You can prepare a fantastic presentation. You can have the audience ready to eat out of your hand. You can have the whole gig perfectly rehearsed so you feel completely comfortable. You can be totally excited and ready to rock the room. And then you make a huge mistake.
This blunder comes from good intentions. And it’s one made by newbie presenters and seasoned ones alike. Here it is: TMI. Too much information.
Information Overload
In your enthusiasm to share your material, it’s easy to go overboard with what you include in your presentation. You have so much you want your audience to know. That’s great. But there’s such a thing as too much of a good thing.
When you offer too much information, your audience walks away with none. They can’t absorb all that you offer. And they experience a feeling of overload. Their brain is frantically working to soak it all in. This kicks up some anxiety response (which they’re probably not even aware of). That creates a fog of confusion.
The result: They actually don’t retain much of what you say. And you’re remembered as a not-so-great presenter.
Choose A Few Good Points
Pick a few good points you want to make in your presentation. Three points per presentation is a good rule of thumb. Definitely don’t cover more than five points. Then for each point, do this:
- Do a good job of explaining and elaborating so it will really stick in the minds of your listeners.
- Be sure to give a real life example (or make one up) that illustrates your point, by telling a story. That gives your listener an emotional connection to the point so they will really remember it.
- Then reiterate – repeat the point you made that the story illustrates.
Once you add your introduction and your ending summary of the points you’ve made, you’ve got a great presentation.
Success!
Now you’re miles ahead of most presenters. Because you know how to give your audience the ideal amount of information for your presentation.
When you have this skill set mastered, your presentations will be easy to put together and well-received by your listeners. They can thoroughly digest it, remember it, and remember to come back to you for more!
Now just get comfortable in your delivery and you’ll have them really connected to you. And that’s what you want! If you need help with being more relaxed when you’re speaking, contact me for a free 15-minute consultation to discuss how we can work together to get you there.
