There is no other way to say this, but be early when arriving for any speaking engagement.
Upon coming at any speaking venue there are manifold things to be aware of and check over to facilitate an efficient presentation.
If we are speaking at a major event then most of these things will commonly have been dealt with as a matter of course, and in any case we may not have much quality to convert things. If the event is on a smaller scale, then much of the accountability may fall on us as the speaker to ensure that the venue is properly prepared.
Here are some of the key issues to consider:
Always seek out our host, or the event organizer as soon as we arrive to confirm the essential details of what is happening.
Make sure that the program or run sheet is running to plan, that we are still scheduled for the appointed time.
Do a walk around the actual room (if it's an inside event, and assuming we are there before starting time or at a coffee break) to get a feel for the room dynamics. Put ourselves in the seat of the audience to see how easy it is to see us, and potentially hear us from where they are sitting.
Make sure that any optical aids we are going to use are able to be seen effectively from every seat in the room.
And, make sure the lectern doesn't block the screen (if used) while we, or our presentation is being displayed. Yes, sometimes citizen overlook this and parts of the audience can't see what we are displaying.
Likewise, any white boards or flip charts we have asked for are readily available, have supplies of pens and erasers, and can be seen easily.
Check out the lectern to see that it is positioned properly regarding lighting, visibility and that there is enough room for our notes (if we are using notes).
Sometimes, organizers use manifold lecterns, or a side table to position their (or our) laptop for the presentation. Make sure that it is accessible, handy and within reach.
Take care to check out where cabling is placed, at the lectern or crossing the floor. It can be chaos if we trip over the cabling, or even pull it out of its sockets on the laptop etc.
It happens.
If an electronic pointer is being used, make sure it works, that the laptop responds properly and we can point effectively to the screen if necessary. It's a good idea to carry our own pointer and spare batteries with us.
Lighting is important, especially if we are doing a presentation in a darkened room, or at night. I have turned up for a presentation where I needed to use notes, and there was no light over the lectern, so couldn't read the notes.
Not good.
Be sure to find and make the acquaintance of the audio optical operator, if one is being used. If things go wrong while a presentation, they are our best friend, so be sure to line them up before hand.
It pays to get them to run our presentation before we get up to speak (if we are using PowerPoint etc) to ensure it plays correctly. Real drama can happen with incorrect formatting, as occurs when we shift a presentation from Pc to Usb stick (or email) to our hosts laptop.
It pays to all the time have our presentation on a Usb stick as a backup, and, if it's an foremost event, have our laptop with us as well in case any unforeseen changes have to be made to article or formatting.
It is all the time wise to save any PowerPoint presentations as an older version of PowerPoint, say 2003, as issues can arise when our breathtaking Office 2010 light show is ran on a hosts older software version.
Trust me.
Likewise, if our presentation is to be videoed, be sure to speak to the operator before hand and be aware of any limitations on where we should or shouldn't stand or move.
If we make their job easy, all will go well for us too.
Microphones vary widely. Be sure they work, and suit our particular presentation style, i.e. Fixed, hand-held or lapel.
And, work out with our host where they want us to be seated before getting up to speak, and who to hand over to after we speak. Lots of hassles can be avoided by getting slight things like this right.
There, easy really.
When speaking at any forum or event, ultimately it's our responsibility as a speaker to get it right, so some prior planning and preparation will go a long way to ensuring that all goes well, and we deliver a sensational address.
Developing The Speaker Within You: The Venue