Compulsive obsession with details will save your neck when giving presentations

It is funny how short, simple conversations have lasting impact.  My Dad is a photojournalist and when I was about 8 years old (1974!), he shared some tips he had learned from giving lots of presentations and slideshows:

"Always bring extra slide projector bulbs, as you never know when one is going to burn out.  Never assume that there will be an electrical outlet near where you have to plug in your equipment; bring a long extension cord.  Always leave the house early in case you get lost on the way to your destination.  Arrive early to check out the space where you will be presenting in case you have to move furniture."

Twenty-two years later, when I chose to become a self-employed consultant and trainer, his words echoed in my ears as I traveled all over the U.S. giving presentations in hotel ballrooms, corporate training rooms and conference centers.

Based on some terror-filled moments which included a smoking laptop in Frankfurt, Germany, realizing that I had loaded the wrong presentation onto my laptop as I started a talk to a large group in Washington, DC, improvising 20 minutes of air time for a radio guest that was 20 minutes late, having materials not show up for a high-dollar workshop I was presenting and feeling my skirt split down the back as I crawled under a desk to plug in my laptop, I developed a guiding set of beliefs for presentations:

• Materials shipped ahead of time might not arrive
• Your laptop could blow up at any time
• Classrooms or conference rooms are never set up the way that you request
  
• Any guest presenters in virtual or live events will screw up logistical details and get confused as to when, where and what they have to present about
• Equipment will break
• If you bring only one set of clothes, you will rip or spill coffee on them

And based on these beliefs, I developed the following practices:

When traveling out of town by plane to an event:

• Ship your materials via Fedex (sorry Airborne Express - too many screw ups to recommend you)and have them arrive the day before you do.
• Don't rely on Fedex's record that the materials were received, talk to a live person at the location and make them swear that they are physically looking at and touching the materials.  Don't settle for less!
• Create a one-page cheat sheet of presentation location, street address and contact person with two alternate phone numbers and carry it with you on the plane.  (You may do all your logistical arranging with the client using his or her phone number at the corporate office.  But if you both travel to the event, they will not be at that office number.  Get his cellphone number and hotel info.)
• Put one set of presentation-ready clothes in your carry-on in case your luggage is lost.  If not, bring a credit card in case you have to buy something new.
• If you are going to a different country, check on the voltage requirements and ensure you bring a trusted power adapter for your equipment.

For presentations:

• As soon as you get to your location, set up and test your equipment.  Schmoozing, coffee and furniture re-arranging can wait.
• Check and double check to make sure you bring the right presentation, and right version of the presentation, to the live event.  Am I the only one that does last-minute changes to a presentation and mistakenly saves it to the wrong place on my hard drive?
• Fully charge your laptop battery, and bring a backup if necessary, even if you are planning to use a power cord.
• Always arrive at least one hour early, 90 minutes early if teaching an all-day class.
• Don't hesitate to re-arrange the furniture to make it a better environment for you and the participants (I personally detest chairs and tables in rows, and often group them in a circle or clusters to encourage dialogue among participants.  Obviously this won't work for a huge presentation in a theater.  Use your judgment and make sure the environment matches your desired outcome for interaction.)
• For god's sake (and that of your audience), do not use a podium.  They are dreadful and make you look like the most boring, stilted and conservative presenter on earth.
• Make a hard copy and electronic backup of your presentation, in addition to the one you have pre-installed on your laptop.
• Ask your client if they have a backup machine in case something goes wrong with yours.
• Bring an extension cord (thanks, Dad).
• Fire up your presentation and the projector, and play with the lighting in the room.  If you have to choose between too much and too little light, choose too much.  Dim lights put people to sleep. 
• Sit down in a number of different seats around the room to check for visibility of the slides and clarity of the projection. 
• Identify a copy shop near your venue where you can make hard-copies of your presentation if all equipment fails.

