by Al Golzari
presentations, pre-software. You may call a
presentation without slides a speech as opposed to a
presentation, but that’s fine.
One of the major benefits to not using slides is that
your audience gives 100 percent of their attention to
you. Some people may not like that. I get it. But, if
you’re confident and it makes sense, this might be a
great opportunity for you.
Since we already established that slides are not for
you, but instead for your audience, you should
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consider not using them when they won’t actually benefit to your audience. Don’t reduce this decision
down to simple demographics. In other words, don’t
think that if you’re presenting to an older audience
you shouldn’t use slides. Demographics should not
factor into this decision.
Here are some situations that may make sense for
presenting without a slide show:
• Your authenticity matters more than anything
else.
• When your command of the subject matter is so
deep that you can provide the information simple
terms.
• When your storytel ing skil s are stronger than
what any visual cues could offer.
• When audience interaction is key.
• When there are no actual numbers for the
audience to digest or necessary images for the
audience to see i.e. products, flow charts, etc.
Another way to look at this is: if you generally deliver
strong presentations with slides but you begin to
notice that your audience doesn’t rely on them and
instead focuses on you, this is a good indication that
you don’t need them.
This is a good opportunity to quickly revisit stand-up
comedians. I don’t think there is a single stand-up
comedian that has ever used slides or visual aids
consistently during their act. That would be sil y, I
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know. But, if we look at this on a deeper level, the audience is there for the comedian’s jokes – all
delivered with use of his mind, body language, and
the word out of his mouth. Stand-up is an area
where there is nothing that the comedian could put
on a slideshow that he can’t show with his body
language and facial expressions; there is nothing he
would need to share with the audience that his
couldn’t voice.
So, the take-away here is this: First, be honest with
yourself about your presentation skil s. Second, if
visual aids wil not make you more effective in
carrying out the objective of your presentation, then
most likely you don’t need a slide show.
Besides, think about all the good faith you’l receive
from the audience. You’l begin to build a reputation
for being a strong and natural speaker.
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CHAPTER THIRTEEN |
HANDLING QUESTIONS
Not all presentations allow for questions from the
audience, but many do. Some people choose to take
questions during the presentation, and some at the
end of their presentation. I’l address this a bit later,
but first allow me to provide some advice on how to
handle them in general.
My best piece of advice is to anticipate what
questions you’l be asked. This is not difficult for
most topics if you own your topic and if you
understand who your audience is. You may get
thrown a curve ball now and then, but that’s few and
far between.
REPACKAGING QUESTIONS
Handling questions can be a bit complicated. There
may be a time when the person asking a question
doesn’t necessarily know how to ask it. This is where you’l need to repackage.
Two main reasons for repackaging:
1. Making sure you understand the question.
Sometimes you may not be sure whether you
understand the question. The questioner may be
unable to completely articulate what he/she is
thinking, or perhaps you simply don’t understand the
question being posed. Don’t guess. It only takes a
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few seconds to re-ask the question. You can mention that you don’t completely understand the question
or say “let me make sure I understand your
question” before re-asking. This is better than giving
a response that hasn’t answered the question; not
only have you wasted time, but you answered
something unnecessarily and revealed (somewhat)
an inability to connect with the audience. Believe
me when I tel you that others can tel . One thing to
note: when you repackage a question, whether it’s
because of the asker’s inarticulation or your own lack
of comprehension, try not to sound patronizing.
2. The question being asked is one that you’re
confident you understand, but you’re not sure the
rest of the audience understands.
In this case, you want to simplify and repackage the
question so that everyone else can also understand
before you provide an answer. There may be people
in the audience who either had the same question
(but it wasn’t clear from the way it was asked) or
were confused by the question and were glad you
clarified it. By repackaging, you ensure that
everyone understands the question and the
response.
ZOOM IN, ZOOM OUT
One important lesson I’ve learned is to address the
questioner clearly and pointedly initially (since it’s
their question) before including to the entire
audience.
