Why Bad Presentations Happen to Good Causes - The Goodman ...

• Prepare for Q&A as you would any other part of the presentation. Anticipate the questions
that are likely to arise and have your answers ready. But don’t stop there. “I’m big on the
point that it’s not enough to know what you’re going to say,” Max Atkinson advises, “you
have to know how you’re going to say it—how to package the message.” Write out the
answers to anticipated questions in advance. It is not essential to have a complete script
on hand, but the writing process will help you find the best language.
• Coach the audience to ask better questions. “I preface any Q&A session by letting people
know that a lot of questions are appropriate for their own organization, but we are here
as a group, so please ask questions that other people can benefit from,” says Dynell
Garron, who speaks about fundraising. “I say, ‘I will generalize your question as needed,’
because it’s my job before I answer a question to redirect it or reshape it as needed.”
• Do not repeat hostile questions. “Reposition them,” advises Eda Roth. “If someone asks,
‘Why are you ripping us off?’ you say [to the audience], ‘The question has to do with
our fee structure, or the amount of work we’re doing with this organization.’ Listen to
the issue, but do not react to the anger. You’ll lose credibility.”
Above all, do not end your presentation with Q&A. “Q&A is potentially the most deadly
part of any presentation,” says the SPIN Project’s Holly Minch. “Some people ask relevant
questions and some don’t.” Even the most experienced presenters can feel the energy
draining out of a room during a bad Q&A session. And that’s why they prepare a close
that will be the last thing the audience hears rather than, “Any more questions?” (Silence.)
“Any more questions?” (Someone coughs.) “Thank you.” (Polite applause.)
3. The Prepared Closing
As with your opening, lightning must strike here as well. While your audience will accept
your glancing at notes during your presentation, they expect you to look them in the
eyes when saying farewell. This is your opportunity to tell one more story, restate your
message as eloquently as possible (borrowing a quote from a more prominent personage
when appropriate), or provide an inspiring vision of the future. Above all, this is your time
to tell them in no uncertain terms what you hope they will do with the information they
have just received or the skills they have just acquired. “I don’t want their final thought to
be, ‘She’s really neat,’” says Nancy Lublin, CEO of Do Something. “I always give a call to
action … to get active in something.”
In my workshop, “Storytelling as Best Practice,” I always close with the same words:
“In the long run, numbers numb, jargon jars, and nobody ever marched on Washington because of a
pie chart. If you really want to connect with your audience, give them what they’re waiting for – what
we are always waiting for. Tell them your stories.”
pg. 35