Benjamin's Posterous

5 Tech Presentation Tips Learned By Experience

• Close Outlook
  Many times I have seen someone giving a presentation or application demo via projector while leaving their Outlook notifications turned on, alerting them and everyone in the room of every incoming message.  If left unchecked, this can also be used by attendees to place prank messages on the presenter's screen.  Funny but distracting.

• Clear Browser History
  Regardless of whether or not your presentation requires the use of your web browser, you still may have the unexpected need to pull up an online document or site.  While the audience may be both entertained and interested in your most recently visited sites while your typing in that URL, it will just distract from your message... and cause embarrassment.

• Have an Offline Backup
  If access to the Internet/Network is critical during your presentation, have a backup plan ready for when that connection fails.  Screenshots in a PowerPoint file can work just fine and will allow you to continue delivering your message without much delay.

• Guard Your PowerPoint File
  One day, before a company presentation on Internal Knowledge Organization, I left my computer unattended and unlocked for a few minutes.  When I returned and began the presentation, I saw, as did my audience that many of my slide titles were terribly mis-spelled.  Embarrassed, I apologized for my bad spelling and pressed on.  After about three slides I realized that it was a prank and that most in the room had been in on it.  We all had a good laugh about it but I always lock my computer now.

• Check Batteries, Cables and Plugs
  This may sound trivial, but as nerves start to set in before that big presentation we tend to forget the simplest things.   The computer should be charged and the power cable handy.  The wireless mouse and laser pointer should have new batteries.  An extra network cable or VGA cable might come in handy as well.