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Granted, this can be a bit tricky. Assuming most of you have a smart phone, think of this as zooming in
and out of your phone by pinching the screen.
When someone asks a question, provide them razor-
focused attention (zoom in) with your body language
and listening skil s. If the answer is a bit lengthy, or
there is a counter- or follow-up question, you’l need
to zoom out and address the rest of the audience at
some point. You don’t want to play “ping-pong” with
one person and alienate the rest of the audience.
Make sure that at some point your body language
and eye contact are as such (looking around and
moving back or slightly away) that you address
everyone. This takes a little practice but can be done.
BE A LEADER
This is probably one of the few times I’d ever
recommend that you to ignore your audience. If
someone asks a question that others in the audience
are annoyed by (they scoff at, rol their eyes, laugh or
use body language that makes the questioner
uncomfortable), my suggestion is to address the
question by giving the asker your ful attention. This
means you face and speak directly to him/her. I’ve
experienced this with students in my class several
times and I’ve always felt bad. Again, ignore the
audience by providing the questioner razor-focused
attention through your eye contact and body
language.
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Give that person the attention that they deserve.
Show that you care, even if you don’t. Remember,
perception is key. Also, try not come across as
patronizing or condescending. If people scoff or rol s
their eyes when a question is asked, it’s your
responsibility to be a leader and handle the situation
respectful y.
WHEN TO TAKE QUESTIONS
You can take questions at the end or during the
presentation. There are pros and cons to both and
I’l address them concurrently.
The advantage of waiting until the end is that you
don’t lose any control or direction during the
presentation. This approach may suit presenters
who are a bit more linear and feel as though they wil
lose momentum if interrupted. Sometimes,
depending on how your presentation is organized,
it’s better to wait i.e. if it’s structured in a particular sequence that builds as you go. Don’t get derailed
by questions.
The main drawback to this, though, is if the audience
needs clarification on a particular point. They may be
unable to fol ow along if a certain piece is unclear.
That would be a failure on your part.
Another drawback is that audience members may
feel frustrated that they had to wait. Perhaps they
won’t ask a question they had earlier because they
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feel it’s no longer “relevant” because the context has shifted.
A third concern with holding off until the end for
questions is that you eliminate interaction with your
audience. As a spatial presenter, I have always felt
that allowing questions during a presentation
enhances the overall quality of the presentation for
two reasons.
First, it serves as a check point for you and your
audience, particularly if you’ve just touched on a
complicated point or concept. Simply asking, “does
anyone have any questions so far?” can help you
gauge if the audience is keeping up.
Additionally, you may be asked questions you hadn’t
previously thought about. Even if you’re well
prepared, you can’t think of everything on your own.
It’s just not possible. Holding off until the end denies
you the opportunity to enhance the overall dynamic
of your presentation.
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CHAPTER FOURTEEN |
PRESENTATION CONCLUSIONS
Many of you aren’t aware just how important
conclusions are. As I said in an earlier chapter, we
remember beginnings and endings, so conclusions
should tie everything together and be impactful.
Make it brief but make it meaningful.
About 15 years ago, I was given a piece of advice
about conclusions that I’l never forget. Ironically,
it’s one of the most commonly used endings. Never
end your presentation with “that’s it.” It’s probably
the worst ending of all time. Here’s why: it’s almost
as if you are tel ing your audience that you don’t
care, and that you were too lazy to think of
something better. It lacks substance. It lacks
meaning. It’s just all-around lousy.
As general rule of thumb, conclusions ought to be
one of these:
• Memorable
• Personal
• Dramatic
• Emotional
• Funny
Of course, you should put your own twist on these,
but here are some general guidelines:
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• The struggle continues, but with your support, it gets a little easier. Seriously consider
contributing today.
• This university gave me so much when I was a
student here X years ago. And now (PAUSE) it’s
my turn to give back.
• In the immortal words of Chuck D, “Don’t Believe
the Hype.”
• Would you have ever thought that a homeless
person at age 50 would have been able to turn
his life around?
