Some good practices for presentations:
Make sure all equipment is working in advance: don’t be plugging in, checking switches, searching for flipchart pens etc in the meeting – all these will start you off with low credibility.
Have something clearly displaying the session purpose and time contract so attendees can be sure they are in the right meeting and know how long their commitment to it is.
Slides or flipcharts should be very clear and legible form all parts of the room (no ‘eye test’ writing or charts that need binoculars to read from the back.
Keep content per slide at a minimum…long wordy slides are a turn off and drag the pace so folk lose interests
Don’t just read the text from the slides…attendees can see that, they want to hear your expansion and context for them or you might as well have sent them a handout.
Saying that, offer a hard copy on the table for each as well – but IF you have followed the above rules you can ask that they DONT look at those during the session but take them away afterwards as ‘aide memoir’ (maybe better give out at the end). As sure sign either your slides are not legible to all and/or your presentation talk is losing the audience is everyone looking at the slides mote than you.
Have a separate flip chat to take point, queries etc during the session…even more active participation is to ask members making points/raising queries to write them on themselves.
At the end summarise your main points and acknowledge follow up issues raised and commit to issuing action minutes within 24 hours max.
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