You may not be able to slow down. At least insert some pauses to let your audience catch up.

I recently attended a conference where a number of speaker-experts presented. These people, in general, were brilliant and many of them presented well. A common issue that I saw however (and I must say, I see this all the time) is they had way too much information.

In the future, I will write about the problem of the “curse of the expert”, having too much information and why it is an almost universal stumbling block for presenters. But for now, I want to focus on one aspect and how it can be partially corrected.

The problem arises when the speaker knows he or she has a lot to share, knows there is limited time and speaks quickly. For the audience this is an immediate overload – content is flying at them at a speed that does not allow assimilation or understanding. They are quickly overwhelmed.

The best solution is to severely edit the material, practice the art of slowing down and inserting generous pauses which will allow the audience to catch up. If you can’t do all of that … at least insert a few pauses.
Look for places where you make a profound point, a humorous comment or are ready to transition to another facet of your topic.

You will be giving your audience a spot to catch up and to process your brilliance.

Gary Keller is the co-founder and chairman of the board of Keller Williams Realty and best selling author of The ONE Thing: The Surprisingly Simple Truth Behind Extraordinary Results. In his book he describes his process that allows him (and us) to discover and focus on the one thing that will make all the difference in the short-term and lead us to our big long-term goal. It is a recipe for sharp focus and mono-tasking. A powerful book, well-written.

As presenters, we often get lost in our vast knowledge of the subject matter and fail to focus on that one thing that the audience needs to move forward. What can they take away? What is your one big idea for them?

All your slides and indeed, your entire presentation, should be measured against this yardstick. Then you need to put on your big-boy editor’s pants and trim away anything that doesn’t get you there.

What is your big message?

What is your ONE thing?