• So, remember, the only way to achieve equal
rights for al is when women AND men strive
towards equality TOGETHER.
REFERENCING INSTEAD OF QUOTING
Some people like to quote someone famous in their
conclusion. There’s nothing wrong with this, but a
reference to someone may work better than an
actual quote. It provides the best of both worlds. It
evokes the spirit of a famous/historical figure but
remains authentically yours.
When I teach a large class (this generally works a bit
better with larger classes), I give a small speech at
the end of the last day. The speech is general, and I
give it to both my undergrads or graduate students.
I’m basically saying my “goodbye” and wishing them
wel for their future. I normally end with something
inspirational from Gandhi, Freud, or someone else
(pick someone that matters to you) and I choose two
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things attributable to that person and then top it off by saying:
And now… (PAUSE) I wish those two things for you…
(PAUSE) thank you.
I reference a person without quoting them. I say “I
wish those two things for you…” The ending is mine,
not someone else’s. See what I mean? It usually
lands a heartfelt applause. It works wel .
If you can’t think of anything, or the nature of your
presentation just doesn’t call for any of the above –
I’m wil ing to concede that there may be a few
presentations that simply don’t— then at least give
an enthusiastic “thank you!”
If you can’t come up with anything clever and want
to keep it simple and sincere, these are so much
better than “that’s it.”
• Thank you so much for your time.
• You’ve been a great audience, thanks again for
having me.
• I can’t tel you how much your time today means
to me.
I think you get the point.
The bottom line here is that you want your
conclusion to correlate with your introduction, in
some meaningful way. Even if you plan to have a
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Q&A session immediately afterwards, I suggest to stil have an actual conclusion.
RECAPS VS. CONCLUSIONS
When I offered a sample agenda in an earlier
chapter, I suggested using “Takeaways/Action
Points” in business meetings. I don’t want to quibble
over semantics, but I consider that a recap more
than a conclusion.
Which one you use wil depend on the nature of your
presentation, and you’l have to use your best
judgment. Be mindful of what your objectives are.
Here, it may help to ask yourself some of the same
questions you asked yourself earlier: “What am I
trying to accomplish?” Or perhaps ask yourself some
new questions: “Would reminding the audience of
key points help to drive the point home?” “What
impression would I like to leave the audience with?”
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APPENDIX A | SLIDE EXAMPLES
The fol owing are examples of how you can improve
your overall presentation by enhancing the
effectiveness of your slides. Many of you are
probably much more creative than I am, so the
fol owing examples are just starting points to help
il ustrate the concepts I discussed. Of course, modify
and add your own flair as needed.
1A. CHARTS INSTEAD OF BULLET POINTS
Let’s start off with some basics. In general, sharing
numbers works best in chart form as opposed to
bul et points or lists. A chart can give not only give
your numbers some “life,” also provide a ful
view/understanding of what’s happening in context.
For example, instead of presenting information like
this:
Q1Sales
• PersonalCare– 23%
• HomeFragrance– 15%
• Electronics– 18%
• Apparel– 35%
• Housewares– 9%
Try something more like this:
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Q1Sales
Housewares
PersonalCare
9%
23%
Apparel
HomeFragrance
35%
15%
Electronics
18%
1B. IMAGERY INSTEAD OF BULLET POINTS
Sometimes, images can have much more impact than
bul et points. Bul et points are not “wrong,” but
when the information relates back to something
specific, a visual reference may work better. For
example, if you’re preparing a slide on someone who
has won several awards, instead of doing this:
Awards Received
• Communicator of the year- PRWeek
• 100 most influential Hispanics
• Ranked 18th in 100 top CEOs worldwide
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Try using the imagery and logos of the magazine, corporations, etc. (As of this early edition, I haven’t
yet received permission from the respective logo
owners and therefore the slide example is omitted –
but please remember, you can generally use logos
without permission for non-commercial purposes,
under fair use).
You don’t want to overdo it and include arbitrary
images, so use your best judgment.
1C. EXCERPTS FROM EXISTING TEXT
