HomeschoolCPA does some public speaking. Last week I presented a workshop called Budget is a Dirty Word to low income families.  I found this list from TechSoup of How to Mess up a Presenatation pretty funny.  Thanks to  Drive by Consulting blog for the list

Interested in designing a bad presentation? Follow these tips.

1. Jam as much information into the slides as possible.

2. Avoid the use of visuals.

3. Use plenty of animations — just because you can.

4. Use transitions arbitrarily.

5. Use tiny, hard-to-read fonts.

6. Choose color schemes at random.

7. Don’t proofread.

8. Forget the feedback.

Here are Techsoup’s tips on how to deliver a bad presentation.

1. Skip the practice sessions.

2. Read from your slides verbatim.

3. Stare at your notes, handouts, or the floor.

4. Speak in monotone.

5. Talk really fast, then really slowly.

6. Assume your audience knows as much as you do.

7. Take questions at the end of your presentation only.

8. Fail to have a backup plan.

As I started my Budget workshop, the host said I would take questions at the end.  Not wanting to violoate #7 above, I told the group I would take questions as I went  along.  Little did I know the host was trying to help me! 

There was an audience member whose goal in life was to discredit me.  When I mentioned having 2 children, she said  "Only two, I have 10!"  When I mentioned how cutting expenses could bring in $40 a month... "enough for a nice evening out", I was met with "You can tell what neighborhood you come from, when I get $40 I buy groceries and diapers!"  Whew! 

It went on like this.  I later told the host that I try to find comon ground with my audience every time I speak and failed that evening.  She comforted me by saying that this person in the audience had a lot of issues and was in counseling to get help.  Well that made me feel a little better.   All in all, I learn something every time I give a presentation. 

Carol