When training executives, every impression counts. See which of these 10 tips can help you tighten your in-person presentation.
1. Arrive early. No one should see you fuss with cables. No one should be able to sneak a peek at your slide deck. And no one should ever see your desktop wallpaper.
2. Keystone projectors. Distorted images are distracting. “Keystone” the screen you’re showing so it appears rectangular. The keystone button on many projectors has a trapezoid icon.
3. Don’t read. Bad slides are crammed with as many words as possible. More text is not more convincing. Reduce the copy on each slide to its essence. Talk to your audience, not the slides.
4. Chart direction. Executives want to know you understand their companies’ strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats. Convince them quickly that you’re on the right course.
5. Define success. Which needles will you be moving? Show them. Which metrics are being measured? Show them. Everyone wants to know the score, so don’t hide the scoreboard.
6. Define failure. What if people don’t sign up for appropriate social media accounts? What if they don’t engage communities effectively? Explain the consequences of inaction.
7. Reward effort. Your goal is to get people familiar enough with the technology to use it. Break down the steps so you can celebrate successes throughout the training program.
8. Use screen shots. Highlight login areas of Web sites. Illustrate examples of good writing. Walk through visual cues for menus, preferences and settings. Never tell when you can show.
9. Narrow options. Types of Twitter users, to offer one example, number in the hundreds. Select a few top choices based on different types of users, explain the benefits of each and pick a favorite if asked.
10. Create cheat sheets. A slide deck with notes doesn’t have the same utility as a single-page cheat sheet with your best ideas, strongest recommendations, critical procedures or common terms.
Source: Kawika Holbrook, director of Web strategy for Sterling Communications.