For presentations, teleclasses or radio show interviews involving outside guests:

• Send confirmation email with details about the topic and event immediately after confirming date with guest.
• Send at least 2 follow up emails with the key information repeated in bold or a different color, up to the day before event (date, time, location, topic, phone number of location and your cell number in case of emergency). 
• Ask guest to reply to your email to confirm they got the details.  If they don't respond, call them.
• Get your guest's cellphone number in case of emergency.
• Give your cellphone number to guest.
• Specify the time zone of the appearance in bold, CAPITAL LETTERS or another color.  If your guest is calling in, use their time zone for the confirmation.  (Example:  "The event starts at 8am Pacific Standard Time, which is 9am Mountain, 10am Central and 11am Eastern")
• Figure out a backup plan in case your guest is a no-show.

For webinars or web-based training:

• Ensure you have a stable internet connection.  Designate someone else to host the meeting as a backup in case yours goes on the blink.
• Start the online environment at least 30 minutes before the class start time to test for bugs and to make sure everything is working correctly.
• Have a backup in case the technology fails, such as emailing the presentation materials to participants.
• Send the participants multiple reminder notices with login instructions.
• Designate a technical support person with a different phone number and email to trouble shoot participants through logging into the online environment in case they get locked out.

While your client, guest presenter or participants may feel slightly over-supported with information, it is so much better than experiencing the terror of standing in front of a room one minute before you are due to start your presentation with 100 pairs of eyes staring at you as you wipe sweat off your brow while frantically fumbling around with lights, cords and your laptop.

Anything you have learned about the benefit of obsession with details in your presentations?

Comments

[Grant Boston]

Carry a stand-alone runtime version of your presentation on a DVD/CD and USB memory stick - that way you can run your presentation on any available computer (that runs the same OS family).

Don't assume that the tech support is competent! In the worst case I went to a conference at which the support person had been to the conference dinner as a thank you for all his help. The next morning he arrived, still drunk and proceeded to insult the guest speaker, a Muslim woman, with his behavior and comments.

Finally, remember that the hardware is only the support act, you are the presenter and you can talk about your work without aids.

[Kathleen]

Wonderful suggestions! My job is organizing events, I find it helpful to have a list like yours and ask SOMEONE ELSE to run down the checklist for me before I leave, so I can actually touch every item I need in my bag as they call it off.
I also mentally picture the event setup the night before and make sure I have all the stuff I need.
I try to think of one way I could do the next event better every time I finish a meeting.
Now if only people would stop thinking it's also my job to get them coffee in the morning!
Kathleen

[Tim]

It's "cord" not "chord"

Otherwise useful info.

---

Thanks Tim, I fixed it.

-Pam

[Jesse]

Don't ever say "Um" or "Uh"
"Now, um, lets get this, um, meeting going. Um, do you all have your summary?"

If you are trying to fill time, there are a million different things you could say other than "um, just a second while this page loads" Try saying something useful or witty while waiting.

[Rhonda]

And I thought it was just me who was obsessive about this stuff! My moments of panic were predicting being stuck on the Cocos Islands (2000 miles off the Australian coas in the middle of the Indian Ocean), with 3 day wait for the next plane to bring in supplies, and doing training 1000 miles from home base with a room full of computers that got rained on as they sat on the truck in the freight yard the night before - seriously!

So I segued these experiences into a presentation I did at the 2002 and 2003 STC (Society for Technical Communication) conferences. Being from Australia and presenting in the US, I definitely had to practice what I preached!

The paper, slides/handouts, and a printable checklist from my presentation are available on my website: http://www.cybertext.com.au/tips_training.htm

[Steve Land]

My list:
- Update your desktop if you are a Windows user so you won't find a forced-reboot update imposed on you mid-presentation
- Clear your browser history (and forms cache)
- Change your desktop background to something non-distracting
- Turn off all the little widgets that might pop up during the presentation (software updates, IM clients, virus scans)
- If you are demonstrating a new application, have a series of sequential screen shots as backup
- Having prepared static screen shots is especially true if you are running a Web application, and even more so if the venue is new to you, even if they promise wireless or wired internet access
- If you are demonstrating anything that might have test data, make sure you QA the test data to ensure it's not inappropriate or offensive

[Roger Anderson]

