We have all heard it before, well we try to do it. Often a speaker says too much instead of too little.
Here is an old example. A little boy went to his mother and asked a question. She said, "Why don't you go ask your dad?" His response: "I don't want to know that much about it."
Often when you communicate, less is better. Say you are using a PowerPoint, p[lease don't put 50 words on a slide. A PowerPoint slide is there to support your presentation, its not supposed to be your presentation. It’s no place to hold every word of your message.
Instead, create simple slides, that contain a few words, then use the slide to support your presentation. . A good reminder is the 30 point rule: nothing in less than 30 point type. That way everyone can see and read your slides. Otherwise, your PowerPoint gives the whole message in a boring and tedious manner.
I have been showing people how to use PowerPoint for some time now and lots of people try to make their presentation interesting but don’t have the information to make it work.
And please don't give a lengthy answer to a "yes" or "no" question. When a person asks you a "yes" or "no" question, a "yes" or "no" is the answer! Your audience only wants an explanation where the questions starts, "What do you think..." "How do you feel..." or "How do you...?"
When you are near the end of a twenty-minute presentation and you realize you have another five minutes of excellent material, don't keep talking. Go to your conclusion and sit down. And avoid the temptation to speed up to get it all in.
Your audience will never know what excellent material you had yet to cover and will think you are a well-organized and effective speaker because you finished on time.
And remember the old speaker saying “Be sincere, Be brief and Be seated”
Please feel free to comment on this or any of my earlier Blogs. All feedback is great
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