Death by PowerPoint, Oh It’s Real!

Death by PowerPoint, oh yes, it is a real thing and not as uncommon as you would think. It happens. While you are reading this blog, somewhere someone is dying while sitting through a PowerPoint presentation. Okay, they may not be literally dying, but figuratively they are. This is such an issue you can find books all over Amazon describing how it happens and how to stop it.

Speakers need to realize, if you use PowerPoint slides, the slides are for your audience not you. They are not to be used to remind you of what you are going to say. The slides should provide additional information to the audience. Additional information, not you reading the bullet points for them. If you are using bullet points, remember these things: one, the audience is reading ahead of what you are saying, two, they are not focusing on you. If you want your presentation to be successful, you do not want either of these things to happen.

If you ask me if I still use bullet points in my presentations, I would say yes occasionally. I do have a number of corporate clients that expect this when I am speaking in a staff meeting to their employees. You have to give the clients what they want but I always try to add other things in my slides such as pictures, cartoons or quotes to break up the slides. Adding these “non-bullet point slides” also makes my presentations more memorable.  At times you may want your audience to feel some type of emotion: sad, happy, outraged, etc. A picture is worth a thousand words, this saying has been around a long time for a reason.

Consider adding media clips to your presentations, pictures, even personal pictures if they fit your theme of the presentation. Your audience will appreciate it and they will be more engaged. The audience will look at the slide then turn their attention back to you, the speaker.

Until the next blog or video blog, Keep Speaking!

Denise

Denise Ann Galloni, Owner & President
DG Training Solutions, Inc.

Website:  https://www.DGTrainingsolutionsinc.com

Email:  dgtrainingsolutionsinc@gmail.com

YouTube – Empowering Women TV Show:  https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLkS-fsSVzGlE5SI_yg3I8ZAGn3GB4DglO

Twitter: https://twitter.com/deniseanng

Facebook:  www.facebook.com/DGTrainingSolutionsInc

LinkedIn:  www.linkedin.com/in/deniseanngalloni

Blog:  http://DGTrainingsolutionsinc.blogspot.com

Answer a Question? That’s a Good Question.

One of the most popular questions I get asked about presenting pertains to…questions. Seriously, the questions range from how do you handle questions during your presentation, do you even take questions, or do you wait until the end to answer them.

The answer depends on the situation. If I am doing a training and it is several hours long, I will stop to answer questions as they come up. My main goal is to ensure the audience leaves with an understanding of the material, that is why the company paid me to be there.

If I am doing a presentation that is short, under an hour, I usually take questions at the end. Of course, there are exceptions to every rule. While going over the agenda at the beginning of the presentation I may say, “In order to cover all the material I am asking you to jot down your questions and I will answer them at the end”. 

If I am delivering a speech which is more motivational or inspirational than informative, questions from the audience should not be an issue. Although I will try to answer as many questions as I can at the end of all my presentations.

Another tip would be to incorporate some of the frequently asked questions into your presentations. It becomes tricky to answer questions during your presentations. Sometimes a question will take you away from where you want to be in your talk. At times, the question will spark the other attendees to ask a question unrelated to your presentation but related to the question that took you off topic. Once a question is asked, others may feel they want to ask questions at that moment. This may cause you to run out of time.

To take a question or not? That is a good question. What are your thoughts on questions?


Until the next blog or video blog, Keep Speaking!

Denise

Denise Ann Galloni, Owner & President

DG Training Solutions, Inc.

Website:  https://www.DGTrainingsolutionsinc.com

Email:  dgtrainingsolutionsinc@gmail.com

YouTube – Empowering Women TV Show:  https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLkS-fsSVzGlE5SI_yg3I8ZAGn3GB4DglO

Twitter: https://twitter.com/deniseanng

Facebook:  www.facebook.com/DGTrainingSolutionsInc

LinkedIn:  www.linkedin.com/in/deniseanngalloni

Blog:  http://DGTrainingsolutionsinc.blogspot.com

Your Introduction is Key

Your Introduction is Key!

You’re ready to step on the stage in the front of the room and begin your presentation. You may be the last speaker of the day, and the audience is tired. You take a few breaths as your introduction is being read.

Don’t underestimate the importance of a good introduction. A great introduction will excite the audience and cause them to look forward to your talk. While you need to show credibility in your introduction, there are ways to do this without your intro reading like a resume or laundry list of all your accomplishments.

