You have 15 minutes to deliver a presentation that was constructed for 45.
We’ve all been there. My first ever professional presentation happened in 1996 and was to convince my then SVP of Sales that we needed to build a Web site for the company. I had a great deck put together. A carefully crafted script and a slew of charts and handouts to make the case over the course of the scheduled hour. The SVP runs in late and says, “Wion. You got ten minutes. Go.” I quickly made the case as best I could. He didn’t bite. Early #fail.
In fact, I’ll never forget his words. “You’ve put together a well thought out proposal based on the amount of paper here. But mark my words…this Internet thing is a fad. In two years, no one will remember what it is.”
I still mark his words with a warm chuckle. But that experience taught me an early lesson. No matter how much time that you have to make a presentation—you’ll always end up with less time than you need.
Over the years, I’ve made hundreds of presentations. New business pitches, training sessions, case studies and the like, and more often than not the agenda gets hosed and I am left cramming 10 pounds of stuff in a 5 pound sack.
But this is a good thing. It has taught me how to adapt quickly, read an audience and synthesize most any presentation into the key components that are necessary to impart whatever message(s) I’m trying to deliver.
Whether you have never presented or do so frequently, here are some tips to help you be better at being faster:
- Know your place on the totem pole: If a some more senior folks are presenting ahead of you, assume that they will take more time than they are alloted. The higher up some folks get in an organization, the more they seem to talk. Assume that a C-level or even more V-level folks will burn through most of the early agenda for any meeting
- Don’t read every word on screen: This tip comes straight from presentation 101, yet so many folks still read aloud what the audience is viewing over their shoulder. It is also a huge time waster when your precious seconds are ticking away.
- Don’t become the Micromachine Man (aka the Fedex Man): Talking faster won’t help the audience understand your points.
- Talk fast, then slow down: You can pick upthe pace a little (not too much…see number 3) but when you get to your key points, slow down. The chance in cadence will help drive your points home.
- Let the audience choose: If you have several sections to go through on a presentation, ask the audience to vote which is most interesting and skip to that particular one.
- Cut our your intro, jokes and “definition slides”: Most of this is extraneous setup material that isn’t core to your message
- Flip through your slides quickly: If you have several slides to drive home a point, summarize that point vebally while flipping through the sides quickly. It will help give the illusion that you are moving faster…and your audience will appreciate that.
- Choose a story over stats: I can’t emphasize this point enough. Your audience will remember a compelling story long after interesting stats have faded from their memory.
- Offer yourself up after the presentation: Stay late for additional questions. Give your email address for further discussion.
Hope this helps! Happy Presenting.
Rick Wion