Helpful Advice About Competent Company Presentations, Part Five

Laptops, Audio-Video & Systems:

1. Even if you are carrying your own machine with the presentation preloaded, always have a backup. Always have a copy of your PPT in a USB flash drive and remember to carry it or email it prior to the presentation to the host of the event and request them to have it loaded on an alternate machine.

2. Check and recheck all your hardware, cabling, power supply and software.

3. Always run your laptop from its Power Supply. Even if your laptop can run for more time without power, than the length of the presentation, don’t use battery. Modern day notebooks reduce the speed of CPU if you are running from battery. Slowing your machine down.

4. Keep all the applications that you are demonstrating open before the start of your presentations. Much of the time applications seem to take more time to start when you are on the stage.

5. Increase your font size to about 20 in Notepad/VS.NET/IDE if you are displaying script code.

6. Stick to simpler fonts like Courier or Tahoma, It is my belief that source code looks clearer with these fonts.

7. If this is the first time, you are doing a demonstration with this notebook then connect your notebook to an external vdu and check the output is configured the day before.

8. If you are going to be using a notebook for the first time during the presentation, then practice using a notebook before the presentation. The usage of touchpad pointer is completely a different method from a mouse. Better still, request or carry a mouse and connect it prior to the presentation.

9. Go 20 or 30 minutes early to the stage before the audience comes in, then rig your laptop and check it works with the projectors. Try to build a team spirit with the A/V assistant there, remember he is the most important person in the entire venue during your presentation. Place your plastic business cards in a prominent position where people will notice them and pick them up. plastic cards are preferable to traditional business cards as they are visually striking and more likely to be picked up and retained.

10. If you require an Internet connection, inform the Event Organizers well in advance (A week really helps). I have learned the tough way that the larger the hall, and the more stars if it is a Hotel, the greater the difficulty for them to give you an Internet Connection or Phone Connection. This problem is now relatively negated due to Internet connection through Mobile phones and WIFI. there again, on most halls for some reason, because they tend to be below ground have the worst signal strength near the stage. So always test it before relying on it.

11. Always Remember that the Murphys law works at its best during technical presentations and especially during beta demonstrations.

Sharing the stage:

1. If you are undertaking the presentation with another speaker, remember to get the storyboard discussed well in advance. Apart from doing this, you need to definitely rehearse your presentation at least once or twice. Because the chemistry on stage between you two is very important and it doesn’t come very easily unless you know the other person very well and have worked or spoken with them before.

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