Here is a quick example. Denise Galloni is the owner of DG Training Solutions Inc. and has been in business for four years. She has delivered over 500 career presentations and is the creator, producer and host of a TV show called Empowering Women. Okay, while this intro does give me credibility, is it really that exciting? Will the audience be excited to hear what I have to say as soon as I walk out on the stage?

Let’s use the same biographical information and add to it and make it memorable while still providing credibility.

Voted the quietest girl in her senior class, Denise never had much to say. Today she will tell us how she went from that young quiet girl to starting her own business four years ago called DG Training Solutions Inc. She is the creator, producer and host of a monthly TV show called Empowering Women and has delivered over 500 career presentations.

Basically, both intros have the same information. Which one sounds more intriguing to you? Did I have the same credibility in both? Which one make you want to hear what I have to say?

Tailor your introduction to the audience you are speaking to. Always give the person introducing you your typed introduction. Ask your introducer to read it as written because you will refer to it in your presentation. You can even add some details about your presentation or questions for the audience.

These tips will have the audience anticipating your presentation before you even open your mouth.

Until the next blog, Keep Speaking!

Denise

Denise Ann Galloni, Owner & President

DG Training Solutions, Inc.

Website:  https://www.DGTrainingsolutionsinc.com

Email:  dgtrainingsolutionsinc@gmail.com

YouTube – Empowering Women TV Show:  https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLkS-fsSVzGlE5SI_yg3I8ZAGn3GB4DglO

Twitter: https://twitter.com/deniseanng

Facebook:  www.facebook.com/DGTrainingSolutionsInc

LinkedIn:  www.linkedin.com/in/deniseanngalloni

Would you prefer Handouts or Slides?

It never fails, when I do a presentation someone in the audience asks me for a copy of my slide deck. Does this happen to you?

Most of the time I do not give out my slides. There are a few reasons why. Reason #1, I prefer to give out handouts with the important material on the pages. Sometimes if it is a long presentation and people want the slides, it is too many pages to give out at the event. Reason #2, even if I print them out and email to the attendees afterwards, they may not know or remember what the slide signifies. I try to use less words but more pictures or symbols to achieve my message. Unless I am explaining why they are there, someone will not understand my intent. And reason #3, the slides are my intellectual property that I designed and created. I don't want to share them and have someone share them as their own.

For the reasons above, this is why I rarely provide my slides to an audience. Handouts or slides, which if any do you give out?

Until the next blog or vlog, Keep Speaking!

Denise

Denise Ann Galloni, Owner & President

DG Training Solutions, Inc.

Website:  https://www.DGTrainingsolutionsinc.com

Email:  dgtrainingsolutionsinc@gmail.com

YouTube – Empowering Women TV Show:  https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLkS-fsSVzGlE5SI_yg3I8ZAGn3GB4DglO

Twitter: https://twitter.com/deniseanng

Facebook:  www.facebook.com/DGTrainingSolutionsInc

LinkedIn:  www.linkedin.com/in/deniseanngalloni

Of course it makes perfect sense!

I remember it as it happened yesterday.  I was sitting in the audience at a Toastmasters function listening to the 2001 World Champion of Public Speaking, Darren LaCroix, presenting a workshop.  Darren was speaking about trying to break into the business of stand-up comedy. His mentor told him never pass up an opportunity to perform.

Darren calls this “Stage Time, Stage Time, Stage Time” and this is his mantra in which he strongly believes. 

Of course, this makes perfect sense.  If you want to be great, you need to practice, practice, and practice.  If you want to be great in public speaking, you need stage time.

I never pass up an opportunity to speak in public.  It may be at my Toastmasters club when they ask if anyone can fill in and do an impromptu speech, or it may only be at a board meeting when I have to address my fellow board of directors.  It may be reading the past minutes from a meeting in a business networking group that I am a member.  This is all stage time.

To be an effective public speaker, you need to be a great communicator.  Hence…stage time, stage time, stage time as fellow Toastmaster Darren tells everyone.

Public Speaking means a variety of things to different people.  You may not have any aspirations to stand up in front of an audience of 1,000 people.  Public Speaking to you may mean teaching a workshop, giving a presentation during a staff meeting in your organization, or standing up in front of your congregation and reading scripture.  This is all public speaking!

