Here are our top 5 rules that every presenter should know to help them go from good to great while presenting a panel or event at Dragon Cons Costuming Track. (- or any con and track for that matter!)
1. Don’t be rude to your audience.
We know this sounds like a no-brainer. However the definition of “rude” can mean many things to different people. So here are examples of what will be considered rude and/or unprofessional in the con world:
- Not arriving on time or not arriving early enough to set up so you can start on time.
- Talking off topic. They are there to hear your input on the subject of the panel and little else.
- Gratuitous and blatant self promotion. Sure they are there to see you and here what you have to say about the topic of the discussion but they don’t want to hear you refer to your website and/or products in every other sentence. Have your host tell the audience your website when introducing you and get your promotional plug in at the end of your presentation. The audience will have heard you and will appreciate not getting beat over the head with it.
- Likewise, they don’t want to hear long regaling of which celebrities you have seen and what they have to say about your work.
- Don’t launch directly into audience questions. Please give them at least 45 minutes worth of presentation before opening the floor to questions. Folks are there to see what you have to say, not hear and audience-lead series of answers.
2. Don’t be rude to your co-presenters.
If there are other guests and/or professionals presenting the topic along side you, you have to get along with them for at least the time in which you are on stage together (possibly beyond depending on your field of expertise.) Here are things they may consider rude:
- Hogging the spotlight. Be mindful that the other presenters are there to speak too. Besides, the audience wants to hear from them as much as they do you.
- Telling them they are wrong in front of the audience. If they have their facts wrong, simply say that is not how you understand the situation. If you are teaching the audience how to do something (for example, at Costuming Track we teach DIYs all the time) their experience is naturally going to be different from yours. Just because you haven’t had success with one maker technique doesn’t negate the possibility that they have.
- Inviting friends or other presenters to join you on stage. It’s unfair to your co-presenters (and your host) because they may have prepared, logistically, for just the folks that were invited to participate. Further, if there are already multiple speakers on the panel adding yet another voice to the mix further divides everyone’s speaking time which can present problems for folks that have a prepared (timed) segment for the panel. Be sure to get the approval of your host in advance if there is someone you wish to invite on stage.
- Because Costuming Track is mostly DIY, we would like to add: “Costuming snobbery.” Sure real hair wigs, premium dyes, and custom molded silicone appliances may all give superior results compared to their less expensive alternatives but that doesn’t necessarily mean that your co-presenter is unable to get quality results from those cheaper products that some fans will find perfectly suitable for their needs.
- Another form of costuming snobbery is type-casting fans (co-presenters or otherwise) for cosplaying certain characters. Ridiculing fans for being the wrong body shape, race, or gender can be construed as body shamming, racism, or sexism. They aren’t auditioning for the role in a major motion picture. They are simply cosplaying a character they love so avoid sounding like a jerk and just simply don’t share your opinion on the subject while on stage.
- Avoiding the moderator. A moderator is your travel guide to help you navigate the twists and turns of presenting a panel. There job is to make sure everyone has the best experience by steering to conversation. This may mean having to change where the discussion is going, drawing out quieter guests, and shutting down folks that hog the microphone: all nicely and professionally, of course. If you see they are trying to steer you in a particular direction, please don’t insist on staying your current course.
- Avoiding the guests (as a moderator.) When moderating, you are steering the show. This does not mean that you ARE the show. You are there to shape conversation in a way that presents guests in their best light while making sure they give the audience what they came for. Think of the guests as a picture: pictures always look better in a frame though frames are secondary to the pictures themselves. You are that frame.
3. Don’t be rude to your hosts.
Your host(s) must craft an event experience that will be enjoyed by all. This delicate recipe may involve multiple ingredients that you may not even know are being poured into the making of your event. Here are a few things you will want to avoid:
- Leaving them hanging. Please show up for your panel or event. If you can’t make it give is much advance notice as possible.
- Crashing the party. If you aren’t scheduled to be on the panel or event there may be a really good reason for it. Don’t take it upon yourself to join the other presenters on stage without host approval.
- Ending your presentation early to go to another panel or event. Nothing tells your host and audience that you value another activity over spending the scheduled time with them like this faux pas.
- Being demanding or insulting. Your host(s) are most likely volunteers and have less to gain from your participation than you do (from a PR stand point.) They are there to assist you in any way possible with limited access to resources. Please don’t ask them to run errands or treat them as a personal punching bag.
- Taking over the hosts space and/or A/V equipment. Often, equipment may be in use (or very soon about to be) at the precise moment a speaker decides to commandeer said items in preparation for their own forthcoming presentation. And we have all had someone walk into a space to drop all there belongings right in the middle of and area to where a prop or piece of equipment is in the process of being moved. Help them make smooth and speedy transitions by leaving the management of their space and equipment to them.
- Disrespecting the venue. Until the con is over, this room is their home. Disposing of your own trash and avoiding storing your belongings there goes a long way to helping them keep the room looking professional. For example, we at Costuming Track played host to well over 300 guests, performers, and professionals last year. Imagine how an audience might feel upon entering a room where all 300+ of them have left behind messes and parked their boxes of demo supplies along the walls. And that back-room heap you have pictured in your mind right now, would you want to present there? Help keep it professional by taking with you when you leave anything that you brought in.
- Disrespecting their decisions. Your host knows their situation: venue, target audience, logistical concerns may all play a part in their decisions. If a host asks you to do something, try to accommodate within reason. But if they ask you not to do something, please don’t do it even if you disagree. You may be asked to exclude topics from your presentation, sit at a specified location, stand down from participating in an event, …whatever it is they need you NOT to do. Not doing something is actually one of the easiest requests to accommodate but do it anyway and you send a clear message that you have no respect for them or their authority.
4. Make sure the audience can follow the conversation.
You are investing time to reach out to your fans (or gain new ones) and you really want to get your message across. The following are critical to making sure you are heard.
- Speak into the microphone. You may think you can be heard but be mindful that individuals with hearing impairments are often too embarrassed to speak up about it. Besides, just because the audience seated immediately in front of you says they can hear you doesn’t mean anyone in the back of the room or side wings can hear you.
- Repeat audience questions. Bear in mind that they are facing you not the rest of the audience. If someone on the 2nd row asks you a question and you answer “nail polish” there is no way someone on the 4th-100th rows are going know that you just gave a solution for ending a run in your hosiery. – that is, unless they are using a microphone too. If not, please avoid turning it into a one-on-one conversation and respond by first repeating the question and then providing an answer.
- Have a general idea of what you want to talk about and in what order. An outline is perfect for this. Otherwise, your presentation may end up all over the place. This can be problematic if you are teaching how to do something and actions steps are out of order or missed; particularly for an on-looker that is trying to take notes.
5. Make it memorable with handouts and visuals.
- When Walt Disney would plan a movie or theme park attraction he would look for ways to “plus it.” For the con world, handouts and visuals do just that. Audiences love them! Adding a slide show or demonstration to your presentation, passing around samples, or providing handouts that contain follow-up instructions or how-to information are greatly appreciated. One or more of these enhancers go a long way toward gaining raving fans; and your host(s) will love you for it too.
6. Have fun!
- Ok, so we lied. There are 6 rules.
- If you are having fun, so will everyone else. If there is anything we can do to help you better enjoy your presenter experience please contact us (preferably in advance) and we will do our best to acomoda you. We look forward to seeing you at the Con.