Comments on: Don’t ask me!

By: simon

simon — Sat, 17 May 2008 10:09:05 +0000

Glad to see I’m not alone: sometimes I feel like I’m just becoming a ‘grumpy old man’ complaining about presentations where-ever I go!

By: Terry Gault

Terry Gault — Wed, 14 May 2008 19:27:04 +0000

Simon,

You are right: the point of asking questions of the audience is to create a connection with them…to present about their needs and issues. Now, when the presenters asks questions but then never uses the information, to me it seems just as superficial as asking someone “how are you doin’?” and then going immediately into your sales pitch before they even have a chance to answer.

Furthermore,running out of time is simply not professional. It shows that the presentation wasn’t practiced nearly enough, nor was it flexible enough for the presenter to skip unnecessary parts if need be.

Not good.

By: George Torok

George Torok — Sun, 11 May 2008 21:10:38 +0000

I would feel the same as you with that presentation - used and abused.
Sounds like the speaker make two significant mistakes. One, the technique used to gather information at the beginning is a good technique - only if the information gathered is valued and addressed. Two,the good stuff should never be left to the end. I would ask for my money back.

George Torok
The Speech Coach for Executives