I’ve attended numerous conferences over the past five years or so. Nearly all of them have followed the same format: Keynote speaker in the morning, a bunch of individual sessions, lunch, and a bunch of afternoon sessions. Not much changes, and unfortunately, the same goes for most of the speakers.
I’ve written about my feelings towards most conference presentations before so I won’t address the problems in this particular post. But when I attended a recent conference and saw some of the same problems I see at every conference, I decided it would be more helpful for you if I gave you some insight on how you can stand out as a conference speaker instead of me just complaining (that’s what this blog is all about, right?).
But first, I have to address the conference organizers. Please stop killing our presentations. By forcing us to use your mediocre PowerPoint templates, you’re killing our originality and freedom to design. It’s only making it a worse experience for your audience. Taking it a step further, try giving your speakers the bare minimum when it comes to rules. Give them a time limit, make sure they leave time for questions, and require them to offer valuable content and NOT a sales pitch. Other than that, let them do their thing.
Here are three ways you can create a unique presentation that will leave the audience buzzing:
- Refuse, Avoid, Flat Out Ignore the Conference PowerPoint Template – I recently spoke at WOMMA and they had a standard conference PowerPoint template. I was originally told that all speakers had to use the template, but after asking nicely if I could opt-out and simply include their logo in the beginning and end, I was able to avoid it. One reason was that I had already completed my design and redesigning it was not an option, but more importantly, I simply believe that standardizing conference templates is a worst-practice. I spoke with a few fellow speakers during after I finished my session and I kept getting the same question, “Why didn’t you have to use the template? I wish I didn’t have to!” Some of them were talented creative designers. I would have loved to see what they would have come up with.
- Get Out from Behind the Podium, and Maybe Off the Stage Too! - As a speaker trying to connect with your audience, you want to remove all barriers. Podiums and lecterns create a barrier between you and your audience that causes a visual and ultimately an intellectual disconnect. I never ever give a talk from behind a podium, and if I can, I get off the stage too. I like to walk into the audience and make real eye contact with them. If someone asks a question I like to walk right up to them so we can really converse. While all the other speakers are stuck behind the barrier, you’ll remain memorable because you connected with your audience.
- Go Outside of the PowerPoint Box – I think PowerPoint, when designed effectively, can be very powerful. However, it’s not your only tool to engage your audience. There are numerous alternatives to amplify your presentation. Involve them in hands-on activities, use multimedia, have them work in groups, use improv, tell personal stories, or simply do anything that get’s their attention off their computer screen and onto you! While everyone else is killing their audience with bullet points, you’ll be engaging them and including them in an experience, not just a typical conference presentation.
What are some of the ways you’ve seen conference speakers make their presentations stand out?
