Sound professional. NOT Ghetto.
This one was hard for me to get over. Since I talk so much, I tend to say “ummm…” to fill silence. This is something I’ve seen very good presenters do just because it’s so natural. However, if you keep this in mind and are aware of it, you can minimize it. I’ve heard people say things like: “Well…ummm…the thing is that…ummm…bla bla…and so therefore…ummm…the answer is yes.” When presenting, silence is much better than saying “ummm…”. A second or two of silence while you formulate your thought/sentence is perfectly fine. Too many “ummm…”s not only sound unprofessional, but also give the impression that you ummm…don’t really know what you’re talking about.
“Ya know what I’m sayin’ dawg?”
Avoid using slang in a presentation. Talkin’ ghetto is aiight if you be talkin’ wit yo boyz or mackin’ on some skirts in da club, but it ain’t cool in a bid’ness meetin’. Ya heaaard?*
“As mentioned in the last MPR: RAC has informed us that the EIS for their new VTOL UAV is approximately 2095.”
I actually heard this in a meeting once. The other extreme is just as bad. Avoid using too much technical jargon in your presentation. Some people do this to TRY and sound smart and/or important. If your audience doesn’t understand what you’re saying it doesn’t matter how smart you sound (or are). If you’re going to use uncommon acronyms or are unsure if the audience will understand, use the words once and thereafter use the acronym.
Depending on the subject matter and your audience, there are exceptions to these “rules” (as with everything else). Casual or overly techie talk MIGHT be OK in very specific circumstances, but in general, avoid it.
*This section was spell checked with my special version of Microsoft Word