2018-04-02
Note: This content was written prior to BrainStory, the brand that followed Slide Lab.
On 22 March, we attended a conference on Augmented Intelligence, called CONVERGE, which took place at the Kirchner Cultural Centre in Buenos Aires, Argentina.
The event had many speakers, from many areas and different industries. Speakers from companies such as Amazon, Google, Telefónica and others were present and delivered their presentations. Everyone, without exception, had the precious help of PowerPoint or Keynote. In general, these were simple slides, which made special use of images and key concepts, as we always recommend at Slide Lab.
But what led us to writing this blog post wasn’t merely slides or presentations that went well, but a presentation that, at one point, was no longer backed by technology.
One of the first presentations was given by Martín Migoya, CEO of Globant, the company that created and sponsored the CONVERGE conference.
Martín was five minutes into his presentation with his whole speech illustrated by images and visuals appearing on giant screens behind him. The images and visuals made his message clearer and helped explain and convey more immediately everything he wanted to share.
But against all odds, especially at an event of this magnitude, where the audience full of directors and managers were hoping for the best, technology failed. There was a technical error, and suddenly all screens went black, displaying nothing.
What happens when technology fails? What do you do? We thought about it, and everyone in the audience did too.
Martín looked back and realised he no longer had visual support for his presentation. In an improvised (but almost planned) way, he took his small cards where he had pointed out the outlines of his speech and continued his presentation. The audience listened to him as if nothing had happened.
After a few minutes, the screens’ colour came back, the PowerPoint presentation was projected again and Martín put down his cards and finished his presentation brilliantly.
We can draw several conclusions from this real-life example.
1 – The importance of knowing your presentation
The first conclusion we’ve drawn is that you have to do your homework. Always study your presentation in advance and know your speech well.
2 – Do not completely rely on PowerPoint to deliver your presentation
To do so, practice your presentation with and without PowerPoint. As we’ve seen, technology can fail, and it does so often, especially when it absolutely shouldn’t, and it is important to know how to continue our presentation without resorting to technology.
3 – Write down the general ideas of your presentation on small cards
That way, if technology fails, you always have a plan B you can turn to.
4 – Always expect the unexpected
Even when you rehearse, test and check everything, something can go wrong, and that is not the end of the world. Be ready to go on even when everything else fails. To do so, it's important to be relaxed on stage. There are exercises for relaxation and concentration that actors do before entering the scene that may help you. For example, take a deep breath, several times; close your eyes and see yourself presenting brilliantly...
Therefore, when technology fails, a well-prepared presenter continues his presentation and is able to achieve his goal and convey his message to his audience effectively.
