I cringe every time I hear the phrase ‘This is a busy slide’ in a presentation. If we know that the slide is busy then we should spend some time figuring out how to make it more presentable la, so that it is easier for the audience to understand the visual. When we say that phrase, it could give the impression that ‘I am too lazy to think how to make it better for you the audience, so I will just cut and paste’.
Another one is ‘I will go through this very quickly’. If we are going to go through it very quickly, then it is probably not that important anyway so we should just remove it from the presentation. If we are still going to keep it, then we should do it justice and allocate a decent amount of time to it.
Another one is ‘Oh this is not important’ and then the presenter just skips the slide altogether. It is fine to do it occasionally but doing it too often makes it look like we have not been well prepared and have not rehearsed the presentation.
And lastly is when the presenter says ‘I am sorry for keeping you from your lunch’. Please don’t say that and just get on with the presentation because I don’t think you are that sorry. If you are really sorry you will not do the presentation and you will let me eat my long overdue lunch instead. You won’t like me when I am hangry.
There you go some tips from me. If after reading this, you still say those phrases, then I don’t know what to say anymore la.
