Thursday, March 11, 1999

11:45:34 AM

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Sshhh...Here Comes the Presenter!

We've all been there...waiting to go up in front of an audience of your peers, your Board, or to a community group. They expect the best of you...and should get it! But, for a moment, put yourself in THEIR shoes... Here's a funny story...

Sshhh..Here comes the presenter! Wow, he seems a bit self-conscious. Never mind, he's just thinking about what he's going to say. That's why he's got his head down, and is sort of shuffling around. Now he's behind the podium, off to one side. He seems isolated. Never mind, he looks like he's almost ready!

The presenter peers out to his audience, with a disconnected look, like he's just gotten off an airplane and doesn't know what town he's in. He fiddles with the microphone. He taps it with his finger..."Does this thing work?" Somebody at the back of the room says, "It's OK". You notice that he's got a script. It's as fat as a book. He tidies up his papers by slapping them into a pile. The microphone picks up all of this rustling and shuffling.

Now, there's something wrong with the light on the podium. On. Off. On again. Now he's got it! He straightens his glasses, steadies himself against the podium. You're thinking...is he ever gonna start??? He begins. He's reading his script to you. He's reading into the microphone and the words rumble through the PA system with the freshness of canned corn. Is he going to read the whole thing? He is.

He reads on and on. People start to check their watches. He keeps looking behind him to see what slide is showing on the projector. Then back to the script. Then back to see the next slide. After awhile, a sort of numbness settles over the audience. After awhile it doesn't matter what he's saying. All that matters is when it will be over.

I'm sure we have all had to sit through presentations like this one..after you sit through one, you vow you'll never do these mistakes when you present, right? Maybe you do, and you just don't realize it!  Hopefully, someone along the way will let you know...or you may come upon your style when you have been videotaped...nevertheless, we all can get stale in our training and presenting. How can you "refresh yourself"?

Attend NOLA's Train the Trainer workshop on Tuesday, March 23rd, presented by a real "Training Pro", Gail Metz. You'll get lots of tips and tricks on presenting to audiences both large and small! This is a perfect workshop for anyone in your library who presents to public community groups, other staff members, or who trains your library patrons. One on one presentations can be just as tricky as the larger group!

To register for this chance to "refresh" your training skills, click here!

Story from: "I Can See You Naked" A Fearless Guide
to Making Great Presentations by Ron Hoff

Items submitted by:
Lori Putt - Email
NOLA Regional Library System