Here are a couple of examples for your entertainment:
Smoking during preso = bad. O.K. She wasn’t smoking or maybe she was smoking some crack prior to the presentation, because the big wad of pink Hubba Bubba bubble gum was a huge distraction. Did I mention she was blowing bubbles and smacking? Here is the deal: this is not only unprofessional, but distracting. I found myself zoning out and staring in amazement. I am pretty sure I missed the first third of her speech.
Political Banter = VERY bad. There are two things you should keep out of any public presentation and one of them is… POLITICS! Back in my corporate life, the president I worked for used to try to get me to engage in political conversations in the office and I refused. There is a time and place for political conversations and they should not be at work or in front of an audience unless you are on C-Span or running for an elected office. As payback, I did dress up as Sarah Palin on my last day of work (it was Halloween, f.y.i., I don’t normally play dress up) and it was a real kick watching the whole conservative office go into shock. When speaking, you may offend someone in the audience with your political views and lose a customer as a result. My point? Don’t go there!
Ranting and Raving … Really?! If you are given a public forum, it is also not the time or place to act like a crazy person. Crazy behavior includes ranting and raving on subjects that have no relation to your topic at hand. Or, calling out audience members and insulting them in a public forum. Last but not least, having your audience members recite poems/quotes, also not applicable whatsoever to your topic at hand. Please note: if this is your method to generate new business you are simply going to earn a bad reputation and a one way ticket to the funny farm.
