"Entertaining is about creating suitable and inviting occasions. It's about bringing people together. This requires the right mix, a group who can enjoy one another's company. But most of all -- and here's what we can lose sight of -- it is about the guests and not about you. It is about giving and not receiving.
I know a lot of people panic or obsess over looking and doing their best. We can all become insecure about hosting and sometimes have the feeling that people are coming to judge us. But that's nonsense. Most of them will have made up their minds about you well before they ever show up; if they've accepted your invitation, that already says a lot. Besides, even reluctant accepters still want to have a good time. Nobody shows up determined not to. Really, you've got them from hello.
So relax. You are who you are. Your home is what it is. Entertaining can be a lot of fun. Just remember to be yourself." ~ Mireille Guiliano, French Women for All Seasons
Substitute "speaking" for "hosting" and "entertaining" and Mireille has just described the fears and insecurities of every speaker, but also the possibilities. In fact, speaking and hosting guests are very similar:
1. You want your guests/audience to enjoy themselves.
2. You want to connect with your guests/audience as individuals.
3. You want your guests/audience to feel cared for.
4. You want to give your guests/audience a memorable experience
5. You want your guests/audience to feel nourished and satisfied.
6. The more you prepare in advance, the fewer mishaps occur.
The main difference between the two is that you probably shouldn't have a cocktail while waiting for your audience to arrive...
Think of your audience as your guests. Ask yourself how you can take care of their needs and comfort to the best of your ability. Give them an experience they'll remember forever. And always plan your presentation so your audience leaves feeling satisfied but wanting more!
I love Jessi Arrington's message in this short TED talk, of an alternative to overconsumption, even if you're a clothes horse. But I also love Jessi's presentation style. She's fun, she's real, she keeps her talk simple, her visuals are engaging, and her points are easy to follow. She herself is a prop and a visual aid in the presentation. While her topic is not original, her perspective, enthusiasm, and personal experience make it feel brand new.
I hope you enjoy this colorful and entertaining speech about wearing nothing new.
If the embedded video doesn't work, see the talk here on TED.com.
In TEDxUCLA: The good and the great, I talked about what I thought worked well at the conference, both in terms of the speakers and in terms of the organization and logistics of the event itself. Today, I'm going to talk about what I thought could have been done better. Most of these things I also mentioned in the TEDxUCLA post-conference survey, so yes, they have received my suggestions.
Let's call today's list the DON'Ts.
1. DON'T: Skimp on breaks
The speakers were scheduled tightly; there was no official break until lunchtime. And, along with this tight schedule, there was a policy of not letting attendees return to their seats if they came back into the auditorium after the speaker had begun. This is a noble concept, but it leads to problems.
If I got up to use the restroom at the end of a talk, there was no way I could make it back before the next talk started (the women's restrooms each had only two stalls and thus, a line. There was no way to get in and out quickly). I would have to wait until the end of the next talk to sit back down. This did happen once, and I missed the first few minutes of an excellent speaker who I was unable to write about because I was standing at the back of the auditorium holding my laptop.
Some might argue that the built-in interactive stretch breaks, led by a personal trainer and an athletic coach, would suffice for bathroom breaks. But I would argue that these were fun activities that the audience wanted to participate in, and therefore, another example of "missing out" if we left the room.
Many of us cannot wait two or three hours to use the restroom, and we should not be punished for that. I don't want to feel like I'm missing something just because my bladder has a mind of its own. People need breaks for other reasons, too, not just for the restroom. I suggest packing in fewer speakers and offering real breaks between them. One long lunch break doesn't cut it.
Note: This is not the first conference I've attended that made this mistake; it's extremely common, in fact. I wonder who decides that there will be no breaks... someone who can hold it all day?