Here are my top 5 rules:
1) Use Flash or PowerPoint slides on timers
-- You don't worry about hitting the wrong key, you don't add off-track comments, you don't have to ask for "Next slide please." If you tell people the presentation is on a timer they hold questions until the end, and you finish on time every time! (VCs included!)
2) Be Early
-- Make sure things work and you know who can help if they do not. Bring a thumb drive, a CD, and hard copy if you can - just in case.
3) Be Focused and Be the Focus
-- If the power went out did you make your point? Can you be as good without the slide show? Slides should add to what you say and not be the show.
4) Use One Transition
-- If you must use a transition make sure it is not a distraction. Use only one of the following: Slide from left, fadeout, slide from right. Anything else is distracting and you want the audience to hear you.
5) Don't Distract
-- Let go of the podium, don't tap the mike as you talk, and be normal. The audience should be listening to what you say not thinking about what may be wrong with you.

You should be able to give your presentation without a crutch unless it involves technical data or diagrams. Too many people try to pass themselves off as great speakers because they have fancy slides.
I have more (www.squidoo.com/donteatthesteak) but this is supposed to just be a comment.

[Anonymous Cow]

"Carry a stand-alone runtime version of your presentation on a DVD/CD and USB memory stick - that way you can run your presentation on any available computer (that runs the same OS family)."

You don't need the same OS family if you have your presentation on a USB stick. Both Linux and Mac OS/X read the USB mass storage device filesystem natively and if you keep your presentations in PDF they can be shown on any terminal in the known universe - practically.

[Kelly Fox]

Bring a USB remote control to change your slides. What a difference these make! You don't have to be right next to the computer to advance your slides and you don't have to pause to advance. So much more professional. Some even have built-in vibrating alarms to alert you when you're approaching the end of your time.

[Carla Golden]

Ah,such wonderful memories. I had to laugh. They're always more funny years later. I remember doing a presentation for a group of hungry--and drunk insurance agents. It was like trying to present to a room full of chimps. Anyway, I loved your article and the ideas are great.

[Andrew Power]

There's no way you can be too anal about preparation. Murphy's law prevails!

I'm teaching CEE business people how to get standing ovations - and I'm definitely name checking you for your lovely tips.

Thanks!

[Greg]

Have a single contact at the destination (from beginning to end).

Carry a wired backup to all wireless items.

Create a user logon specificly for presentations so personal-self and present-self never cross paths.

[Hjortur Smarason]

Excellent article. I am going to bookmark this for future references.

My advice: Fly in the day before. I had a presentation in the Faroe Islands a few days ago, and was supposed to land several hours before my presentation. I ended up in the wrong country, Norway, because of fog and missed my own presentation! Got it rescheduled though, but still.

[Leonard]

Not merely operational things, but some important facts for me...

Loose "you know" from your crutch phrases.

When things go wrong - and they will - don't act like nothing went wrong. Go with it. The audience knows something happened. You might as well face the music and at least acknowledge it. Have a few rehearsed responses to glitches, but don't be trite.

Edit. Then edit some more. The presentation should be compelling from the start - and remain compelling through the finish. Cut the filler.

Don't blow the start. Interest will be at the highest when you first begin. Don't suck.

Could you give a stunning presentation without Powerpoint? Backing up technology is great, but how about being prepared to go it alone. Just knowing you can is worth the price of admission. And sometimes they can become more passionate and energetic - think of seeing James Taylor alone with an acoustic guitar. It's different than seeing him with an amplified band, but it's very cool - and intimate. Be prepared to deliver the same experience to your audience.

[Jed Christiansen]

Great tips!

Garr Reynolds (of Presentation Zen fame) wrote a great post on this as well, focusing on backup solutions for your presentation. You can check it out here:
http://www.presentationzen.com/presentationzen/2006/03/just_in_case_ba_1.html

Cheers,
Jed

[Nope]

Re: Now if only people would stop thinking it's also my job to get them coffee in the morning!
Kathleen

Well, if you are the only one there then you are chief cook and bottle washer. I have given seminars all over the world for decades and I can almost count the few number of times that I have had any help. It has always been my job to give great presentation as well as make sure that the coffee (and cold drinks) arrived in time.

