Should You Use Technology for your Presentation?
If a picture is worth a thousand words, then having pictures as part of your author presentation seems like a good idea. Now the question becomes “how do you make that work best?”
PowerPoint has allowed people to easily add visuals to their presentations. Often bad visuals. And then there’s the problem of tech incompatibility between your equipment and the venue’s equipment. With so many ways your presentation can go wrong, here are some Dos and Don’ts to keep in mind:
DO anticipate what kind of presentations you are likely to be giving.
If you think you will be doing a lot of bookstores or book clubs, there may rarely be options for using a screen and projector. I mainly speak at libraries and schools with good technology and my presentations rely heavily on slides. But I have also been asked to speak to service organizations whose members sit at a few tables in a small restaurant with no place to raise a screen and set up a projector. I wound up investing in large format print-outs of just a few slides that I set up on a portable easel.
DON’T use too much text on your slides.
No doubt you have had to sit through one of those presentations in which someone read out loud to you the paragraph written on each slide. Don’t be that person. Stick to big, simple images that enhance what you are telling them. Then even the folks in the back row who can barely see the screen will still be able to follow along.
DON’T assume you can just bring a thumb drive and start speaking.
Check with the venue for the tech equipment available to you. They might not have any. Or it might not be in the room they reserved for you. Or they might have a lot of equipment, but nobody knows how to connect it together. Or the right connector is missing. Or the person who knows the tech is on vacation. And so on.
DO consider investing in your own equipment.
While many event venues, schools and libraries do have presentation tech, having your own – and knowing how to use it – can give you incredible peace of mind. Going through the set-up routine can be a calming confidence boost and ensures you have time to greet your audience as they start arriving.
DO consider bringing your own support person.
Having help frees you up to focus on being charming and interesting to your hosts and your audience. Someone with tech skills can deal with presentation set-up, but helpers can also arrange your stage, set up your book table, activate your mobile credit card processor and take care of other pesky details.
DO arrive early.
Nothing sets you up for a miserable experience like panicking when things go wrong – and they will go wrong on occasion. Planning ahead will help keep unfortunate surprises to a minimum and arriving early will give you time to deal with them.
If your topic and your personal style lend themselves to a presentation that doesn’t require technology, more venue options may open to you, but offering a visual component can make your speaking engagements even more enjoyable. With just a little preparation, you can give your audience an upgraded presentation experience.