Practice, practice, practice and you will see improvement.  But better yet, others will see your improvement.

Until the next blog, Keep Speaking!

Denise

Denise Ann Galloni, Owner & President

DG Training Solutions, Inc.

Website:  https://www.DGTrainingsolutionsinc.com

Email:  dgtrainingsolutionsinc@gmail.com

Twitter: https://twitter.com/deniseanng

Facebook:  www.facebook.com/DGTrainingSolutionsInc

LinkedIn:  www.linkedin.com/in/deniseanngalloni

Blog:  http://DGTrainingsolutionsinc.blogspot.com

Meetup:  https://www.meetup.com/DG-Training-Solutions-Professional-Development-Meetup/

I Was Ready With a Plan B

I am a firm believer of always double checking everything before a presentation and having a Plan B in case something goes wrong.

That is exactly what I did last summer while preparing for a workshop I was presenting for 65 people. I saved my slides on a USB in case my computer didn’t want to work. I was ready! I made sure my computer was fully charged as well as brought my adapter, just in case. I was ready! I tried my projector, had extra batteries for my presenter and wrote down all my passwords I needed for the presentation in case I became logged out. I was ready! I even went out the day before and bought a 15-foot extension cord just in case I needed one. I was ready!

The day of the workshop I showed up an hour early to setup. The outlet was far from where my laptop and projector would be placed. Whew, I thought, good thing I brought an extension cord. When I went to plug my projector into the extension cord I couldn’t. My extension cord was 2- prong and the projector needed a 3-prong extension cord. What? Are you kidding me? These were the questions running through my head. I just kept holding the extension cord and the projector cord willing it to fit. It didn’t. Who would have thought to plug everything into the extension cord to see if it worked? Not me.

Always have a Plan B or C. No matter how much you double and triple check, something always seems to happen. Lesson learned.

Oh, my Plan C, the presenter scheduled after me had an extension cord and I used hers.

Until the next blog, Keep Speaking!

Denise

Denise Ann Galloni, Owner & President

DG Training Solutions, Inc.

Website:  https://www.DGTrainingsolutionsinc.com

Email:  dgtrainingsolutionsinc@gmail.com

Twitter: https://twitter.com/deniseanng

Facebook:  www.facebook.com/DGTrainingSolutionsInc

LinkedIn:  www.linkedin.com/in/deniseanngalloni

Keep Your Audience Talking

I recently did a presentation for a company with twelve people in attendance.  The topic was communication.  While this was a new topic I was presenting, I have been in front of audiences of all sizes for many years and have been able to engage them through questions and examples.

There were only two ladies in the group that would answer the questions I would ask.  A third woman would make negative comments throughout the presentation.  It was a difficult presentation and I struggled to get interaction, which I found surprising.  I would ask a question, wait for a response and not hear a thing.  What really made the whole presentation worse was one evaluation form I received back had a comment that I could not engage the audience!

What!! I wanted to scream when I read this comment later that night.  I did everything but stand on my head to get participation.

An audience that responds to the trainer will gain more from the presentation.  The trainer isn't asking questions to have a break from talking or cannot fill the allotted time.  The trainer wants the audience to be engaged to increase their comprehension of how the information can be used back in their work environment and how their fellow participants are processing the information.

Later that evening I thought about what else I could have done to encourage the rest of the group to participate.  I went through my experience: asking open ended questions, relate the information to their industry, ask how they could apply this information to their positions, give my personal examples, and listen to clues where some of the questions were leading.  Check to all the above, I did these things.

I realized some people will not say anything in a group.  I also realized some people just want to be heard and will try to hijack the presentation from the speaker.  It can be a challenge to find the balance.

Sometimes no matter how hard you try, you cannot keep an audience talking.  What other ways do you get an audience to keep talking?


Until the next blog, Keep Speaking!

Denise

Denise Ann Galloni, Owner & President

DG Training Solutions, Inc.

Website:  https://www.DGTrainingsolutionsinc.com

Email:  dgtrainingsolutionsinc@gmail.com

Twitter: https://twitter.com/deniseanng

Facebook:  www.facebook.com/DGTrainingSolutionsInc

LinkedIn:  www.linkedin.com/in/deniseanngalloni