Even for seasoned presenters, it is always challenging to deliver a presentation. You need to engage your audience and put your points across at the same time. Distractions in presentations are common.
If you fail to engage your audience, they may feel suffocated and may not be able to focus properly. In order to make your presentation a success, you need to pay attention to every single detail, including what to speak, how to speak, and whether your training room rental company is equipped with all essentials. Here are some major ways of avoiding distractions.
Ensure physical comfort for the attendees
When you rent seminar room, check for the right degree of air conditioning and ventilation. Sweating and itchiness can cause distraction, both for you and your audience. It could also happen that the washroom is at some distance, and you decide to take the toilet break after your presentation. However, a full bladder can make you nervous. Ask for a washroom that is close to your room. Lighting is equally important, especially if it is the daytime. Also, ask for the food and beverages to be delivered in time.
Make sure your audience can watch your presentation clearly
Not being able to see you or your slides will make the audience uneasy. Make sure that you are not getting into the beam of the projector. Sticking duct tape on the floor to mark areas where you should move is a good idea. Another problem that most presenters encounter is not being able to stand in the center because this would mean blocking the screen. You can ask for a larger room from your training room rental company and have the screen placed slightly away from the center.
Avoid words or things that divert attention
Presenters often tend to use fillers from everyday conversation and repeat a certain word many times. Your audience could get distracted by that habit of yours. The solution to this problem is to record you speaking and then judge. It is better to video tape yourself, since it can give you an idea of the repetitive gestures you use. Practice speaking more assertively to have the full attention of your audience. Remove anything that swings or jangles as you move. Lastly, dress professionally to avoid any unwanted attention.
Choose the right visuals
Adding visuals to a presentation can make it more engaging and interesting. However, the risk of images getting slightly off-track is always there. For instance, having the company logo on each slide can distract the audience. Use colors that provide contrast with the color of the text. Use video clips and metaphorical images with discretion, since these can leave your audience mentally overburdened.
Prevent noise from distracting your audience
It is a good idea to request your audience to switch-off their phones before the presentation begins. You can let them have five minutes at the beginning to take any coffee or toilet breaks. However, if you still find a cell phone ringing in the middle of your presentation, intervention will be necessary. Free internet from the training room rental company should not mean people can use the phone while you’re speaking.