter their presentation with obscure acronyms such as SOD (separation of duties) or SOX (Sarbanes Oxley Act) that are common in their field but not known outside it. Secondly, there are speakers who have the mistaken belief that they need to use a particular style of business jargon in order to be taken seriously by their audience. Presenters no longer look for ways to work together, they look for ‘synergies’. They don’t encourage staff, they ‘incentivise’ them. They don’t have detailed plans, they have plans with a ‘high degree of granularity’.
The effect of this business gobbledygook is to set up a barrier between the speaker and the audience. When that happens, the audience switches off mentally and starts waiting for the talk to finish.
Appearance
It’s unfair but we make judgments about people when we first meet them so you should try to wear clothes that meet your audience’s expectations. This doesn’t always mean you have to wear a business suit; if you’re talking to a group of software programmers, they may not take you seriously looking like that. Before your presentation, check what audience you can expect and dress slightly more formally than them, while remaining comfortable. Uncomfortable clothes can be distracting; avoid wearing a collar that’s too tight or shoes that have too high a heel even if you look great in them. That way you can devote all your attention to the job at hand. And always remember: what might look stunning in the mirror at home can seem very skimpy when you’re standing in front of a room full of people and all eyes are on you.
Irritators
Doesn’t it drive you mad when somebody you are talking to seems to feel the need to tell you what you should and shouldn’t do? When we’re presenting, we need to be careful that we don’t turn people off our message by using what linguists call irritators. But what are typical irritators and how can you avoid them?
1 we/our vs. you/your
Very often in a presentation you’re making recommendations for some kind of change. Using we instead of you increases the feeling that everybody is involved. If you use you, it can sound as if you’re blaming your audience for something they’ve done wrong. Compare these examples.
You need to introduce the new software quickly. (Subtext: Why didn’t you do it before? I would have.)
We need to introduce the new software. (Neutral statement of fact.)
Your systems have security weaknesses. (Subtext: Obviously a careless team.)
Our systems have security weaknesses. (We all have a problem.)
2 must vs. have to
The difference between must and have to is slight but it can be important. Use must when you’re talking about something that you want to do because it’s important to you: We must finish the report by Friday (because we need it for something).
Avoid using have to unless you’re talking about an external power that is compelling you to do something: We have to finish the report by Friday (because otherwise we’re in trouble).
3 Yes, and … / Yes. However, … / No, because … vs. Yes, but …
Why is it that when we disagree with something, we often say Yes, but …, which we all know means No? Is it because we don’t want to offend the person we’re talking to? Whatever the reason, it’s dishonest and it can be annoying for your audience. But what do you do when somebody asks a question and it’s plain they’ve missed your message? For example: Why do the staff need extra training with the new software? It’s just an upgrade of the previous version. Surely they can just learn it on their own, can’t they?
Here are some ways of answering a question like that without alienating the listener.
Listen to the question and add a reason to back up your argument: Yes, and if we also provide some training, we can make sure they use all the new features of the upgrade now rather than later.
Listen to the question and politely contradict with a reason: Yes. However, if we provide some training, we can make sure they use all the new features of the upgrade now rather than later.
Contradict with an honest answer: No, because unless we provide some training, they won’t use all the new features of the upgrade straight away.
You should be careful with the last version and only use it when you are confident of your audience. However, it’s a real answer and so is preferable to Yes, but ….
Presentation friendliness
Can the material be put across easily in the time you’re allowed? It doesn’t make any sense to include material that’s too complex and unwieldy. Sometimes it might be necessary to compromise and provide the audience with a handout or a link where they can get the relevant information after your talk if they’re interested, rather than try to show or explain something that’s unsuitable for the presentation medium. For example, trying to show lines of computer code to an audience – even if they are fanatical programmers – is going to send most of them to sleep. It’s much better to demonstrate what the code can do and tell those people who are interested that you will show them the code personally after the presentation.
Attitude
Finally, whether you enjoy giving a presentation is largely down to your attitude. If you think it’s going to be awful, you’ll probably be proved right. If you think it’s going to be great, the presentation will probably be great too. So you need to go into the presentation with the feeling that it’s a conversation with friends. Your audience might be people you don’t know yet but they’re going to be friends after you’ve finished because you’ve got something to tell them that excites you, and you’ve put in the preparation time so it’ll excite them too.
Remember: you are in charge. You’ve been asked to present. The result is in your hands, nobody else’s. Show them what you can do!
Key take-aways
Think about the things you will take away from Step 1 and how you will implement them.
| Topic | Take-away | Implementation |
| How to get motivated about giving a presentation | • Giving presentations can benefit my career. | • I’ll look for an opportunity in the near future. |
| Deciding what type of presentation is needed | ||
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How to analyse my audience in advance and use this information to improve my presentation
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