43. People Read in a Certain Direction

The fact that people read in a certain direction (left to right for some languages, right to left for some, top to bottom for others) may not seem like it is crucial to the effectiveness of your presentation, but it is. Think about the setup the last time you gave a presentation. Assuming you used slides of some kind, the slides were on a screen—possibly/probably on a screen that was larger than you are. So that is the first problem—people will tend to look at the screen and not at you. Now add to this where the screen is and where you are.

If you are presenting to an audience where people read left to right, but you are on the “wrong” side of the screen, then most people will not even see you during most of the presentation (Figure 43.1 and Figure 43.2). The slides should not be the focus of the presentation. If people are just there to look at slides, you could have, and should have, sent them a report instead. If you are giving a presentation, then you are the critical part of the message, not your slides.

Figure 43.1. The “wrong” side to be standing on if your audience reads left to right

Figure 43.2. The “right” side to be standing on if your audience reads left to right

How to Influence the Room Setup

If you show up at the last minute and the room setup is not the way you want it to be, there isn’t much you can do to fix it at that point. So show up early and see if you can ask for changes.

Even better, send a diagram ahead of time showing how you prefer to have the screen set up and the front of the room set up.

In many venues there is a lectern where your laptop must go, and that lectern may not be movable because of cords and wiring. The lectern might be on the wrong side, and you don’t want to have to stay at the lectern anyway. So purchase your own presenter remote and bring it with you whenever you speak. These are small devices you hold in your hand that allow you to change slides back and forth. My favorite is the Logitech model. Get a simple one and practice using it. It will free you from having to stand near your computer.