3 Group Presentation Pitfalls — and How to Avoid Them

by??Allison Shapira

Many of us have experienced poor group presentations. If you're giving one, it's the last-minute scramble the night before to decide who is presenting which part of the presentation. If you're observing one, it's the chaos of hearing multiple people talking over one another or, even worse, simply reading their slides word-for-word and ignoring their audience.?

我們中的許多人都經(jīng)歷過糟糕的團隊演示。如果你要進行一次演示，這種糟糕體驗就是前一天晚上的忙亂，以決定由誰來演示哪一部分。如果你在觀察一次演示，糟糕的體驗就是多人互相干擾的混亂，或者更糟糕的是，只是逐字逐句地念幻燈片而忽略了聽眾。

For many organizations,?group presentations are a part of life.?Your team may deliver a group pitch to a new client, or perhaps the capstone exercise of your leadership development program includes a series of group presentations to the head of your business unit. Virtual meetings make these presentations easier than ever because your team doesn't have to be in the same location.

對于許多企業(yè)來說，團隊演示是生活的一部分。你的團隊可能會向新客戶進行集體推介，或者你的領(lǐng)導(dǎo)力發(fā)展計劃中的巔峰練習(xí)包括向業(yè)務(wù)部門負(fù)責(zé)人進行一系列團隊演示。虛擬會議讓這些演示比以往任何時候都更容易，因為你的團隊不必身處同一地點。

Putting together an effective group presentation takes teamwork and coordination so it doesn't look like a patchwork quilt. And yet, many of us never budget the time to fully prepare.?

組織一次有效的團隊演示需要團隊合作與協(xié)調(diào)，這樣它才不會像縫合怪一樣。然而，許多人從來沒有為充分準(zhǔn)備安排過足夠的時間。

What's at stake here??Every presentation is an opportunity?to build trust with your audience. The cohesiveness of your group presentation is an indicator to your clients of what their relationship will be like working with you. If your presentation is disjointed and disorganized, your client will wonder what the outcome of your project will be. If one member of your team puts down another during the presentation, how will your team treat the client's team? You are presenting a glimpse into your working relationship as well as into your organization's capabilities.?

這里什么是要緊事？每一次演示都是與聽眾建立信任的機會。你們團隊演示的凝聚力可以向客戶表明他們與你的合作關(guān)系會是怎樣的。如果你的演示雜亂無章，你的客戶就會質(zhì)疑你的項目成果。如果一名團隊成員在演示過程中不顧另一成員的面子，那么這個團隊又會如何對待客戶團隊？你所呈現(xiàn)的是工作關(guān)系以及企業(yè)能力的一瞥。

My colleagues and I have been coaching our clients on their group presentations for nearly 20 years. In addition, I'm part of the faculty in an executive education course on persuasive communication at the Harvard Kennedy School. This three-week course culminates in a series of group presentations, which I evaluate along with the other faculty in the program.?

近20年來，我和我的同事一直在指導(dǎo)我們的客戶進行團隊演示。此外，我還是哈佛大學(xué)肯尼迪學(xué)院（Harvard Kennedy School）關(guān)于說服性溝通的高管教育課程教員之一。這門為期三周的課程最終需要進行一系列的團隊演示，我會與課程中的其他教員一起對這些演示進行評估。

Based on this experience, here are some of the common mistakes we see in group presentations, followed by a few best practices to keep you on track.?

基于這一經(jīng)驗，以下是我們羅列了在團隊演示中看到的一些常見錯誤，隨后是一些可以讓你保持正確方向的最佳實踐。

Three Common Missteps

三種常見過失

1. Each slide looks like it was designed by a different person.?

? ? ?每張幻燈片看上去像不同人設(shè)計的

When no single person is in charge of a presentation, you tend to see a disjointed slide deck of different fonts, text styles, and images. You also see people put their entire script on the slide and read from it word-for-word. This distracts your audience and loses their attention.?

當(dāng)不是單獨一個人負(fù)責(zé)演示時，你通常會看到由不同字體、文本樣式和圖像組成的一組雜亂幻燈片。你還會看到有人把整個腳本放在幻燈片上，逐字逐句地讀。這會讓你的聽眾分心，失去他們的關(guān)注。

2. Presenters talk over one another.?

? ? 演示人員互相干擾

When we don’t take the time to decide who is covering what?—?and how we will transition from one person to the next — we start to interrupt one another, which reduces our professionalism. One of my clients once said to me, “What must our clients be thinking when we interrupt one another?”

當(dāng)我們沒有花時間確定誰來演示什么內(nèi)容——以及我們將如何從一個人過渡到下一個人時——我們就開始互相打斷，這降低了我們的專業(yè)水準(zhǔn)。我的一個客戶曾經(jīng)對我說：“當(dāng)我們互相打斷時，我們的客戶會怎么想？”

3. Forgetting that you are “on.”?

? ? 忘記你是“在臺上”

Once someone finishes their part of a group presentation, they are so relieved to be done speaking that they forget they are still “on stage” or on camera. They start checking their phone or zoning out instead of actively listening to the person speaking next.

一旦有人完成了自己那一部分團隊演示，他們會因完成了講解內(nèi)容而如釋重負(fù)，以至于忘記了自己仍“在臺上”或在鏡頭中。他們開始查看自己的手機或走神，而不是積極地傾聽下一個人的講話。

Luckily, each of those missteps can be prevented with the right preparation.?

幸運的是，適當(dāng)?shù)臏?zhǔn)備可以避免這些過失。

Three Best Practices?

1. Strategize in advance /?提前制定策略

When preparing for any type of presentation, I teach people to ask three questions:?Who is your audience? What is your goal??and?Why you??For group presentations, it’s important to answer those questions together. The last question,?Why you?,?which actually means?Why do you care?,?prompts you to share your own motivations on the topic, helping your team bond as a cohesive unit.?

