iWork '09: The Missing Manual

Delivering the Presentation

Your moment has arrived—the Big Day. You’ve polished your presentation to a high shine, and you’re ready to roll. Giving a successful talk, though, involves more than just standing up and holding forth. From handling the on-the-ground logistics of the event space to helping your audience find out more about your topic the next day, you’ve got several responsibilities to make your talk a hit.

Handle the Preliminaries

If you’re responsible for the whole event, you’ll need to consider a handful of ancillary tasks that aren’t part of your presentation, yet have a huge impact on how your audience experiences your talk:

• Know how to unlock the doors, adjust the lights, and control the temperature. If you have to dim the lights to see the screen, make sure there’s a light projecting on wherever you’re speaking so your audience can see you.

• If you have control over the way the room is set up, place the podium at center stage and your screen off to the side. Remember: The slides are for speaker support—what you’re saying is the main attraction.

• Set up and test the equipment, or coordinate with the tech support people who’ll be running the lights and the public address system. Try everything well ahead of time so you can solve any problems before the audience arrives.

• Set up tables or set out information packets or programs.

• Make sure there are clear, prominently posted signs to help attendees find the room so they know they’ve come to the right place. Meet people as they ...