No one plans to deliver a negative destination presentation, but so many do through lack of skill, poor preparation, ignorance of how to use a podium or PowerPoint (PPT), failure to use voice inflection. No willingness to engage the audience and total disregard for the room set-up.
And people with impressive titles are mostly to blame. Some work for tourist boards; some work in HR, some manage or train in agencies, some represent tour operators and some simply don’t think they have a problem. The greatest misconception is that if someone can get up in front of a large audience without experiencing stage fright, then they are qualified to ‘present’. NOT SO!
I have lots of boring presentation stories but one of my favourites was at an international conference where two presenters, representing an exciting South Pacific Island were scheduled to speak. I made sure I sat near the front and was ready to take notes and possibly to even plan a visit there next summer.
The presenters started by introducing the Island, but not themselves. They then showed a Power Point full of un-photo-shopped (and sometimes blurry) photos, as they simply read from a script when each new slide appeared. A question from the audience totally threw their presentation off-balance as they had to huddle to discuss the answer and then gave that “ please approach us after the presentation and we will respond to you” reply (which of course was disappointing as we thought that they were the experts on the Island). The room was set up for about 150 chairs. The screen was 6 X 6, so was nowhere near adequate for any type of visual presentation, and the slides—many of which contained statistics on visitation or other text, were absolutely useless. I was not the only one to leave after 30 minutes of the 60 minute talk. There was no enthusiasm, no atmosphere… but a very big and expensive handout. One wondered why speakers were needed in the first place.
Experienced presenters are fussy people. They want to know how many people are in the audience and the backgrounds (experience) of those people. (Know they audience). They want to know the room size and the set up; whether there is a speaker system; what type of microphone is being used (a podium mike or a lavaliere?). Do they speak behind a podium (some prefer not to hide from the audience but to be out and about as they deliver their talk) or can they wander around?
Presenting in general means that you need some inflexion in your voice as if you are actually interested in what you are saying, and that you may even be enthusiastic about the topic at hand. Engaging the audience is a sure way of getting them to pay attention—perhaps a quiz or a short exercise with the person sitting next to them. A small prize (even a chocolate bar) also adds something to the event—but of course at a destination presentation, the prize should relate to that destination!
Power Point is wonderful but the whole purpose of the tool is to make a point, powerfully! Visuals are supposed to complement a presentation and not BE the presentation. Nothing is worse than a speaker reading his/her slides to the audience. In most cases, audience members can read for themselves. The PPT is supposed to be the visual backdrop to the points you are making. Therefore large graphics or a few large words will do the trick as you converse with the audience.
Videos are very popular now and very effective. They can be built into a PPT presentation or as stand-alone visuals, but again, the video should not be the whole presentation, unless advertised as such.
And a last note about PPT. There are lots of gimmicks out there from sound to animation. Everything should be done in moderation (including those cutesy slide transitions), otherwise the presentation gets boring or simply silly to watch, and no one will take you seriously.
Destinations themselves provide a goldmine of creative ideas when it comes to presenting their features and benefits. There are so many areas where the presenter can engage the audience with infectious enthusiasm, and talk about everything from history, culture, niche markets, accommodation, transportation, adventure, the people, the shopping and more.
For those presenters who think they are doing a great job, but the audience is yawning, sneaking out, doodling on their note pad, texting or playing hangman with their seat-mate, you may want to re-invigorate your presentation skills and do your ‘destination’ the proper promotion it deserves.
-Steve Gillick, President and COO, CITC
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