[nope]

Re: rearraanging the room

Beware the anal instructional designer.

For 30 years I always rearranged rooms to suit me (as the presenter) and facilitate learning.

Then, I met an anal instructional designer. They designed the class to be given with a particular room arrangement. Silly me, I reset the room and got yelled at for doing so.

So, now, if It is not my course material, I always ask if anyone cares if I rearrange the room.

However, beware the greedy hotel (or conference facility) and stupid seminar company.

Rearranging your own room often has unintended consequences. Once, I was busily resetting the room the night before a class and the hotel's meeting guy came in and stopped me. Seems that the hotel had to move all of the stuff around. So, I told him how I wanted the room set.

Come to find out that the hotel then charged the seminar company for the labor to reset the room and I got yelled at. Yes, it was a stupid little hotel and yes, the seminar company has its head up its ass.

[Workforce Developments]

Fantastic tips, both yours and your commentors. Let me add two more:

1) I can't live without my wireless remote (just be sure to pack a spare battery).

2) If there are other presenters, assume they will run over time and be less prepared than you. Be ready to work to recapture your audience's interest, and to make the best of a shrinking allotment of time.

[Eugene Chan]

Bring a small bottle of water.

It keeps you hydrated and it is good "prop" during transitions or when you need to to catch a moment--as in thinking before answering a difficult question.

[The Pageman]

For inter-cultural situations: make sure who your meeting understands your language and has an interpreter. Bring your back-up interpreter just in case. Bring two just too be sure. I've had seminars in Kabul where my interpreter backed out after being threatened by the Taliban during a spare cycle. Good thing we had extra interpreters.

[Carme]

Excellent post and very useful tips!

Here is my contribution:

- About the one-page cheat sheet: include information about flights, hotel and other transportation.

- Whenever possible, bring a small backup projector. Not all projectors in the world are fully compatible with your laptop; most of them are, but not all.

[Steve]

There are masters in presentations, on this list I would place Steve Jobs of Apple Inc. The website below shows presentations given buy Jobs and Bill Gates, the differences are as great as one can imagine. There is a compare and contrast article discussing how each communicates their ideas. Very useful, simple seems to be best.

http://www.presentationzen.com/presentationzen/2005/11/the_zen_estheti.html

Cheers, Steve

www.healthyexpat.com
www.eslspider.com

[Lisa Braithwaite]

What a great post, and also some great comments. As I am also a compulsive preparer, I think I'm already doing just about everything mentioned, except creating a separate login for my "presentation-self" - now that's an idea I hadn't thought of.

Here's part of my prep: I have a portable file folder case (it's not industrial; it's more like a hard-sided tote with a handle so I don't look like I just came from the office supply store) that goes to every presentation with me.

Each expandable pocket holds handouts, business cards, evaluations, travel clock, markers (in their own case), presentation remote, digital recorder, and whatever else needs to go along.

It's clean and simple. If I bring my laptop, my laptop case (size of a carry-on with wheels, with expandable pockets inside an outer zippered pocket) can also hold all of the necessary items.

Just the other day, I inserted a recently-bought thumb drive into my laptop so I could back up my PowerPoint for a presentation. The thing froze up my computer made it do all kinds of crazy things. Good thing I also had some CDs around and I burned a backup instead. Whew.

[Andreas]

Great information.

In addition and even so I hate it - bring a hardcopy of your presentation. Be able to present without the presentation slides on the screen - thus, be flexible enough to run the show without any equipment.

[Martin Lindsey]

Thamks Pam. I'm going to forward this to my Toastmasters Club. All great tips that I remember being trained on in my days in the traditional corporate world.

Also, I'm adding you to my list of "actionist" favorite bloggers.

Thanks again......Martin

[Stephen David]

Great list... I'd add 1 thing-- be enthusiastic.. if you have no emotion about what you are saying, you've lost (remember, technology is a TOOL- not the presentation!)...
Be well!

