Effective Presentation Skills | How to Handle Tough Situations During Presentation
There will be times when situations will come up that distract from the flow or objective of your presentation. No matter what you do, it will happen. The true test of your preparation and people skills is how you handle these situations.
Four Situations and Effective Ways to Handle Them
Problem 1: Know-it-all—A participant who feels like more of an expert than you.
Solution: Don’t fight it! Involve know-it-alls in your presentation. They may have some great information to contribute. Allowing them to participate and share their thoughts will not only show the other participants how confident you are, but also help them get more out of your presentation.
Example: Sometimes, your participants may not be all at the same levels of knowledge. You have to size this up at the beginning of the presentation, then aim at the level of most of the participants. There will always be someone there who knows more about at least some aspect of the topic than most, perhaps even more than you—and sometimes that person will feel like showing off that knowledge.
Problem 2: Unprepared participants—Those who haven’t prepared for the presentation as you requested.
Solution: Be flexible! You may need to take something out of your agenda to allow the group time to get up to speed. Keep in mind your overall objective of the presentation. Don’t try to force your agenda; modify it to meet your objective.
Example: During a P&L presentation, you find that not all of the participants brought what they need. Your main objective is to make sure they’re planning properly. You decide you can still do this by going about it a different way. Change from your original plan of having individuals review their P&Ls to having the participants form small groups to review one member’s P&Ls.
Don’t let the fact that some people are not prepared affect what you’ve set out to do in this meeting.
Problem 3: After-lunch nap time—One of the toughest times to keep people engaged
Solution: If you have anything to do with planning the lunch selections, go light—and no heavy desserts. If not, then adjust your presentation. Take shorter breaks more often. If you really need to get everyone going again, get out those icebreakers.
Example: You see that shortly after lunch some heads are starting to bob. Quickly check your agenda and maybe switch things around to get into a subject that might be more interactive. If need be, get participants up out of their chairs to do an activity. (It’s always good to have one ready if you’re scheduled for early afternoon.) Remember: you must remain flexible; it’s your responsibility to keep them engaged.
Problem 4: Non-stop talker—A participant who carries on conversations during the presentation
Solution: This can be very difficult if you’re from outside the company or from another department in the company. In either of these situations, avoid causing the person to get defensive. He or she may just have a better understanding of what you’re presenting or not be challenged enough by it. On the next break, ask the person for feedback. As you resume after the break, mention that you were talking to (use the name of the person), who had some good points about what you’ve covered thus far in the presentation. Take a few moments to share what you talked about. This usually makes the talker feel more involved and want to stay engaged and participate with you instead of others. Of course, it’s possible that putting the spot- light on this person might cause him or her to disrupt the meeting even more. If that happens, don’t hesitate to go to the leader of the group and ask for help in controlling the individual.
If you’re giving the presentation to people who report to you, obviously you can handle the situation much differently. On the next break (or you may even call an unscheduled break), take the person aside and ask him or her to get the talking under control. If the person claims to already know what you’re presenting, explain that others do not and that if he or she continues to disrupt that learning opportunity you’ll ask the person to leave and then deal with him or her later. As I’ve stated several times already, it’s your responsibility to present the information so that the group gets it. Don’t let a disruptive participant get in the way of that objective.
