Friday, June 01, 2007

Top 10 Terms and Expressions to Avoid in Presentations

  1. To be perfectly honest.
  2. Let me explain something to you.
  3. Well, obviously....
  4. I've already explained that.
  5. I'll address those questions later.
  6. You know....
  7. Right?
  8. Okay?
  9. Basically.
  10. Now on slide 24 we find....

2 comments:

Dave Harger said...

Good post. I find myself making a "transition" comment like "Does that make sense?" to make sure the audience is ready to go on. This sounds like is should be added to your list.

Quick question though: What is a good transition phrase or question to make sure that everyone is on the same page and ready to go to the next slide in the deck?

Michael Wade said...

Good addition! We all have various lines that we need to limit. with regard to transition phrases, there are several that I've seen work. Among them are:

"Another important aspect is...."

"An additional area of concern is...."

"A related subject is the question of...."

To make sure that everyone is on the same page and ready to move on, I'd suggest:

"What are your questions?" [I like this because it implies that they have questions and can draw out the reluctant.]

"Which part of this needs elaboration?" or "I'll be glad to elaborate on any point that may be unclear. Are there any items that require some clarification?"