Categories
Archives
Search
Subscribe to Our Monthly Digest
How to keep your presentation on track
Last week I received a call from a client who does many presentations. His question was, “What do you do when you have someone in the group who is disruptive and keeps throwing you off track?” If any of you have ever experienced this, you know how frustrating this can be.
I asked Dan some clarifying questions. The presentation he was referring to was four days long. The purpose was instructional. They were installing an expensive machine, and Dan needed to make sure they had the knowledge necessary to use the machine correctly and understand all the features and options. Since this presentation was content heavy, time did not allow for many questions or any discussion. Dan clearly explained the purpose and objectives of the 4-day training. What he failed to do was “frame” the training method from the start. Here is what I mean:
By framing, Dan could have started out saying,
“Before we get started, I would like to go over the format we will be following in the next four days. The primary purpose of this training is to give you the knowledge you need to operate and fully benefit from this equipment. There is a lot of content we will need to cover in the next four days. For this reason, we will not be able to afford time for discussion or questions during the presentation. If you have a question along the way, or something is not clear, please make notes in the “note” section of your manual, and we will allow 20 minutes at the end of each session to answer any questions. Is everyone OK with that?”
When Dan frames the presentation like this and gets the group’s agreement, it puts him in a position to politely re-direct anyone who goes off on a tangent. Here is what we need to remember: Before we do a presentation, consider how we want the session to go. Frame it. Communicate the “frame” to the group. Get their agreement. You now have a license to facilitate without getting thrown off track.