You are never prepared to deliver a PowerPoint presentation unless you're prepared for a disaster. And by disaster, I mean, the slides don't work, the computer doesn't work. The bolt has burned out of the projector, someone forgot to bring the right cord connecting your laptop to the computer screen, the TV screen, or the larger screen, all of those things, you can have a power outage. You can't control every single variable you can try. But still, sooner or later, because I know it's happened to me. You're going to be attempting to deliver a PowerPoint presentation and there's simply no way of projecting your slides.
What are you going to do? cry in front of your audience? That's not very impressive. Once they come back tomorrow, what if you're the last speaker at four o'clock at a three day conference and everyone's going to the airport at five and you'll never see them again. You have to make the best of the situation. My recommendation is never deliver a PowerPoint presentation.
Never even tried to deliver a PowerPoint presentation unless you're completely comfortable delivering it without the slides. What do I mean by that? I mean, you know what you want to say? You got the ideas, stories, case studies in your brain and you have a single sheet sheet. Now I love PowerPoint. I love projectors, technology cameras, I'm using microphones, lights, technology, editing, all sorts of computer processing right now speaking to you.
But there's one form of technology that's never let me down. There's one form of technology that's never complained about compatibility or cords or power or anything else. That technology a piece of paper. So my recommendation, have everything you need to deliver your 10 minute presentation, your 30 minute your 45 minute your two hour presentation on notes, a single sheet of paper that way, bulbs burnout. Slides don't work, computer glitches viruses, you couldn't care less. You're going to present to people your ideas and you know what?
They can be even more impressed that you were flexible that you were adaptable that you made your ideas come alive. So occasionally, not having access to your slides can be the best thing that ever happened to you and your audience.