The Presentation Lab: Learn the Formula Behind Powerful Presentations

As with so many other areas in life, sometimes presentation plans and intentions go awry. Things beyond your control kind of get in the way and hijack your best intentions.

It might be a colleague who falls sick just before the big pitch, relying on you to jump to the rescue and deliver the presentation. Or maybe your kindly boss lets you know at the last minute that he or she would like you to present your thoughts on a particular topic at the next board meeting . . . which is in two days. Heck, it might be as the result of reading this book a few days ahead of an important presentation and realizing what you’d developed simply isn’t up to scratch. (If this is the case, apologies. But it’s for your own good!)

Whatever the reason for running around the office with an anxious look upon your face muttering “audience heat map” or “visual subtext” to yourself, panic not. Here are some strategies for dealing with the little presentation curve balls life occasionally throws at you.

Note: Each strategy assumes that you will be presenting using visuals, courtesy of something like PowerPoint or Prezi. As always, your audience should still determine the method by which you share these visuals (laptop, tablet, hard copy).

With Just 4 Hours to Go . . .

Let’s face it; there’s not a huge ...