2. DON'T: Dim the lights
This is another common conference mistake, where seeing the speaker's PowerPoint takes precedence over the practical needs of the audience. There are three problems with dimming the lights:
1) The audience can't see their notebooks or laptops to take notes (I thought I had a light-up keyboard, but apparently I don't)
2) The audience gets sleepy, especially after lunch
3) The speaker can't see the audience, and therefore is unable to make eye contact, read their level of engagement, or fully interact.
It is possible to have lighting that enables us to see the speaker, see the slides and see our notes. As long as there are no lights shining directly on the screen, we will be able to see the slides. PowerPoint should never be the deciding factor in lighting a room.
3. DON'T: Skip offering assistance to your speakers
Most of the speakers at this event were good, if not great, although many could have benefited from coaching (we can ALL benefit from coaching!) and review of their slides. There were only a couple who I found difficult to listen to. One was so memorized that, when her PowerPoint remote didn't work and she had to signal the A/V guy to advance her slides, her rhythm was completely thrown off. Another spoke in a monotone, didn't move during the entire presentation, and was difficult to understand.
They both had excellent messages, and several good sound bites. Their content was strong, but their delivery made it very hard to concentrate on the message. Is it their fault that I didn't fully enjoy their presentations? No. The organization chooses the speakers, and someone in the organization should be responsible for making sure all speakers are fully prepared and coached, if necessary, on how to give an effective presentation.
Furthermore, if a speaker needs extra assistance, the organizers should be prepared. I don't know if the speaker has a speech impediment or is simply a mumbler, but it's up to the organizers to make sure he can be heard clearly. These things need to be anticipated and prepared for in advance.
4. DON'T: Miss the opportunity to start the day with a bang
As I've said, the diversity of speakers and topics was impressive, but not all speakers brought the same intensity or energy to their presentations. This is okay, and every speaker doesn't have to be a high energy entertainer. But at the beginning of the event, when anticipation is high, I like to see a speaker who gets me excited for the rest of the day. I like to see a speaker who kicks off the event with an energetic presentation.
I enjoyed the first speaker, Rebeca Mendez; her presentation was almost a meditation, a beautiful and astounding journey following the Arctic Tern, supplemented by stunning photography and sound effects of glaciers cracking. But it did not kick off the day the way a more energetic and participative presentation would have.
5. DON'T: Overdo the logos
There was a projector screen in the middle of the stage, behind and above the speakers. To each side of the stage, there was a projection of the TEDxUCLA logo with the TEDxUCLA hashtag and speaker's hashtag below. There was also a banner hanging from the projection screen (directly behind the speaker) with the TEDxUCLA logo and tagline. (See image at the top of this post.)
At any given time during the day, the audience was looking at three TEDxUCLA logos, and sometimes four, if one was projected onto the main screen. The banner behind the speaker was particularly large and distracting.
When I'm trying to pay attention to the speaker and there's a giant logo behind her, it bothers me. I don't want the speaker to have to compete with a logo for visibility. And I know where I am; I don't have to constantly be reminded. But if it's necessary to find more ways to post logos, a more subtle use of the banner might have been on a side wall -- and with two side walls, there was even room for two banners.
As I said in my previous post, the conference overall was very well done, and the positives far outweighed the negatives. These are all issues common to conferences everywhere, not just TEDxUCLA. Balancing the needs of the speakers, the audience and the event will take care of most of these problems.
I had the privilege of attending TEDxUCLA this past weekend. With spots for only 400 people and a dazzling roster of speakers, the event quickly sold out. So I got up early and hightailed it down to Los Angeles for a day typical of a TED or TEDx conference: chock full of innovative ideas, amazing art and music, creative expression and, oh yes, the occasional thud of a dull speaker.
First, I'll describe what was good and great about this conference, both in its conception and in the quality and ability of the speakers. Let's call these the "DOs."
1. DO: Acknowledge the tweeters, texters and typists
When I got my information e-mail from TEDxUCLA with the guidelines of the day, I first felt a little offended. "What? Anyone using electronic devices has to sit in the last three rows? Well, I never." Or something like that.
