|
10 COMMANDMENTS OF A BAD TALK
1. Thou shalt not be neat
Why waste research time preparing PowerPoint slides? Ignore
spelling, grammar and legibility. Who cares what 50 people think?
2. Thou shalt not waste money
on technology
A reliable laptop (with a back-up) and projector are expensive. You can save hundreds
of dollars a year (tax write-offs, by the way) by using a transparency (remember those?)
3. Thou shalt not covet brevity
Do you want to continue the stereotype that
engineers, lawyers and business owners can't write? Always use complete sentences,never just key words. If possible, use whole
paragraphs and read every word.
4. Thou shalt cover thy naked slides
You need
the suspense! PowerPoint slides are too flashy. Stand in front of the projector—with your BACK TURNED to the audience!
5. Thou shalt not write large
Be humble -- use a small font if you are writing on
a white board. Important people sit in front. Who cares about the riff-raff?
6. Thou shalt
not use color
Flagrant use of color indicates careless research. It's also unfair to emphasize some words over
others.
7. Thou shalt not illustrate
Confucius says ``A picture
= 10K words,'' but Roberts says ``Pictures are for weak minds.'' Who are you going to believe? Wisdom from the ages or the
person who first counted dominos in Arkansas to become a professional speaker, writer and presentation skills coach?
8. Thou shalt not make eye contact
You should avert eyes to show respect.
Blocking screen can also add mystery.
9. Thou shalt not skip slides in
a long talk
You prepared the slides; people came for your whole talk; so just talk faster. Skip your summary
and conclusions if necessary.
10. Thou shalt not practice
Why waste research time practicing a talk?
It could take several hours out of your two years of research. How can you appear spontaneous if you practice? If you do practice,
argue with any suggestions you get and make sure your talk is longer than the time you have to present it.
Commandment X is most important. Even if you break the other nine,
this one can save you.
©2009 All Rights Reserved
|
