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Refine Your Techno-Human Interface
While basic presentation behaviors do not change, the way in which presenters interact with their technology is new. Interactive multimedia and high-tech display devices place an increased demand on you, the presenter, and require that you re-think the presentation basics.
Remember, you are the message. The multimedia elements and the delivery technology are for reference, clarification and emphasis.
Gestures
- Avoid nervous hand movements.
- Do not fiddle with the mouse or the keyboard.
Facial Expressions
- A smile shows not only that you are friendly, but that you have confidence in your technology.
- If your computer bombs, do not let your smile bomb with it.
Eye Contact
- Do not tell your audience that you are worried about your equipment by looking at it.
- Do not read text off the screen.
Posture and Movement
- Do not hunker down behind the computer.
- Use a remote mouse to let you move around the stage.
- Never turn your back to the audience.
- Never lean on the podium or the equipment.
Voice and Vocal Quality
- If using a microphone, make sure it is balanced with the sound output from your multimedia system.
- Never compete with your media. Let sound clips finish before you speak.
- Do not speak over video that has sound.
As you can see from the preceding list, there's a lot to consider when creating and delivering multimedia presentations--these tips barely scratch the surface.
The important thing to remember is that the technology is there to help--even though, at times, just the opposite might seem to be the case. Here are Ten Truths of Multimedia Presentation, commit them to memory and, no matter what happens, keep smiling.
- A projector bulb won't burn out unless there's no spare available.
- The distance to the electrical outlet is 1.2 times the length of the power cord.
- Airlines only lose luggage if the sole copies of your presentation materials are inside.
- If you distribute handouts at the beginning of a presentation, half of them will be paper airplanes before the presentation ends--hand them out afterward.
- A videotape that hasn't been rewound just before the presentation will always start playing in the middle.
- An audience would rather watch an empty fish tank than watch a presenter try to figure out how to use the remote control.
- Unless you are a qualified hypnotherapist, let no image remain on the screen for longer than 60 seconds.
- Baggage handlers use computers, projectors and anything marked "fragile" for shot put and field goal practice--avoid checking your electronics, or use specially designed cases.
- If you want your audience to all think the exact same thing at the exact same time, project a blurred image on the screen. They will all think, "Focus, Stupid!"
- Computers sense fear.
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