- Save the file in multiple formats
Maybe the PowerPoint goes down at the site, or the organizers use some free solution instead, or your file turns out to be broken. Save the file in PowerPoint, Google Docs, and PDF formats. Google Docs is convenient in that you can refine the file from anywhere – start in the office and continue at home. Well, PDF is easy to open everywhere – I recommend always having it for emergencies.
- See the hall (if possible)
Try to know the shape of the auditorium, where the camera filming the presentations will stand, what the distance is from the stage to the audience. This will give you an idea of the best place to stand, how much gesticulation is allowed, where to look, and how to move during the presentation. Look for photos of the hall on the Internet or visit it in person – this is especially important if you are speaking to a large audience.
I’ll tell you, as someone who has acted in theater. It happens that you perform on different stages with the same play. And when the space or lighting changes at least a little bit, everything is perceived differently at once and you have to readjust yourself. It’s wise advice to see the auditorium in advance to get used to the space. The person on stage must be the master of the space and be able to take advantage of it.
- negotiate timings.
It’s important to know how much time you will have for the performance and how much will be left for questions. At my first presentation at an international conference, I had half an hour. But I was shaking so hard that I shook it all off in 15 minutes. If you don’t know how much time you have – be sure to check.
It’s also important to consider what time frame you’re performing in. For example, right after lunch you will get an audience that is asleep and not very attentive. In that case, you need to think about how to get their attention and rouse people.
- Request all the equipment you need
It may happen that your presentation involves some kind of additional equipment. For example, a flip chart if you need to draw something or a clicker to switch slides. Tell them that when you’re pitching your presentation. Because even if you let them know you need something extra in the morning 3-4 hours before the presentation, it’s not a fact that they’ll get it in time.
- Learn about the audience.
The same topic can be told differently for different audiences. If you know who is listening to you, it will be easier to make your presentation useful and interesting. The easiest way to do this is to ask the organizers. Experienced organizers know who comes to their conferences. They can tell you the age, knowledge level, specialization of the attendees, and so on.
- Prepare a demo.
If you have something to show – show it.
There was a presentation where there was an engineer who was developing an exoskeleton. The purpose of the device is to help warehouse workers put heavy loads on the overhead racks. At the beginning of the presentation, the speaker asked people to stand up and raise their arms, and he just continued the presentation. After a while, people began to put their hands down and ask questions as to why this was necessary. Thus, the engineer drew attention to how uncomfortable it was to be in this position for only a few minutes while warehouse workers worked like this for eight hours. He engaged the entire audience and demonstrated live how important his topic was.
There are other demos-when people show their expertise firsthand. For instance, if you talk about some piece of equipment, you can bring it to the show and show how it works. If you have something to show, show it. The audience will be much more involved and interested.
- Clarify the format of the screen.
This doesn’t happen often, but it can be critical. If, for example, you prepare a presentation in 4:3 format, and the organizers have a 16:9 screen, some of the information simply will not appear. I advise you to reinsure yourself and ask about this beforehand, so that you have time to edit the slides if necessary.
- And most importantly, be an expert on the topic
You should not speak on a topic you studied a week ago. Even if you have flaws in your knowledge somewhere, you should read all you can on the topic to the best of your ability and deal with all possible questions in advance.
If you’re an expert on the subject, even if you haven’t prepared a text or thought through your presentation, you have all the information in your head and you’ll perform just fine. Just talk about what you really know.
- Come up with a couple of backup plans
During a speech, sometimes anything can happen. For example, the projector will break and you’ll have to speak without it. In that case, think about how to tell the talk without a presentation.
- Don’t rote.
A rote text looks dead; it seems like one is reading a report. While this may be okay as part of a thesis defense, in a presentation, you can only engage people when we improvise and speak in lively language. I advise to write the text of the speech on a piece of paper, read it a couple of times, tear it up and throw it away. This will help avoid the temptation to memorize.
