Here are 3 opportunities to make your presentation day experience go even more strongly and smoothly:
1. Arrival
2. Adjustment
3. Hydration
1. Arrival
Arrive in plenty of time for your presentation. If possible, have a final practice in the space where you are going to present. Check that you slide deck is running smoothly and that it is showing clearly through the projector.
2. Adjustment
You may find some opportunities to make some small beneficial final changes to your presentation based on the audience and circumstances of your presentation day. Firstly, connect with the audience better by adding topical comments to your presentation content.
Secondly, you can adjust the tone of your presentation delivery based on the mood of the audience. Have they just had a heavy lunch? Well, you might need to inject some energy into your performance so they don’t fall asleep. Were the previous presenters all loud and energetic? In this case, you could make your delivery stand out by beginning with a softer, more conversational style.
3. Hydration
Most of us worry about our mouth going dry, but a common reaction to this is to overcompensate and drink too much water. The result of this is that your body will try to get rid of the water and you will be taking numerous trips to the toilet and breaking out into a sweat.
In addition to this, presentation venues often provide iced water for presenters. This is dangerous because very cold water tightens the vocal cords and will likely affect your vocal delivery negatively.
Be aware of this and take control by drinking something that you are more likely to sip than gulp. Bringing along a room temperature bottle of green tea or lemon-flavored carbonated water is ideal for your hydration needs.
