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Seminar Presentation Problems - 5 Theatre Know-How Tips to Avoid Damaging Your Presentation
Seminar leaders intent on delivering quality content to a live audience spend countless hours developing their script, PowerPoint, hand-outs, marketing materials and back-of-room products. Yet the last thing many consider is the physical on-site running of their event. Any seminar leader who doesn't take presentation into serious consideration risks losing audience interest - and sales. As a 35-year veteran of professional theater, I recognize that most seminar presentation problems can be solved by using stage techniques. This doesn't mean you need to burst into a chorus of "Oh, What a Beautiful Morning" to get things started, but it does mean you're willing to learn methods used successfully by the people who make their living presenting in front of a live audience. Here are the top five landmine areas that seminar leaders neglect and that some basic theater thinking can help you avoid: 1. Running the room - Get a stage manager. Many seminars I've attended went off-course because no one signaled the start of a new segment and the audience returned late from a break, or a mike went out and its replacement took too long, or noise intruded from outside the room and wasn't stopped. You need someone to manage the room during the event. Don't rely on an amateur. Check with a local theatre company for referrals to stage managers and hire one to handle all physical aspects of your event. They're cheaper than an event planner and, as arts-based workers, they'll appreciate the chance for additional income. You'll have a motivated, skilled professional experienced in anticipating and eliminating problems at a live event. Compared to the challenges of running a musical or dealing with actors, they'll consider your job a piece of cake. 2. Sight Lines - Room set-up is crucial to your success. If people squiggle around in their seats in order to see you, you'll lose their attention. Most venues provide risers so you can present from an elevated platform. If that's not possible, make certain the chairs are arranged with enough space between rows that people's heads will not block each others' view of you. Check out the visibility of your Powerpoint before you start. Seat people in front of you and sit behind them to see if your screens can be read in their entirety. If there's a visibility problem, elevate the Powerpoint or limit your content to the top half of a screen. 3. Lighting - You want lights bright enough that audience members can take notes and stay awake, but not wash out your Powerpoint. Test it before the event. As for how you're seen, the overhead lighting in hotel ballrooms and meeting rooms creates hollows and shadows on your face that can make the most authentic presenter seem shady. If you plan to present in public often, it's worthwhile to invest in a few portable lights on tripod stands, plus extension cords. These will provide fill light from the front so your face can be seen clearly and without harsh shadows. 4. Costume - You may think it's a business suit but once you're in front of a group of people, what you're wearing is a costume. Make certain it's comfortable, moves well with you, and frames your face and hands so they can be seen clearly. Keep the cut and color simple and your accessories to a minimum. Black and navy remain standard suit colors, but for women with long dark hair, a contrasting color like red works better from a distance. Men, especially those who are large and/or tall, need to choose a softly colored shirt/tie combination to make them appear accessible. 5. Rehearse - Practice coordinating your script with the Powerpoint - no fumbling allowed! Don't just go over the script in your mind or by mumbling it to yourself. Practice getting the words out your mouth with full voice, with movement. Enunciate. Record yourself, listen with a critical ear, play it back for someone else and let them tell you where they don't understand your delivery. If you're not understood, you've wasted all your work. If you follow these guidelines to put together your seminar, you'll find that the physical space will work smoothly and you'll be prepared to step onto that stage. Then all you need do is deliver your excellent content to attract more clients and increase your on-site sales.
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