Do you recognize the following two situations when you go into a room and the presenter / facilitator will tell you the following as part of the introduction:
Situation 1: “I am sorry but I did not had time to prepare a lot for this presentation, but I will try to cover what needs to be done”
Situation 2: “There is nothing new compared to what you already know or heard during the previous presentation, but we have to go through this presentation anyway”
The first situation doesn’t make the audience feel very comfortable that they will get a lot out of this presentation. The presenter / facilitator will therefore loose a lot of the interest from the audience from the start. When you need to do a presentation, avoid getting into this situation. Ensure you have enough time to prepare. Don’t apologize at the beginning in case you did not had enough time due to unforeseen circumstances. Decide upfront if you know enough about the topic and decide if you want to go on with the presentation. No excuses when you start the presentation. Sometimes “fake it, till you make it” will get you in a better position.
The second situation will cause the audience to also lose the in interest in the presentation. They will start thinking why they should pay attention if there is nothing new and they already know what you are about to tell them. If it is required to give this presentation and there is really nothing new it is better to turn your introduction into something positive. For example you may say that during this presentation you will challenge the existing knowledge and focus on some of the practical aspects to ensure that everyone is on the same page. By means of this you start it from a positive angle and keep the interest of your audience.
The book Public Speaking Excellence that is part of the Public Speaking Kit includes an entire chapter with tips and tricks about a good introduction for your presentation. Take advantage of this and improve your public speaking skills.
