Bad presentation is a widespread problem.
Guy Kawasaki said most people create bad presentations by having bad content and going long. It happens all the time to very smart people. I spent a day at a phenomenal research lab yesterday that got hampered by horrific presentations by a lack of skill.
The great thing about stand up comedy is that it forces you to adhere to some rules, especially with time. Here are three tips I learned from both speaking and comedy that help a ton for both the speaker and the coördinator.
1) Keep a clock on the wall: This is a simple fix. If you don’t have a physical box in front of the speaker, you can use an analog clock. For me, seeing the hands move allows me to get a quick idea of where I am without too much effort. If you are coordinating the event, make sure the speaker sees the clock! It’s obvious to you but that means nothing.
2) Create a signal system: Maybe you need them to go long, maybe you need them to wrap it up, or maybe you need to create an intermission. You never know what may happen during the course of an event, but having those three things ready makes everything easier. It is also easier than barging on stage or stopping an entire event. Again, make sure you let the speaker know if you are coordinating, or if you are a speaker make sure that the coordinator has a system.
3) Research for Programming – Event coordinators should know how long the speaker speaks for before bringing them there. If no one does the first two things on this list, the speaker will talk for as long or as short as comfortable. If they have a lot of interesting things give them an hour and a place during the event that makes sense – very early (kickoff) or late(keynote). Don’t put anything after lunch that isn’t a Q&A or something light that people can pick up (they tend to linger around so it just does everyone a favor).
Time can be fixed and when fixed allow your event to look much more coordinated and professional. It is something that both the event organizers and the speaker can work on with a little research and being proactive. The best part of those three things is that the audience isn’t aware and will appreciate the work.
From the desk of Adam Thomas 