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ATD Blog

Presentation Myths

Wednesday, August 27, 2014
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Of the various titles I’ve held in my career, myth buster hasn’t actually been one of them. Yet when I teach the ATD Presentation Skills Certificate program, I find myself busting a lot of myths about presentation practices.

So many business people who are tasked with making presentations, even at senior levels, have never had any formal training in how to engage an audience, manage anxiety, or get a message across effectively. It’s no wonder presentation myths are so prevalent.

Some of the most common myths I encounter are easily corrected.

Myth: Admitting to your audience that you're nervous helps calm your anxiety.

Reality: Would you want your airline pilot to tell you he's nervous at the beginning of your flight? I didn't think so. Don't make it about you. Your audience wants and expects to receive value by spending time with you. Telling them you're nervous makes them uncomfortable and compromises your credibility. Learn to manage your nervousness and keep this secret to yourself.

Myth: You shouldn't use your hands when you talk.

Reality: Hand gestures are like punctuation for your words. If you typically use hand gestures when you speak you will look awkward and inauthentic if you try to squash them during a presentation. Hand gestures also convey enthusiasm and energy. If you don't typically use them, consider adding a few in strategic parts of your presentation to increase the impact.

Myth: Look at a point just over the audience’s heads and they will think you're making eye contact with them.

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Reality: Unless your audience has their collective eyes closed, it will be pretty easy to see that you're not looking anyone in the eye. Intentional eye contact enhances your credibility and trustworthiness. Make eye contact for three to five seconds with one person, and then move on to someone else.

Those myths were relatively simple, but others require more attention and practice to bust:

Myth: You shouldn’t use notes during your presentation.

Myth: Start a presentation by introducing yourself.

Myth: Your slide deck is a good handout for the audience.

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Myth: Finish your presentation with a Q&A session.

Myth: It’s best to memorize your presentation so you don’t forget important details.

Myth: Bullet points on your slides should include full sentences and punctuation.

Presentations have become the accepted way of communicating in our business world, which means that presentation myths are transmitted quickly and easily, like a contagious virus, throughout and between organizations. Every time you speak in front of a group you perpetuate these myths by using the same old presentation practices that disengage the audience and may even limit your career.

You have the opportunity to change minds and influence perspectives by delivering a clear, powerful, and memorable message. If you’re interested in busting some of the presentation myths you may be following, join me at one of my upcoming ATD Presentation Skills Certificate programs and learn how to be a more engaging, confident presenter.

About the Author

Kathy Reiffenstein is passionate about promoting the critical skill of effective business communication. Her career spans more than two decades of educating executives on how to realize their potential to influence audiences. Today she is founder and president of the Washington, D.C. business communications training firm, And…Now Presenting!, where she creates confident, persuasive public speakers. With clients from the corporate, government and non-profit sectors, she has earned universal praise for her spirited dedication to their success as communicators. Kathy’s hands-on, personable style means each client becomes the best presenter possible, confident and effective in front of any group.

Prior to establishing And…Now Presenting!, Kathy was a principal at the California-based sales and teamwork training company, On Track, where she employed experiential learning programs to build and refine the strategic sales, marketing and communications skills of corporate executives, managers and salesreps. Earlier in her career, as director of sales for a leading financial institution, Kathy spearheaded the creation and implementation of a sales culture throughout the national branch network.

As a skilled speaker and trainer, Kathy has engaged audiences of 10 to 500. She was recently part of the Corporate Ambassador Program with Vital Voices Global Partnership where she spoke to women’s business organizations at conferences in Lagos, Nigeria, and Nairobi, Kenya. At these sessions, Kathy spoke about the power of persuasive communication and personal branding to create greater success for these African women in their businesses.

A graduate of Cornell University, Kathy is Past President, DC Chapter of the American Society for Training and Development (ASTD), is currently serving as their VP of Membership and has contributed to ASTD’s award-winning monthly magazine, T&D. An active volunteer, she is a University of California trained Master Gardener, has contributed to the anthology, Bay Area Gardening, and is a docent at the US Botanic Garden.

1 Comment
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I'm really curious about this Myth: Start a presentation by introducing yourself. Why is this not correct? What's a better practice? Would welcome come ideas!
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