Most presenters tend to start off with something like “I want to tell you…” or “I want everyone in this room to know…” These phrases imply that it is about what you want (as the presenter) rather than what your audience wants or needs.

When you present, you are trying to persuade others to think, feel, or do something differently. This involves selling a product or an idea. Therefore, if you are the seller (presenter), then it is not about what you want, it is about what your buyer (audience) wants.

Try removing “I want” statements, especially during the first few minutes of your presentation.  It’s simple to do.  Try something like this, “Today you will discover…” or “During the next couple of minutes, you will learn…”  Or use the collective “we” as in “Together we will explore…”

MS announced that it is pulling out of the presentation software business. It's popular PowerPoint application will be discontinued. Version 2010, included in MS Office 2010, will be its final release.

The impact will be felt worldwide.

• Presenters will no longer have the ability to project their speaker notes to their audiences.
  
• Audiences will no longer enjoy chasing text as it flys in from the left.
• Speakers will have to become experts in their subjects.
• Lights in meeting rooms will be needed.
• Business professionals will have to sit idle in airports waiting to board flights.
• The RANSOm NoTE slide with seven different fonts will become a thing of the past.
• Presenters will have to face their audiences and make eye contact.
• 3D effects will be limited to the real world.
• Meaningless animations and sound effects will become homeless.
• Presenters will be forced to draw attention to themselves and become "trusted advisers."
• Meaningful dialogue between the presenter and the audience may take place.
• The linear "presenter focused" presentation may change to a dynamic "audience focused" presentation.
• Millions of disengaged hours sitting in darkened rooms will be converted to productivity.
• Visual learners will be pushed to paint powerful pictures in the right hemispheres of their brains.
• Presenters will have to revert to the time-proven method of persuasion called "storytelling."
• School students will have to give book reports the old fashion way, i.e., stand in front of others and develop self-esteem.
• Only optometrists will have use of eye charts.
• People will be less likely to communicate using long bulleted lists.

Okay Mr. Gates, this is just a bit of humor. PowerPoint will continue to proliferate throughout the world. We can only hope that more presenters learn to use it as a support tool, and not a crutch.

Have you ever heard a presentation that sounded as if it were prepared by a radio broadcaster? Run-on sentences, no pauses, little time to digest the contents. 

Keep in mind that you have already processed your information. You are speaking because you probably know more about the topic than your audience. Avoid the temptation to dump everything you know so fast that people feel overwhelmed. Your audience may be hearing your information for the first time. They will welcome a little extra time to digest it.

Allow three seconds of silence after making an important point or when asking a question, even if the question is intended to be rhetorical. Good attention management includes knowing when to place the attention on your audience. Allow people some time to reflect on what your information means to them.