Distill...

The more you try to do in a demo or presentation, the greater the probability that something will go wrong.

As an observer of numerous presentations I've noticed that often the biggest glitches often seem connected to content or demonstrations that are tangential to The Big Idea the presenter is trying to communicate. A little more rigor in the editing process might have saved the presenter embarrassment.

It's easy to fall in love with our ideas -- after all, they're our children, right? -- and let them slip into presentations when they're not essential to the main message. It's much harder to remain critical, particularly when a deadline looms, and ask whether a particular slide, demonstration, media clip or comment matters in the context of the overall presentation. Almost always, the right answer is to be critical, stay on point, distill the presentation to its essence, and not give yourself opportunities to obscure your message, or worse, overshadow it with a screw up.

More from Presentation Zen.

 
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