A recent blog post by David Sanborn was right on. In it, he identified the mistakes he saw a speaker make in a recent presentation. I've paraphrased them as six deadly sins for a communicator.
- Telling them what you're going to tell them. I know this is an old speaking cliche (tell them what you're going to tell them, tell them, then tell them what you told them) that many communicators live by, but it is wrong. If your audience is intelligent and you tell them what you're going to tell them, they're done. They get it. Why should they continue to listen?
- Too much PowerPoint. Too many slides, not enough time to explain them all. See "PowerPoint Isn't The Point," for more.
- Trapped by Technology. If you're presentation relies too heavily on technology, you're asking for trouble. Technology fails more often than not. Make your content the focus, not the bells and whistles.
- Dressed to Kill. What you wear matters. My friend McNair Wilson says, "If your clothing is more interesting (read distracting) than your presentation, you're in trouble before you begin."
- Repetition & Redundancy. Sanborn gets it exactly right. If you find you are repeating yourself, you're probably not prepared.
- Kill the Clock. Taking more than your allotted time is just wrong. Don't do it. If you can't say it in 5 minutes, you can't say it in any amount of time. Enough time is not the problem. Lack of focus is. See Clear As Crystal for more on the importance of focus.
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