However, when I arrived and discovered that the auditorium was actually rather intimate, I realized that the last three rows were not so far from civilization. And as the day went on, I appreciated being surrounded by others taking notes on laptops and iPads. And I'm sure the rest of the audience appreciated not having our typing sounds interfere with their enjoyment of the day.
This was a win-win for speakers (who don't have to look at downturned heads typing away while giving their presentations) and audience members alike (who felt at ease to freely type, surf the Web looking up bios, and tweet out to followers without getting dirty looks from surrounding neighbors).
I also enjoyed the projections on the front walls of individual hashtags for each speaker. Every #tedxucla tweet went out accompanied by a hashtag for the speaker, which can then be searched later. Brilliant.
By the end of the day, I had met, had followed and had been followed by several fellow Twitter users that I never would have met otherwise.
2. DO: Encourage audience interaction
From the stretch breaks with "the wave" and flying beach balls to the Michael Newman introduction which included "Get out your smart phones," the most engaging presentations of the day were those which included the audience.
As in most of the TED talks I've ever seen, there tended to be very little interaction between speakers and audience. I don't know why this is the case; I don't know why TED speakers are encouraged to lecture rather than converse, but thankfully not all of the speakers of the day took heed of this tradition.
3. DO: Use compelling visuals and examples
The speakers at this conference had some of the more effective examples and images that I've seen.
Photographer Rachel Langosch showed slides of her young students' photos documenting their world; it was much more powerful than if she had just told us how her students took to photography.
Andrew Byrom used images to demonstrate how he went from designing typefaces to creating 3D sculpture based on typefaces, to building utilitarian objects from the same typefaces. The progression of his work was clearly laid out in his visuals. I beseech you to visit his site and look at his designs; they're unbelievable. Here's a (not-great) photo I took of one of his creations (hint: they're tables and benches in the quad outside the Broad Auditorium).
Eddo Stern, after describing how games and play can improve our mid-lives, showed a series of videos that completely challenged my concept of computer games. I had been a little resistant to his talk at first, but his examples opened my mind.
And I'll never forget Jimmy Lizama, who used stories from his own life, costume changes, facts about the environment, community and economy, and intriguing and humorous images to share one message: Get out of your car and onto your bike. He even gave us homework for how to do it. He's not just telling us what to do; he's living the life. He's not just promoting a different lifestyle; he's passionate about and committed to it. He made a huge impact on me.
4. DO: Tell stories.
The speakers who had the biggest positive effect on me were the ones who told stories. I've already mentioned a couple, above, but I don't want to leave out the best storyteller of the day (via 2001 TED talk video): legendary UCLA basketball coach John Wooden.
Just watch this video (even just a few minutes) to see what I mean.
Wooden told stories of his own childhood, of his dad reading poetry aloud on the family farm by the light of a coal oil lamp. He told stories of his students and players. He shared his philosophy of success, which was the basis of his talk: "Success is peace of mind which is a direct result of self-satisfaction in knowing you made the effort to become the best that you are capable of becoming." He shared the life lessons and rules he imposed on "the youngsters," a direct result of his father's teachings. He recited poetry from memory.
He was profound, smart, humble and funny. It was a great treat to see this talk from a great man.
5. DO: Use humor
Many of the speakers incorporated humor into their talks, but one stood out for his well-thought-out enhancement of a technical topic: Leonard Rome. Rome is a researcher who talked about his work with "vaults," minute barrel-shaped particles within our cells that can be used as drug-delivery vehicles for chemotherapy and vaccines, among other things.
His visuals included vaults which turned into hot dogs (after a mention of the resemblance), Homer Simpson representing a cancer patient, scenes from the movie "Fantastic Voyage," a picture of Minnie Mouse (as he described a female mouse immune to chlamydia), and many other humorous and simple images which helped the audience to understand the nanosystems he was describing.
