No more quaquaversal presentations? No more than? Have I impressed you with my use of complex words? I doubt it, but many speakers do it all the time.
We’ve all been to presentations where the speaker used obscure words. Chances are parts of that presentation are going over your head as you try to figure out what the heck they were talking about!
When faced with language that isn’t immediately clear, we naturally focus on the meaning of words we don’t understand, even if it means missing out on the information that follows.
Our attention becomes quaquaversal. What does ‘quaquaversal’ mean? It means scattered – exactly what you don’t want to be the focus of your audience the next time you’re presenting!
Follow these presentation tips to make sure you don’t fall into the terminology trap.
Use the right language for your audience
When putting together a presentation, your central focus should always be your audience. In some contexts, the use of jargon is perfectly reasonable and even desirable.
Using the appropriate technical terms can be a great way to build a connection with your audience. But that’s not always the case, so before you start preparing your presentation, ask yourself if your audience will expect you to use jargon or if you’re likely to confuse them. Complex terms are only worth using if they are going to add to your presentation rather than detract from it.
Use the right language for your audience
When putting together a presentation, your central focus should always be your audience. In some contexts, the use of jargon is perfectly reasonable and even desirable.
Using the appropriate technical terms can be a great way to build a connection with your audience. But that’s not always the case, so before you start preparing your presentation, ask yourself if your audience will expect you to use jargon or if you’re likely to confuse them. Complex terms are only worth using if they are going to add to your presentation rather than detract from it.
don’t overcomplicate
If jargon is not required, a general rule of thumb is to keep the words descriptive but simple. You want to take your audience on a journey with you so that by the end of the presentation they are ready to buy your services or products.
Appeals to all the senses
Although more than 90% of our face-to-face communication is through our body language and use of voice, the language you use is also very important. Sometimes we get so focused on dealing with our nerves that we overlook what we’re going to say and just stumble into a presentation.
Since everyone is different, people in your audience will respond to different words and phrases. People use all of their senses, but they usually have a preferred one, so account for these differences by using some words and phrases that appeal to the different senses. For example:
A visual person will respond to pictorial words like “If I could show you an attractive way to…”
A hearing person will respond to voiced words, such as ‘If that sounds good to you, we’ll go ahead and discuss how…’
A kinesthetic person will respond to feelings or words, such as “If I could help you find a concrete way that you could…”
Pre-flight checklist
Once you’ve considered these factors and crafted your presentation, reread the content one last time and ask yourself:
Have I used words that could be replaced by simpler ones without detracting from the message of the presentation?
Can there be a double meaning?
Were the words I used added to my message?
When you’re happy with the content of your presentation, practice it until you’re comfortable with the flow. To prevent your audience’s attention from becoming quaquaversal, it’s important to engage them with the delivery of your carefully crafted words.
