Olivia offers her thoughts on surviving live comms as published in Communicate Magazine March Issue.
• Keep your presentation short and to the point. There is nothing worse than seeing eyelids drooping in your audience.
• Make sure you know who your audience is so you can gauge the level of the content to them.
• Always do a practise run though your presentation. This will help you cut out any unnecessary detail.
• Confidence is key. This will come from being genuinely passionate about what you are saying and being well prepared.
• If you can’t handle questions as you go along, invite your audience to ask questions at the end.
• Ask people at the back of the room if they can hear you.
• Smile and speak slowly less is more.
• Don’t fiddle, fidget or move your hands all of these can be distracting. And don’t balance hot and cold drinks anywhere near you.
• Pray that the room is free of noise (drills, banging doors, alarms, too hot or too cold). Sometimes this is out of your control, and make light of it if that is the case.
• Bring an electronic copy, charged laptop and hard copy of your presentation with you in case there is a power cut or equipment is not there that should be.