He shared his initial impulse to call the vaults "Roma-somes," but wisely went with vaults instead. He expressed his desire to one day be able to say "Take two vaults and call me in the morning."
He made a topic that could have been overly technical and hard to understand (and to be honest, it still was, to some degree), fun and engaging.
On a side note, I also want to give him props for giving his colleagues props. When talking about new discoveries and contributions by colleagues, he generously named names.
6. DO: Offer solutions
It's one thing to talk about a problem and give stats and explain how bad things are. It's another thing to offer solutions that audience members can actually participate in and relate to.
Sometimes I listen to a speaker and I'm not sure what their purpose is, what they're trying to achieve, but this was not a problem with Jimmy Lizama, who told us exactly how to get out of the car and onto the bike; Yoh Kamano, who explained simply and clearly how we can use social media more effectively during natural disasters by geo-enabling our phones (and also included the audience tweeting #helpmeted to participate in his demonstration); or Stefan Sagmeister (via TED video) with the message, "If you have a lot of friends, meaningful friendships, or are married – you are more likely to be happy." Speakers who gave solutions to the problems they presented were more effective and felt more relevant to my life.
Overall, the conference was well done.
The lengths of the talk alternated between short, medium and long, and the topics/speakers also alternated between technical/scientific, environmental, creative, musical, political and medical.
Most of the speakers were interesting and engaging, and seemed to have some experience speaking or some training.
The auditorium was just the right size. It felt intimate, but was able to handle a large crowd.
The final act of the day was a real-time performance joining musicians live-streaming from Seoul, Korea with musicians in the UCLA auditorium, presented by CultureHub. It was incredibly moving and beautiful to be part of such a collaborative international experiment.
I can't wait till videos of the speakers and performances are posted online, so I can share all of these great presentations with you!
I will follow up this post in a day or two with my take on what TEDxUCLA could do better next time.
On one of the current performance competition shows (I don't even know what it's called...), judge Sharon Osbourne asked a group of contestants:
"What do you want to get from this show?"
The young leader of the group answered, "To perform in places like this... To just give people a chance to know who we are."
I cringed. My first thought, "Wrong answer."
Sure, I get that she wants exposure, and that to be on a show like this one can give her that. People will recognize her on the street, at least. But exposure is only one aspect of a performing (or speaking) career. Exposure means nothing if the audience means nothing to you. It's not all about "getting."
What I would have liked to hear her say: "I want to give the audience a great show!" Hint: The audience likes to hear you talk about us. We like to know that you care about us. We like to know you value us.
One reason Lady Gaga has catapulted so dramatically to superstar status is her relationship with her fans. She truly appreciates, interacts with and loves her "monsters." On a recent episode of Graham Norton, where Lady Gaga was a guest, an audience member delivered a box of handmade miniatures of Lady Gaga's iconic costumes. Lady Gaga was so moved that she invited the audience member to come onstage for a hug and kiss.
Lady Gaga understands it's not about people "getting a chance to know who she is." It's about Lady Gaga getting to know who her audience is, building a community with them, and giving them what they want: a relationship.
Any performer can be passionate about their message. Any performer can stand out from the crowd. But a performer who says, "It's not all about me" is the one who will have the most loyal fans, the most repeat business, and the most enduring success.
This week I watched the new show "Platinum Hit," a competition for songwriters.
As these songwriters labored to create winning hooks and songs, based on themes given by the judges (this week: road songs), I saw some of the same issues that speakers experience in creating a "hit" presentation.
Songwriters and speakers want to make an emotional connection with the audience.
Songwriters and speakers want to use language in a compelling and catchy way.
Songwriters and speakers want to use structure, rhythm and flow to keep the audience's attention.
Songwriters and speakers want to share a message.
Songwriters and speakers want to tell stories.
Songwriters and speakers want to demonstrate imagination and creativity.
Songwriters and speakers want to be memorable.
