Let me ask you if you're driving down the highway and you look next to you, and there's a teenager driving zooming past you, and they are texting on their cell phone at the time, does that make you feel comfortable? Or does that make you feel? Oh my gosh, let me pull off the road. This is a disaster waiting to happen. If you're like me and those same people, you're probably in the second category. Well, why is that?
It's because human beings are inherently awful at multitasking. We all think we're great at multitasking and everyone talks about it. We like to text and send emails and phone conversations at the same time we think we're being productive or not. All the research shows that if someone gives you three tasks, lets you focus on one and finish that go to the second finish that go to the third finish it versus just giving me all three. I tried to do all three at once. You'll actually finish sooner than I will, with fewer mistakes.
No matter how great I think I am at multitasking. All the research is conclusive on this Now why am I talking about multitasking? And teenagers driving? It's because when most people deliver PowerPoint presentations, they're asking their audience to multitask. What you're saying to your audiences. Hey, look at me and watch me speak.
No, no, ignore me. Look at this screen over here and read this stuff. At the same time. There's no, no ignore that read a handout. So you're forcing your audience to constantly multitask and make a decision. Do I watch the speaker?
Can I read what's on their slide? Do I read their hand up but what happens to so many audience members it's overwhelming. They shut down when there's a fourth choice. Oh, let me check the sports scores on my favorite team. That's the problem with that. You are creating competition for yourself.
Yes. How often if you had to give a new business pitch for your business? Would you call up all your competitors and say, Hey, I'm giving a new business pitch at 9am. Tomorrow at the Acme widget company, why don't you come at 910 and give your pitch and then do another get once you get to 920? Again, you wouldn't do that. Guess what?
That is what you're doing to your audience. If you're asking them to multitask if you're speaking, and do you have a slide up? You're asking them to make a decision. Do I ignore TJ do I ignore the slide? Don't do that. Ask your audience to do one thing at a time.
If you're speaking, when I'm speaking, I don't have slides up. When I put a slide up I close my mouth. And I let you look at. If I want you to read something, I will give the handout, close my mouth, turn off the slot and let you read it. You cannot go wrong. asking your audience to do one thing at a time and only giving them one thing to do at a time.
That way they don't have to make a choice. Audiences if you're consistently putting out interesting stuff for that from around the screen handouts are more than happy to focus on one thing at a time they will follow your lead but if you lead them to three different directions, you're just going to create confusion. So my advice, ask them to do one thing at a time when you're speaking. Don't have a slide up. slide up. Close your mouth.
You give them a handout. give them time to read it without you talking without any new stuff up on the screen.