Public Speaking Success: Demonstrating the Live Internet

informationWith the popularity of social media sites and services such as Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn, many presenters and speakers find themselves having to discuss them during their talks. Some are daring enough to hook up to a computer and try to do live demonstration for their audience. And that’s where the fun begins.

Adding any technology to a presentation increases opportunity for unexpected issues — just ask anyone who’s ever used PowerPoint for an important presentation. There’s issues with power, the projector, the lighting, the length of the extension cord, the computer and many others too numerous to list here. Trying to demonstrate social media in front of a live audience adds two more challenges: your connection to the internet and the cooperation of your friends in cyberspace.

If You Only Listen to One PowerPoint Tip…

projectorThese days, many meeting rooms have built-in projectors and/or screens. Some even have built-in computers so the need to lug a laptop with you has essentially been eliminated. Let’s face it, a USB drive will fit even the largest of presentations and can fit on your keychain – plus it won’t hurt your back. But even though all this is there to make your life easy, it can also work against you. Unless you test your presentation on the exact equipment that you’ll be running it on, you’re running a huge risk.