I'm so sorry. I've had such a lot to do this week, that I just didn't have the time to write anything useful, interesting or even funny for you. Then, this morning my cat got really sick. And did I mention that I've had a horrible cold all weekend? What can I say? I didn't mean it to turn out this way. I have slapped something together for you just in case you're still reading though. But I can't promise it's worth your time. Sorry about that.
Photo credit: Kirill Zdorov
And if you are still reading, it will be out of morbid curiosity. Why would someone go to the effort to write a blog post apologizing for not writing a blog post? It's an insult to your intelligence, and frankly, it's embarrassing, too.
Yet every single day PowerPoint presentations start, and very often go on, in just this way. In today's video tutorial, speaking expert TJ Walker has a simple message for you:
Don't apologize because your presentation sucks. Make sure that your presentation doesn't suck. The following short video clip explains all:
Don't say your sorry during your powerpoint presentation, that makes the audience lose faith in you.
It isn't difficult to grasp - nobody cares about your late train, the fact that you haven't bothered to update your PowerPoint deck in a year or your obvious lack of anything resembling a rehearsal for your presentation.
Effective communication just isn't possible if you don't have the trust, or at least the respect, of your audience, and nobody respects a bumbling fool who treats their audience with contempt. In letting everyone know that you haven't bothered to prepare sufficiently, you are effectively telling them that their time is a cheap commodity.
If you respect your audience, and want them to leave your presentation thinking about what you've been telling them, rather than what a poor presenter you turned out to be, it is well worth investing some time in making sure your presentation hangs together nicely, your slides are all up to date and relevant, and your delivery is down pat.
Nobody wants to watch someone sweating up on the stage, mumbling their apologies, and the feeling of being that person is perhaps even worse. The best way to avoid a presentation made up of 50% content, and 50% apologies is to make sure you know your presentation inside out, and here there is only one solution:
Preparation, preparation, and then, a little more preparation.
