Minnesota CLE contributors are the most important resource in our mission to provide high quality continuing education to Minnesota lawyers and judges. The contribution of your time and expertise is so valuable and we, along with our customers, greatly appreciate it. Below are some helpful tips to make your presentation the best that it can be.
Good speakers plan ahead to end their presentations on a high note. Don’t end your talk with “Are there any questions?” When there are no questions, there’s an uncomfortable silence, followed by an awkward closing. Good speakers end their talks (even if they’ve taken audience questions) with one closing comment or final tip, and then they thank the audience. That is the cue for them to applaud.
Some good closing lines are:
"Thank you for your time and attention."
"Please feel free to contact me if you have any questions. Thank you."
"Thank you for having me here today."
"I enjoyed being a part of today’s seminar. Thank you."
Don’t begin your presentation with an apology.
"Sorry, this is a really boring topic."
"I’m not sure why they asked me to talk about this."
"I’m feeling a little under the weather today, so bear with me."
"I know it’s 70 degrees outside and we’re stuck in here, but I’ll try to get through this quickly so we can all leave."
Many inexperienced speakers begin their presentations with apologies as a joke or to lower expectations. All this does is drain the energy right out of the room.
Experienced speakers know that you have to maintain the positive energy in the room with enthusiasm for your presentation. You can always find something interesting to say, even about a "boring" topic. If you’re not enthusiastic about your presentation, your audience won’t be either.
