Doc List Offers Several Presenting Tips

Doc List, a frequent presenter, offers his tips and tricks of the trade.

I’m sitting next to my world-traveling presenter friend from ThoughtWorks, “Doc” List, here at Øredev in Malmö, Sweden. While discussing presentations, he just informed me that he posted a blog entry containing some tips that many technical presenters would do well to read.

I especially agree with Doc’s implication that “you are the message, not just the slide deck.” Folks are attending to hear you and the topic. One does not carry the other. One complements the other.

To another one of Doc’s points about “threes,” I feel tortured when a speaker hurries through their slides or skips slides entirely. Plan to deliver less, not more. Having folks “want more” at the end, while still having delivered a satisfactory dose of the topic is a form of success, not failure. When students are saying, “I wish that went on for another 50 minutes” the organizers are listening. You’ll be invited back!