Songwriters and speakers want to communicate their truth and their authentic voice.
And speaking of truth, one of the judges, songwriter Kara DioGuardi, had this message for one of the contestants:
"Say your truth, yes, but make it interesting. Make it something that no one else has ever said."
Of all the struggles a writer, performer, singer, artist or speaker faces during the creative process, finding a new way to say what's already been said is possibly the hardest, but most critical, endeavor.
But by searching your own perspective, your own story, your own experience and -- yes -- your own truth, you will find way to express your ideas that's rich, meaningful and solely your own. Your own unique spin on a universal message is what makes for a hit presentation.
What's the hardest part of the creative process for you? Please share in the comments!
If you didn't watch the Tony Awards (or if you did but missed the ending), I have posted below host Neil Patrick Harris' closing rap. This recap of the evening's events was written in the basement of the theater during the live show, referencing musical numbers, winners' speeches and presenter gaffes and laughs as they happened. Then Neil Patrick Harris, having never rapped before, nailed the number at the end of the night -- with no rehearsal.
That's what I call fearless. Have you ever taken a big risk in a presentation? How did it turn out? Please share in the comments!
Lyrics (by In the Heights' writer Lin-Manuel Miranda and director Tommy Kail):
If anyone asks you what happened at the Tonys you can say this:
We straightened things out in the opening number; Ellen Barkin and John Benjamin Hickey took home awards for their hilarious performances in The Normal Heart.
Daniel Radcliffe kicked some butt and we were so elated
Even Voldemort was sad he wasn't nominated
Norbert Leo Butz sang and danced and tried to catch you, comin' atchu
Chasing Trey and Casey cause they nabbed a Tony statue
Commencing in the Chattanooga station
from the grand imagination
of the Kander-Ebb collaboration
It takes a lot for a recipient to humble me
But everybody cried for gorgeous Nikki James, the bumblebee
Andrew Rannells sang "I Believe" and he landed it
So well now he's Mitt Romney's VP candidate
All across the country from the North and to the South
Are saying "Brooke's a hottie with a crazy potty mouth"
John Larroquette brought an elegant mood to the room
I'm still imagining him at home in his Fruit of the Looms
Spider-man and Mary-Jane gave us perspective here
They sang a ballad; we didn't need our protective gear
Patina Miller's nuns sang "Raise Your Voice" with cheer
And Memphis is relentless, they're performing every year The Normal Heart won, Larry Kramer made us weep
And War Horse dazzled us with a theatrical sweep
Sutton Foster never lost her knack for talking smack and tapping a full-on assault attack,
I'm awesome, Hugh Jackman take that
Go ahead and roll the credits if you need to,
I'm out of control, I'm on a roll, this is my Tonys speed through
Anything Goes took the best revival prize in stride
We didn't see it, we were singing "Side by Side by Side"
McDormand loves her job, Sutton Foster won again
Paul Schaffer sang and suddenly it started raining men
Mark Rylance runs at fences, he's won the Tony twice
That guy can do it all, his follow-up is Fanny Bryce
Norbert Butz and Mormon swept the floor, won even more awards than War Horse
Par for the course, someone get a car for the horse
And in the final analysis what survives tonight?
Theater, because it's what we live
We're changing some lives tonight
And theater thrives because we live to give it, so to speak
This isn't reality TV, this is eight shows a week
Every chorus member that you saw tonight tappin'
Had to make miracles happen
For a chance to see you clappin'
And applauding in the audience
What's next? Who knows
Anything goes
Now go see a mother [mumbled]-ing Broadway show
Hearing from audience member I'm still #1 on Google
I'm putting my money where my mouth is.
It is a frequent recommendation of mine that speakers videotape themselves on a regular basis, so they can be on the lookout for bad habits and mistakes. I try to do this, but am not nearly as regular as I would like to be. And sometimes my presentations are videotaped at organizations where it's not appropriate for me (or I'm not allowed) to post them publicly.
