Best Practices: Tips for your small business
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Make technology help, not hurt, your presentations
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Tell us your tips for making presentations go well.
Tell us your tips for making presentations go well.
Prepare well for a presentation, and it has a better chance of going well. Know your laptop, bring backups, check your equipment, and be ready for anything.
A great presentation to the right group can do wonders for your business, but mess-ups can make you look bumbling and unprofessional. Here are some tips to make sure you're using technology to the best effect before an audience.
1
Power your laptop
When using your laptop to present, charge it beforehand and try to plug it in during the presentation. You don't want your computer to shut down or go into screensaver mode at a key point while you're talking.
When using your laptop to present, charge it beforehand and try to plug it in during the presentation. You don't want your computer to shut down or go into screensaver mode at a key point while you're talking.
2
Know your computer
Know how your laptop works. Usually, your presentation will be going through a projector onto a larger screen or into large TV monitors. Make sure to check beforehand what kind of cable will be needed to go from your laptop into the display devices--likewise for any sound. Most laptops have a function key that sends the signal to the projector. Make sure you know which key(s) to press and in what order.
Know how your laptop works. Usually, your presentation will be going through a projector onto a larger screen or into large TV monitors. Make sure to check beforehand what kind of cable will be needed to go from your laptop into the display devices--likewise for any sound. Most laptops have a function key that sends the signal to the projector. Make sure you know which key(s) to press and in what order.
3
Put the presentation on a thumbdrive or a disc and have a backup copy
You should always be prepared to do your presentation on computers housed at the presentation site, instead of on your own. Every person presenting should have a copy of presentation materials on a USB flash drive and a CD that can easily be loaded onto a machine. You should also have a printout of your presentation in case everything goes awry. You'll have something to work from, and photocopies can be made and handed out.
You should always be prepared to do your presentation on computers housed at the presentation site, instead of on your own. Every person presenting should have a copy of presentation materials on a USB flash drive and a CD that can easily be loaded onto a machine. You should also have a printout of your presentation in case everything goes awry. You'll have something to work from, and photocopies can be made and handed out.
4
Don't rely on the Internet
Try to avoid needing Internet access. Even if you are superconfident the connection works, be prepared to recover when it doesn't. Matt Asay, programs director for the Open Source Business Conference, no longer allows presentations that require Internet access after a flaky connection caused a speaker to panic and deliver an extremely poor presentation.
Try to avoid needing Internet access. Even if you are superconfident the connection works, be prepared to recover when it doesn't. Matt Asay, programs director for the Open Source Business Conference, no longer allows presentations that require Internet access after a flaky connection caused a speaker to panic and deliver an extremely poor presentation.
5
Arrive early and check everything
Run through the presentation at the site before you give it for real. Make sure you can work the computer--yours or theirs. Check the mouse or remote control device. Check the projector or screens. Make sure the presentation is framed correctly and that the brightness and focus let everyone in the room see. Test the lights and sound system. Get some water, but put it far from where it can spill onto anything important.
Run through the presentation at the site before you give it for real. Make sure you can work the computer--yours or theirs. Check the mouse or remote control device. Check the projector or screens. Make sure the presentation is framed correctly and that the brightness and focus let everyone in the room see. Test the lights and sound system. Get some water, but put it far from where it can spill onto anything important.
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