Ive been in the classroom for the past 29 years. During that time, Ive had the opportunity to travel a lot with my choirs and bands. To prepare students for these trips, I had them learn my mantra concerning time ( I dont know where I got it from, but Ive been using it professionally and personally for over thirty years).

To be early is to be on time, to be on time is to be in late, and to be late is to be in trouble. For those of my students who followed the late timing, they quickly found that late night running solved their problems. I also left: my fair share of chaperones at the hotel for not being ready to leave. Sounds harsh? Maybe--- but, it does teach us lessons that can be moved into the presentation arena.

As a presenter, being early to a presentation is a win-win scenario for both you as the presenter and the audience. The following is a listing and explanations of the benefits of being early to a presentation.

Benefits for presenter:

- You can check out the layout of the venue--- sometimes the chair/table layout of the room may not be what you desire

- You get a chance to check the lighting of the room--- the room itself may not reach the specs that were sent to you. Instead of adjustable lighting, your room may have fluorescent lights only.

- The audience goodies may not be in place--- your audience will always appreciate water at the back of the room. You may even want to provide mints or hard candies of some type.

- Set the room temperature. It will take time for the room temperature to adjust. You dont want a room where you can hang meat or feel that youve just gotten into a tanning bed.

- Focus on technology. If anything can go wrong, it will be technology. Does the slide show run, can the audience see the screen, does the projector work, is the microphone enough or too much for the room. This is the time where you test all of the elements. Run your presentation with the technology to find any potential glitches

Benefits for Audience:

- The audience will have a better chance in seeing a successful presentation. Audience Advocacy contains important concepts design/deliver the presentation in the way you as an audience member would appreciate participating. Prior preparation prevents poor performance. Make each presentation successful for the presenter and the audience.

- Youll be able to bond with your audience as they enter the room. This interaction and getting to know the audience will help create a positive rapport between the presenter and the audience.

To interject a personal learning moment about being early to a presentation site as a presenter I recently presented at the ASCD (Association of Superintendents and Curriculum Developers) convention in Anaheim, CA. Prior to the convention, we were to send in out requests for equipment for the room. Due to changes in airline carry-ons, I opted to rent a projector at the convention site (first mistake). When I got to the room, there was no LCD projector but an overhead projector instead. By arriving early, I had an hour and a half to find an LCD projector and have it sent to the room. From that point, I went into normal preparation mode. Moral of the story--- if I hadnt arrived early, the presentation would have still been delivered, but without the PowerPoint support materials. To this end, Im a firm believer in living the mantra

To be early is to be on time, to be on time is to be in late, and to be late is to be in trouble. I suggest you incorporate this into your presentation lifestyle as well.

John Fallon teaches Presentation Skills at Walhalla High School and hosts the free teacher PowerPoint resource site: PPT4Teachers.com

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