Yesterday I took video of a presentation I gave to one of my networking groups, based on a recent blog post about rookie mistakes. I've decided to show you my personal critiquing process.
I, like many other speakers and performers, am uber-sensitive and highly critical of myself. I try to be fair, but I tend to watch my videos with a mixture of fascination, angst and cringing.
Here's the video, with about five minutes of presenting and about five minutes of Q&A. Watch as much (or as little) as you like, then join me below for my critique of my bad habits!
First, let's get the negative stuff out of the way.
1. I laugh at my own jokes too much.
2. My hands have a mind of their own; gestures tend to be repetitive.
3. I could have directed the audience better to my theme of "rookie mistakes." Another example of not enough preparation.
4. My closing is weak (as usual, as I find closings incredibly awkward). Closings are the bane of my existence as a presenter.
5. I make screwy faces, and I don't mean the goofy ones that I do on purpose.
6. I should have had the person with the video camera film the audience members as they asked questions so they could be heard better. I assumed sound would be okay in that room.
And, because every presentation has good parts, I always make note of what I liked and what I think worked.
1. I am clearly enjoying myself, and the audience is feeding back my positive energy.
2. I'm connecting well with the audience.
3. Most of the humor works the way I anticipated it, although I'm surprised the "blinding white building" line didn't get a laugh, as that's one reason our group left its last meeting location for this new one.
4. Despite the short lead time I gave myself to write and practice the presentation (you don't want to know), the structure helped me remember everything, and I didn't lose my place once.
5. As this was a more scripted presentation than what I typically give (and therefore outside my comfort zone), I think I did a pretty good job of coming across as natural and not overly memorized.
6. I'm very happy with the way the opening stories led into my presentation, and the way the closing picked up where I left off at the beginning.
And there you have it: A typical critique of my own presentation. While I've been working on my skills in front of audiences since I was a teenager (and been paid to speak for almost 20 years now), I know I still have a lot to learn, and I'm constantly working to improve.
I don't fall into the trap of comparing myself to other speakers, because we are all individuals who have our own styles and our own personalities. I struggle with my perception of "professional" (i.e. boring and stilted) vs. "authentic" or "fun" (i.e. undisciplined and informal). I realize there's much more gray area and overlap between these definitions than I allow.
I also know that some of my challenges may stick with me forever. Such is life. But I love what I do, and if I can continue to share that love and energy with my clients and audiences and help them find that joy in their own presentations, then I consider my job mostly done!
Do you critique yourself? Are you willing to share?
On Wednesday evening, I had a fun conversation with EMS educators Greg Friese and Rob Theriault about public speaking. We discussed a few issues that are relevant to EMS educators and students, but I think you'll find that these public speaking tips apply to anyone who speaks in front of audiences.
I loved this clip from The Rachel Maddow Show of the first day C-SPAN televised the U.S. Senate, on June 2, 1986. Senator John Glenn demonstrates some of the instruction senators received on how to prepare for TV. John Glenn putting on makeup? Yep, live on C-SPAN.
As writing is a more formal way to express ourselves, we tend to write without contractions. Therefore, in writing I might say, "I am" instead of "I'm" and "You are" instead of "You're."
However, if you speak like you write -- in this case, reading the full expression instead of the shortened one -- you come across as overly formal. That's not to say that you can't mix and match contractions with the written-out version of expressions. But speaking entirely without contractions sounds unnatural and will certainly peg you as reading straight from a script, in addition to becoming a distraction for the audience.
A perfect example of the awkward formality and distraction of spoken language without contractions was the recent remake of the movie "True Grit." The language in the movie is not contractionless, but it is pretty heavy on uncontracted words.
Watching this movie, you might have come to the conclusion that contractions were not a normal part of speech (at least by mercenaries and lawmen) in the late 1800s (which is how the language in the original True Grit novel by Charles Portis was portrayed, and then repeated by the Coen brothers in their version of the movie). This article, by Mark Liberman, disputes this and concludes that this dialogue was more an artistic choice than a faithful representation of 19th century speech.