[Mark Walker]

My worst one was forgetting some "cute" audio prompts on a recently installed screen saver. It was a Brave Heart screen saver and when it hit a "critical stop", which it did in front of almost 5,500 people it proclaimed that famous line from the movie, "The Lord says he can save me but your pretty well f_____ed!"

The audience roared for at least 30 seconds (felt like and hour).

[Jeffrey Eisenberg]

Thanks for a great post! I took notes. Add a drastic back-up plan to your back-up plan. I'm always prepared to present without any visual aids in case the projector won't cooperate. People expect a presentation especially when you are paid to speak. I've only had to present without slides once but it saved the day.

[JediPastor Ken]

Great list and one I'll set aside. I'd like to add you should always be ready to fly solo. You can go through everything tech wise and still have it all fall apart.

However, if you focus on the content of your verbal presentation first and foremost, you'll be ready for whatever befalls.

[Allison Zwingenberger]

Great post and comments. I like the idea of having a separate login for presentations.

I have a couple of tips to add, especially if you are running a Mac:

Make triple sure you have your power cord with you. No one else will have one that works with your Mac.

Plug in the laptop for the entire presentation, and set the screen saver and sleep functions to "never".

Make an extra backup copy of your presentation that is saved in an earlier version of Powerpoint (under the save as command). If the presentation computer has an earlier version of MS Office, your newer version may not work.

If you have movies in your presentation, save them to the same folder that the Powerpoint file is in, and transfer the entire folder to the presentation computer. Then test to see if they work. If not, you can open them in a separate program and run them outside Powerpoint (or just skip those slides).

If you have a Mac, try Presenter View. You see what slide is on the screeen, a filmstrip panel where the next and previous slides are displayed, and any notes you would like. You can also click on hidden slides to display them. Hold down the shift key and click on the presentation icon to try it.

[Roger Anderson]

I was at a conference yesterday sponsored by one of the top MBA schools in the US. I had a good laugh when several of the Keynote presenters (one a faculty member) violated all the rules. They were not prepared for equipment malfunctions. They read from their slides and they were boring. I feel bad for their classes or subordinates. Maybe a class in presentation skills should be added to the curriculum.

[Miles Burke]

Great post and fantastic tips - thanks for sharing!

[Rhodes Davis]

Do not open the floor for discussion before you have finished your presentation. Doing so interrupts the information flow, introduces points prematurely and out of context, introduces unrelated or narrow tangents, and yields the floor to self-proclaimed "experts" who are feeding their ego. Remember that the attendee is sacrificing time, the cost of travel, and other opportunities because they are convinced that YOU have something they need. We don't attend to teach; we attend to learn. At a recent seminar the speaker said, "I don't want to be the only one talking..." but the audience participation was off-topic and time consuming (he had to rush the end of the presentation that included info we needed). Be the expert, expound on your subject, then ask for questions or contributions.
Great list!

[Dan Harris]

Great stuff. I completely agree with you on having the one page cheat sheet. I used to rely on my computer and then one time I arrived late, at 1:30 am and my laptop wouldn't start. I had to call five hotels before I found the one with my reservation.

Here are a few more tips from a fellow paranoid:

1. E-mail yourself your presentation and then keep it on your blackberry. It is amazing how many times someone will ask you for a copy of your presentation (and I mean before you even give it) and this will allow you to e-mail it instantly, without need to find wi-fi or anything.

2. I always make sure that someone back at the office has absolutely everything I need. That is the ultimate back-up.

[Momekh]

Great tips.

I once presented to a group of farmers, in URDU. The prez was in powerpoint with Urdu on it, and I had to spead out loud (the mics they had echoed way too much).
Murphey's presence was felt, but for some reason everything just clicked. There was backup in USB, there were hardcopies and MS Publishers leaflets, we were there three hours early (although we had to drive three hours to go from our city to that village).

You comment about checking voltage for different countries is very well put, almost 'visionary'... Would never have thought of it till the projector sparked it out!

[Ritesh M Nayak]

Twas a good article. You can never be too prepared for presentations

[FreeStoring]

hay!!
good project :)
senks :)