Making the Environment Right for a Presentation

Giving a presentation to your colleagues at work needn’t be a horrific experience. All it takes is a little planning and preparation on your part to impress the boss and keep your coworkers awake while imparting the information you want to get across.

The environment of a presentation can be key to success or failure. Many a fine presentation was ruined by an uncomfortable or unsuitable environment. The make the environment as comfortable and productive as possible try to arrange the following items:

1) Room size and location.

You want to have the room fit the number of people attending your presentation. Too small a room and your listeners may have to stand, or even sit on the floor. Too large a room, and your listeners could be scattered all over the four corners of the place, making it difficult to establish eye contact, or draw in your audience. If at all possible, have a good idea how many people are attending your presentation before you book a room.

The room location should be clearly indicated in any broch

ures or advertisements for your presentation. You don’t want your audience wandering all over a building looking for your room and missing half your presentation. You also don’t want your room location to be too close to a potential distraction, like a swimming pool, or a bar.

2) Room temperature, seating, tables. You want the temperature to be cool enough to keep your listeners awake, yet warm enough so they aren’t uncomfortable. Ask your listeners before you begin if they are comfortable. Show them where the thermostat is so they can adjust it during the presentation if need be.

Seats should have good back support, and there should be enough seats for everyone. The seats should have armrests and be adjustable.