Photo by Saif71.com on Unsplash
I sat through a meeting recently where the presenter waffled on and on and on and on....
The presenter, while clearly proficient in the subject, was much more senior to many of us in the hierarchy. Definitely very passionate about the topic as well. Can really feel the fire in his heart on the matter. However, it was clear midway through the session, most of us had ceased to pay attention.
I decided to "sacrifice" myself to "save" the rest.
"Excuse me, Mr XYZ. Could I speak to u offline about clarifying ABC? Let's do this offline cos we still have many other items on agenda to cover".
I could almost see deep breaths of relief from everyone else at the table.
IMHO, all presenters should:
- keep the presentation succinct
- have clear messages / take aways
- keep to the content and message(s)
- be alert and watch the body language of their audience.
- know when to stop talking
I remind myself constantly on the points above. But as a "safety net", I tell my colleagues to stop me if there is anything to clarify, if I spout "nonsense" or if I waffle on.
Don't feel bad or embarrassed if someone does stop you from waffling on. Take it as the colleague is helping to save u time and free up your schedule. 😃