I’ll comment in this blog post about a rather abrupt way of closing a presentation and what I’ve learned from this.
First of all, what is George HABER‘s solution? That’s simple: close the presentation as soon as possible, whenever required. George Haber’s solution was presented to me and a rather large audience at a Biz Days Conference in 2007.
What was George HABER’s situation? (almost a problem)
George HABER had a presentation time of 15 minutes (that was its allocated time on that particular day). He talked with passion, made me laugh, inspired me into thinking, and at the end of the 15 minutes he was right in the middle of talking.
Then it happened: the moderator of the event (coming from a Germanic culture) wished to keep a tight schedule. He said to George HABER (approximate quote): “you only have one minute left until the end of the 15 minutes”.
What was George HABER’s solution? (detailed)
George HABER did the most unexpected thing: he quickly ended his idea (letting us know the conclusions of that particular thought), he went to the (I’d say) 5-10 remaining slides quickly, briefly explaining in one sentence what’s the slide about, and he finished all this in 30 seconds (anyhow, much less than the allocated one minute).
Why I like his solution?
The solution is great for your own ability to interrupt your own thinking. I didn’t like the way the moderator signaled it’s time to end the presentation (I would have preferred it went on and on), but in the given situation I think it’s the best way to handle it.
He was quick in his actions, he followed the schedule (even if he and I did not agree with the moderator), he managed to finish the presentation, he left us wonder.
So, the solution is great just for being able to control yourself well enough, and put emphasis on the role of the audience and structure, rather than emphasizing your own role as a presenter.
What should you learn from this? Whenever possible, try to follow the schedule more than your own wish to fully present your ideas.
It’s a tough choice, I know, but I do like it.
Any thoughts on this?