iWork '09: The Missing Manual

Presentation Setting and Gear

If you’re lucky, you have complete control over every aspect of your presentation—including the choice of room, computer, projector, and all the other technical bits and pieces required. More often, though, you’ll be stuck using others’ equipment; plugging your laptop into a video projector at a conference; or just showing up with your presentation on a CD and running it on someone else’s computer. When the equipment isn’t your own, you have to be more flexible—and often improvise.

Get a Room

Environment matters, and where you speak affects not only your audience’s experience that day but also the lasting image that they have of you going forward.

If you’re in charge of choosing the venue, think classy. Hotels and conference centers might seem like the most natural choices, but before you go there, look around for less obvious options. Libraries, museums, and universities often have stunning lecture halls available on the cheap.

Wherever you wind up, do your best to find a room for your presentation that’s exactly the right size. If you’re not sure, err on the side of too small. If the room is too large, the place will feel empty, sapping energy from your show and giving the presentation a slack feeling. Given the choice, it’s much better to pack ‘em in, standing room only.

If you’re presenting to more than 10 or 15 people, aim for a room with a high ceiling so there’s plenty of room for a big screen hanging well above everyone’s heads. Otherwise, you can’t ...