How To Edit Yourself and Your Presentation

Studies show that we talk on average about 16,000 words a day. But some people are talking more. We all know someone who needs to edit himself or herself. You know if you start a conversation with that person, you won’t get out of it easily. And you know if that person presents in a meeting, that presentation is likely to go over time, putting you behind schedule.

If you are a presenter, you need to be able to edit yourself. If you don’t, you risk wasting the time of your audience, delivering a wordy presentation, or throwing away all the work of preparing.

Time is Valuable

Whenever you are asked to give a presentation, one of your first questions should be: how much time is allotted for this presentation? Our world runs on a schedule. If you don’t edit yourself, your presentation can run too long and disrupt the schedule. When that happens, audience members might view you as rude or disrespectful, or, at the very least, as scattered or unprepared.

If you want to understand the worth of time, pay attention to the nonverbal communication that happens near the end of a speech or presentation. Without anyone making an announcement, there is a discernable shift in the room. People start moving in their seats. You’ll probably hear the rustle of items being put away or retrieved. People are trying to communicate to the speaker, “you need to be wrapping up” or “you are now on borrowed time.”

If you have trouble going over time, use a timer when you practice your presentation. Know about where you fall at each major section of your message. Then, on the day you deliver your presentation, keep that same timer visible while you present. That way, you can gauge your progress and edit yourself if you are running behind schedule.

Words are Valuable

Of all the words in your presentation, do you know how many of them the audience actually hears? Executive Vice President of PGi, Sean O’Brien says, “With an attention span of five minutes, the average audience is going to tune out 84% of your 30-minute speech.” A rambling presentation is bound to increase that percentage. Make sure that every word in your presentation counts.

Start editing your presentation from the very first word you write. One of my favorite resources for writers (and yes, presenters are writers) is the Online Writing Lab by Perdue University. Check out their exercises for reducing wordiness. Here’s an example:

WORDY: In our company there are wide-open opportunities for professional growth with a company that enjoys an enviable record for stability in the dynamic atmosphere of aerospace technology.

CONCISE: Our company provides opportunities for professional growth and stability in the dynamic field of aerospace technology.

The revision cuts the sentence almost in half, 16 words versus 28. And the second sentence isn’t just more concise, it’s easier to understand. Usually, when your word count goes down, your clarity quotient goes up.

Notes are Valuable

I coached a young man who had trouble with how to edit himself. He wrote great speeches, his speaker’s notes were clear, concise, and easy to follow. However, when it came time to actually give the presentation, he abandoned his notes at times, going off on tangents he hadn’t planned. He just loved being in front of people and talking, so he didn’t have a problem adding to his performance time. However, I was trying to help him understand how his presentation clarity and his reputation as a speaker were suffering as a result.

As we talked through solutions, we joked about the fact that he was like a squirrel when he got on stage, darting haphazardly around his presentation notes. For some reason, that silly little observation sunk in with him. So we decided on a creative solution. We placed a couple pictures of a frantic squirrel in the margins of his notes to help him remember to stay on track.

I’m not suggesting that will work for you (or that it won’t). But if you are someone who has trouble editing your talk time, find a creative and effective way to keep yourself on track. Produce careful speaker’s notes and stick to those notes every time you practice.

Aim to reach this simple goal the next time you present: nothing wasted. Not the audience’s time. Not a word that you speak. And not the hard work you put in to deliver a clear and concise presentation.

Ready for more tips on how to become a master presenter? Check out our full line of presentation resources at Ethos3 today.

 

 

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