在準(zhǔn)備任何類型的演示時，我都會教人們問三個問題：誰是聽眾？目標(biāo)是什么？為何是你？對于團隊演示，一起回答這些問題很重要。最后一個問題，“為何是你”實際是指“為何你很在意”，它會促使你分享對這個話題的動機，幫助團隊作為一個有內(nèi)聚力的單位團結(jié)起來。

When you add a group presentation to your calendar, block off time to prepare as a group. Use this time to agree on your audience's level of knowledge about the topic, your specific goal for the presentation, the main message, the general outline and who will present each section before each of you starts writing your individual components. This helps you avoid the last-minute stress trying to fit each of your slides into one cohesive unit. Also decide who will take what kinds of questions, or decide who on the team will be in charge of fielding questions and assigning them to the right person to answer.

當(dāng)你在日程中添加團隊演示時，請留出時間一起準(zhǔn)備。利用這段時間，就聽眾對主題的了解程度、演示的具體目標(biāo)、主要信息、大綱以及每個部分由誰演示達(dá)成一致，然后每個人再開始撰寫各自的部分。這有助于你避免在最后關(guān)頭因試圖將你的每一張幻燈片整合進一個有機整體而產(chǎn)生壓力。另外，要決定誰來回答哪種類型的問題，或者決定團隊中誰來負(fù)責(zé)答復(fù)問題，并將問題分配給合適的人來回答。

2. Practice as a group /?進行集體練習(xí)

Before the presentation, make time for a complete run-through, with slides. Specifically, practice your transitions from one person to the next, such as,?Stacey did a great job talking us through the challenges of entering this new market. Now, I’ll provide a few solutions based on our firm’s expertise.?Use a timer to ensure you are keeping to the allotted time, or set a realistic time limit based on the format of your meeting, so you ensure plenty of time to field questions. Make time to evaluate the slides together so that the language, font, and use of graphics are consistent.?

在演示之前，請抽出時間用幻燈片進行完整彩排。具體來說，練習(xí)從一個人到下一個人的過渡，比如，“斯泰西精彩地講述了進入這個新市場的挑戰(zhàn)?，F(xiàn)在，我將根據(jù)我們公司的專業(yè)知識提供幾種解決方案”。請使用計時器確保你遵守分配的時間，或者根據(jù)會議的總體安排制定一個現(xiàn)實可行的時間限制，這樣你才能確保有足夠的時間回答問題。請騰出時間一起評估幻燈片，以便語言、字體和圖表前后一致。

3. Deliver with confidence and authenticity /?展示需要自信且真誠

When it’s time for the group presentation itself, lead with the speaker who best represents your organization; give junior speakers an opportunity to present in the middle. This ensures a strong first impression and takes some of the pressure off newer speakers. When speaking in person, position yourself so that you can reference the slides but speak directly to the audience. Bring your own personality to the presentation; you could say something like,?If you’re from California like I am, then you’ll know…Personal anecdotes that connect to the audience are a terrific way to build trust between the audience and each member of the group presenting.?

到了團隊演示的時候，讓最能代表企業(yè)的人率先發(fā)言；給予初級發(fā)言者在中間演示的機會。這可以確保給人留下深刻的第一印象，并減輕發(fā)言新手的壓力。當(dāng)面對面發(fā)言時，請確定好自己的位置，以便你可以參照幻燈片的同時直接面向觀眾發(fā)言。在演示中融入你的個性；你可以這樣說：“如果你和我一樣來自加利福尼亞，那么你就會知道……”與聽眾相關(guān)的個人軼事是在聽眾與演示小組每個成員之間建立信任的極好方式。

What changes in a virtual setting??

虛擬環(huán)境會帶來什么變化？

All the above suggestions hold true in?virtual presentations, especially the importance of doing a complete run-through on the virtual platform you’ll be using. In these situations, designate one person to run the slides for the entire presentation so each person doesn’t have to share their screen. Ensure each speaker has a professional background, adequate lighting on their face, and is clearly audible. Use this?video?for reference on how to prepare for virtual presentations. When speaking, look directly into the camera lens so the audience sees and feels your eye contact. When you are not speaking, mute yourself so your background noise doesn’t interfere with the speaker.

以上所有建議在虛擬演示中均適用，尤其在你將要使用的虛擬平臺上進行完整彩排也很重要。在這些情況下，指定一個人播放整個演示文稿的所有幻燈片，這樣每個人就不必共享屏幕。確保每位發(fā)言者都有專業(yè)背景，面部有足夠的照明，并且聲音清晰可聞。參考這個視頻來準(zhǔn)備虛擬演示。說話時，直視攝像鏡頭，這樣聽眾可以看到并感受到你的眼神交流。當(dāng)你不說話時，讓自己靜音，這樣你的背景噪音就不會干擾發(fā)言者。

Done well, a group presentation demonstrates the strength of your team and the quality of your work. Take advantage of this powerful opportunity to build trust with your audience and, as a result, help your organization succeed.

如果完成得不錯，團隊演示可以展現(xiàn)團隊的力量和工作質(zhì)量。請利用這個強大的機會與聽眾建立信任，從而幫助你的企業(yè)取得成功。

艾莉森·沙皮拉在哈佛大學(xué)肯尼迪學(xué)院教授“溝通藝術(shù)（The Arts of Communication）”課程，她是培訓(xùn)企業(yè)全球公共演講（Global Public Speaking）的創(chuàng)始人兼CEO。該公司幫助新興和成熟領(lǐng)導(dǎo)者清晰、簡潔、自信地演講。她著有新書《有影響力的演講：如何掌控房間并影響他人》（Speak with Impact: How to Command the Room and Influence Others）。