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

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The Small Stuff
(It’s Worth Sweating) – cont’d
Backup Plan
In short: have one, especially when using PowerPoint. If you are bringing a presentation
on your laptop, have a copy on a CD or portable drive with you as well. If you sent your
presentation in advance, it is still worth carrying an extra copy in case the presentation
was corrupted in the transfer or if there are any compatibility issues with the meeting
site’s equipment.
And in the event of total technological meltdown, be prepared to proceed without any
visual support. Just remember: The audience is coming to see you, not your slides, and
when a light bulb suddenly burns out or a computer abruptly crashes, the show must
go on!
Let There Be Lumens!
The Lowdown on LCD Projectors
After spending all those hours designing your PowerPoint presentation, you want
clear, crisp images on the screen come showtime. Even when room lights remain
on or natural daylight streams in from outside, a powerful projector can deliver the
sharp images you desire.
For LCD projectors, power is measured in lumens (i.e., light output). The typical
portable projector that most nonprofits own puts out around 1,200 lumens, which
is suitable for an audience of 30 to 40 people. When you are speaking to an audience
of 100 or more, however, you need a projector with a minimum of 2,500 lumens and
at least one screen that is 10 feet wide by 10 feet tall.
Venues such as hotels and conference centers often have projectors with even
more lumens, and they will usually have dual projector-and-screen setups in rooms
designed for large audiences. It is not unusual, however, to encounter situations
where a host nonprofit has brought its own low-end portable into a large hotel
ballroom “… because the projector rental fee was outrageous!” Don’t leave this detail
to chance: Before you arrive on the scene, talk to your event organizer and make sure
you have the right amount of lumens working for you.