Murphy's Law states: "Anything that can go wrong will go wrong." This is especially true and especially painful when there is an audience involved.

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This blog was active from April, 2008 to July 2012.
It is no longer being updated. It will continue to be maintained for reference purposes.

The Weekly Might Have Missed List (09/07/08)

Business Tech Talk: 10 tips to avoid PowerPoint disasters — “Presentations, however, almost always have tech hiccups, and this one was no exception. One of the earlier presenters, Douglas Wright, had problems with some of his charts, and midway through Chris’s segment the laptop running the PowerPoint presentation decided to go into hibernation. This sort of thing is funny for the audience and good speakers will make a joke and move on, as Chris and Douglas did, but it can throw you off your stride or happen just as you’re about to make a killer point.”

T J Walker: How should I ask to be introduced? — “Don’t just use a generic on-page bio from your web site or the resume you got to land your last job. What looks like a quick read on paper can seem interminably long and boring to an audience listening to someone introduce you.

The Daily Show: John McCain’s Big Acceptance Speech — There were some AV and stagecraft issues. You think this would have been ironed out in rehearsal. Skip to 1:22 if you don’t want to watch the rest of the political observations (although they are very funny). [Update: Garr Reynolds of Presentation Zen fame covered McCain’s background graphics in more depth on his blog.]

[Your blood pressure just went up]: 1337 presentation skillz — Shares and critiques a useful YouTube video about presentation problems.

Valleywag: Google Video reborn as tool for awkward corporate messaging — You need to remember to be careful where you put video of your presentations. “The site makes it easy to “privately and securely” download embarrassing intra-office videos so that you can share them with us here at Valleywag.”

TechCrunch: Jason Calacanis’ How To Demo Your Startup (Part Two) — The entire series is interesting but section 14, “How to handle technical issues,” is especially useful.

YouTube: ABC’s Terry Moran Flub About Obama’s Parents on Nightline — Every public speaker’s nightmare.

ValleyWag: Watch RNC delegates trying to ignore Meg Whitman’s speech — Another public speakering nightmare. maybe this is usual behavior for the conventions whenever the speaker is one of the really major party figures. After all, there’s a lot of politicing that needs to get done.

The Weekly Might Have Missed List (5/17/08)

Public Speaking and Presentation Skills Blog Carnival – Edition 1

The Communications Coach: Presentation Skills: Control Your Nervousness

Make Your Point with Pow’R: The worst of the worst. Introductions — “Wow!!. Three slides to say “I am the best, I have worked for 35 years with many clients, and I am fantastic. I love myself. You are lucky to be able to view my client list. I love myself. I verbosely profess to know many buzzwords” And on, and on he goes.”

Overnight Sensation: Public Speaking Success: Hostile Audiences Part 2 – How to Prevent Them

Bill O’Reilly vs. a teleprompter – VIDEO

Zallas Technologies: Pack and Pay — “Going out of town for your next meeting? Better pack light. As of this month two airlines – United Airlines and U S Airways – will now charge customers for a second piece of checked luggage.”

Bronwyn Ritchie’s Pivotal Public Speaking: Concluding Your Presentation: End With A Bang, Not With A Whimper

About Projectors: Quick Guide to Projector Resolutions

Manage Smarter: Presentation Crimes: Speaker Snafus — The Meaningless-Filler Gratuitous-Phrases Vocabulary List

Dave Paradi’s PowerPoint Blog: When stories don’t work in a presentation — “Telling your audience that your illustration comes from over 20 years ago does not inspire confidence.”

PublicSpeakingHacks.com: PowerPoint Fonts – How to Font-Proof Your Next Presentation