Conference Presentations: Top 10 Tips

So coming back from Collaborate, and having been presenting at IOUG/OAUG/Open World events for some time now, I've had the opportunity to study different styles of presentations and techniques in the different sessions I've attended over the years.

Also, recently, I've been speaking on Cloud Computing, SOA and Fusion Applications at OAUG-Dubai, OTN-Denver and OAUG-Collaborate - somehow it all was in less than a month, so my memory is fresh. I find there are some sessions where people spontaneously break out into applause when you end the session, and there are some sessions where the audience just leaves and does not even look back at the speaker.




So I thought, let me take this opportunity to sum up a few basic tips which apply to any audience.

1. Connecting with the Audience: You have to try to make eye-contact - the lectern is not a place to hide behind !! If I get early, I try to mingle a bit and break the ice a bit. Self-deprecating humor helps, but be careful.

Also I find, unless you are a major celebrity, people may or may not respond to jokes appreciatively - People get their fix of humor watching Leno or Letterman or Conan or equivalent..

A far better tact is to talk about the show or something everyone can relate to..."Heard the Exhibit Area had some cool give-aways"...or "What do you think of the keynote yesterday"...Engage the audience...and try to make it a two-way street. I end up always learning new things from the audience and the questions they ask me.



2. Summarizing Before and After: Always great to say what you will be saying and the goal of the presentation. After all your time, and the audience's time is valuable. Using the classical rule of three, try to summarize key points as you weave the story, and at the end, recap and tie it all together.

3. Delivering the Presentation: Dry topic or not, you have the power to literally make the audience yawn (or not). A topic becomes dry only if you have no passion about it, and the lack of passion shows. Just as a business audience may find a technical area dry, the reverse also applies. Do not just read the deck. The audience can read it. Instead, tell a story about the pictures and graphics.


4. Know Your Audience: Always good to poll the audience in the beginning. Helps you tailor your speaking style - to summary/high-level or detailed topics.

5. Pacing Your Self: An average slide with enough data points takes about 2-3 minutes to deliver. 15 slides means 45 minutes giving yourself 15 minutes for Q&A. Sometimes the best questions come while you are delivering the session and make you think on your feet. This can be a rush - trying to "consult on the spot", but you owe the entire audience attention. Thus keeping answers short and relevant are taking it offline is often the best strategy.

6. Speaking Pace: Speaking slowly and crisply always is good and helps get the message across. Remember - you know the content cold, but perhaps not the audience. They may be learning new concepts and you need to pace yourself to their absorption rate.

7. Energy and Posture: In general I find a relaxed posture works the best. Keeps you comfortable and connected with the audience, whether you are a keynote speaker or a session speaker or panelist. Too high "mad scientist" nervous energy can put some people off - unless your goal is to get people all fidgety and excited about something. Too slow, monotonous drones, can put people to sleep - literally. You need to convey energy and enthusiasm and be happy about given the opportunity to present and have a captive audience. Like most things in life, its a balance, and if you watch the audience you can tell which end of the spectrum you are at.

8. Slide Preparation: There is something as a "too busy" slide or an "eye-chart". There is also something that my 10 year old can create in 10 minutes in Power Point. The text, font and colors must be "easy on the eyes" and read properly, in most cases, top-down, left-to-right flows. Animation rarely works, unless used very selectively for a few choice emphasis moments. Again, you must add value by speaking to the slide, not reading it out. Thus sometimes, less is actually more.


9. Thanking and Spreading Good Karma: Thank the audience for their time and participation, and appreciate the interaction and having the humility to say "I hope you found this useful" works well. Imagine if the at the end of the audience, there was a Face book "Like" Button. You want everyone in the audience to "Like" the session.
10. Contact and Keeping in Touch: Please exchange your contact information and for topics too big to discuss or someone wants a slide deck etc. exchanging business cards is always a good way. It extends the value of the conference beyond the four-walls of the show.



Looking back, I feel I've been also fortunate to have two great bastions of leadership in my career - GE and Deloitte Consulting, where presenting tips were continuously polished and refined, to where some of the above became second habit.


So, I hope if you read this and you find these tips useful, in keeping up with recent social media trends, you end up "liking" this article ;-)..here's to that.

Have a great weekend,