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Remember some of the cultural habits. In the United States, people are used to saying yes or no when you ask them to do something. In Japan, they do not say no; they will usually say "yes" if asked. But this doesn’t mean they will do it. Avoid yes-or-no questions. And don’t take head nodding as understanding or agreement. You need to know your culture. Ask the interpreter to help you if you are unsure about what type of questions to ask your audience.
Bring Paper Copies. Here are some comments on this topic from our survey: "I have found that international companies are not reliable when they promise you that they will have equipment ready for you. I use 35 mm slides." "I always carry hard copies of my slides and format them for A4 paper." "I carry paper copies as there is frequently a loss of electricity." If the presentation is technical, hand out a definition of terms to the audience before the presentation. This is good advice for any audience.
Use Text to Increase Understanding. Make the text on the slides useful if the audience speaks your language as a second language. This doesn’t mean sentences. It means parallel phrases that all start with verbs or nouns. It means organized content. People can frequently read better than they can understand the spoken word. This is not the time to have only two words for each bullet point. But make sure the words are in your basic language without many syllables. Use about eight bullet points with about eight words per point on a slide. Also, audiences usually more easily understand written diagrams and numbers than text.
Check the Translation. Ensure that anything that is translated means what it should. How to do that? Some people who have lots of time have it translated back. If you don’t have the time, have a native speaker go through the slides. Explain technical terms to translators ahead of time.
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Plan for a Multiple Country Presentation Tour. One respondent advised, "When preparing to give the same presentation in multiple countries, create slides in which you can easily drop in images, illustrations, and photos representative of the country in which you are speaking." In many countries people don’t ask questions and interact during the presentation. Plan accordingly. A three-hour presentation could take only one hour if there is no interaction.
Ask Questions
One of the most important characteristics of an effective salesperson, consultant, or technical specialist is the ability to ask questions, then listen for the answer, and change plans based on that answer. You need to ask many questions of your audience unless your presentation is in the category of conference talk, project update talk with pre-formatted outline, or motivational speech to a large number of people. The worst mistake presenters make is to assume they know the needs and interests of their audience and to give a talk based on their perceptions. To succeed in the future, you need to be able to ask questions of your audience—before the talk and during the talk. If you are a "performance presenter" who just likes to give the talk and take questions at the end, your tendency will be to not ask questions. If you are an "interactive presenter," then you’ll love the idea of asking questions and building the presentation around the responses. You’re more comfortable interacting than giving a formal presentation.
Here are some "before" questions to ask:
1. What do you want to do that you aren’t able to do now with the system?
2. What goals do you have that you aren’t able to reach due to...?
3. How do you see our product helping you achieve certain goals?
4. What is frustrating you right now in your business?
5. What one "major fix" in your business would make the most difference to you?
6. Tell me about how the system would work in your ideal world.
Now you’re in the middle of the presentation and you wonder how to create interaction. No one is talking. Of course, in some cultures no one will talk, but let’s assume that, in the culture in which you are presenting, people will interact during a talk. How do you get that going?
Here’s what not to do. Don’t ask, "Do you understand?" Most people will say yes, even if they do not. What can you ask? You can ask closed questions to find out whether you are on the right track. Closed questions usually require a yes or no answer: "Do you want more details about this now?" "Am I giving you too many details?"
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