Contractions comes naturally, it's customary in the English language to use them, and it's the way others expect to hear us speak.
If you're writing a speech, go through it sentence by sentence and see where you've left out contractions. You might find that leaving some words uncontracted allows for a stronger emphasis. If it makes sense, don't contract. Otherwise, make sure to convert most of your formal phrasing into contractions. And keep reading the speech aloud as you go to make sure you sound natural.
Remember: Written and spoken language are not the same thing. Make sure that, if you're going to be reading from a speech, that you've made sure to keep your language as natural-sounding as possible. Contractions have been around for hundreds of years, and they're here to stay, so use them!
There's nothing wrong with being an inexperienced speaker. We all have to start somewhere, and it's usually at the beginning. But don't let your inexperience ruin the audience's experience.
Here are 4 rookie mistakes that will produce some measure of distraction and frustration for your audience. Alone, each is mildly annoying. In combination, watch out: You'll be the most memorable speaker they've ever seen -- for all the wrong reasons!
This post was inspired by my husband's texts to me during a conference presentation today. Several of these things happened during the one presentation. I'm sure you can imagine...
1. Not using a microphone
Speaker: "Do I need a microphone? I have a big voice."
Audience (numbering over 100): "Yes!"
It is never the audience's job to tell you if you need a microphone. Most experienced speakers use a microphone when there are more than 30 or 40 people in the room. Bert Decker's post on when to use a microphone mentions other reasons you might need a mic, regardless of the size of the crowd. Don't be macho -- use a mic.
For more on proper use of a microphone, check out these previous posts:
If you're giving a PowerPoint presentation, the dead giveaway that you're a rookie is that you're standing behind the computer, pushing the "down" arrow key to advance your slides. Not only does this freeze your movement in place or, if you do move around the stage, force you to return to the keyboard every time you want to advance to the next slide, it restricts your eye contact and inhibits gestures.
However, if you have purchased a presentation remote (this one is my favorite) or are using one offered by the venue, then you need to practice with it before your presentation. A simple remote will move slides forward and backward, and will black (or white) out the screen. A more complex remote might have a laser pointer, a mouse, a timer that vibrates when you near the end of your presentation, and more gadgets. You need to know what your remote does and use the features that are appropriate to your presentation.
3. Telling the audience about your every discomfort
As mentioned above, the speaker asked the audience if he needed a mic; he then proceeded to explain that he didn't know how to use the remote. I hear speakers blurt out all kinds of things at the beginning of their talks: "I didn't have time to prepare," or "I've never spoken in front of this many people," or "I don't have time to tell you everything I want to say."
Buck up! Get it together! It's a performance! Proficiency (at minimum) and brilliance (if we're lucky) are illusions we all want to maintain, and the best way to maintain them is not to tell the audience all the ways we're blowing it.
Mistakes are normal. Nervousness is normal. Lack of preparation (sadly) is normal. But your audience doesn't need to know your every insecurity -- especially if they see nothing amiss. And they especially don't need to know that you couldn't be bothered to take the time to ready yourself fully to speak to them.
4. Not checking your venue and equipment in advance
This is an important preparation practice, and an experienced speaker knows to check the room as early as possible once engaged and to work with the audio-visual staff to make sure everything is planned to run smoothly. Notice I say planned to run smoothly. Even with careful planning, projector light bulbs burn out, computers wig out and speakers freak out.
You may be traveling from afar and don't get to see the room you're speaking in until a half hour before your presentation. Well, you better show up a half hour before your presentation and make sure the furniture and equipment is set up to your liking. If the room's too hot or too cold, if the lighting washes out your slides, if there aren't enough water pitchers, this is your chance to do something about it.
For more on taking charge of your room, check out these previous posts:
