Why You Should Always Arrive Early to a Presentation and What to Do When You Get There

Quality is not an act, it is a habit.
- Aristotle

Nothing may be more important to you when giving a speech than arriving early. We’ve all seen the speaker who dashes in the door at the last minute. The technology doesn’t work, the room isn’t set up the way they thought it would be, the handouts aren’t there and everything just falls apart.

 Always Arrive Significantly Early

My recommendation is always arrive 45 to 60 minutes before you are scheduled to speak. I guarantee you’ll see your speeches, your persuasion power, and your impact increase dramatically when you do.

Check the room out and make sure the layout is the way you want it. Make sure the temperature is where you want it. Test and re-test all the equipment. You need to make sure everything works for you. Don’t trust the sound guy or computer tech who says, “I checked everything and it works fine.”

Think about it. You’re coming into a room to deliver a presentation. Shouldn’t you take control of how it is set up to maximize your impact?

Check Your Equipment to Make It Work For You 

1. Make sure all the settings on your computer are set so that the machine doesn’t go to sleep halfway through your presentation. Nothing is more distracting or harder to handle than when your laptop suddenly turns blank, your visuals disappear, and you're caught off guard wondering what went wrong.
2. Check the microphone. Make sure you know where the on/off switch is and that it’s adjusted to a sound level that fits your voice and the way you speak, not someone else’s. Confirm that the batteries are new to ensure they don't die on you midway through your presentation. 
3. Check the lighting in the room. For some reason that I'll never fully understand, people tend to think you need to turn the lights off that are illuminating the audience. But if you're going to connect with them, you need to be able to see them. Work with the site people to set the lighting so that you can see the people in the room.
4. Make sure your visuals are visible. Another important consideration regarding lighting is to make sure the lights shining in the area of the screen or any visuals you’re using are set appropriately. If you’re using a projector, you'll want the lights that shine on the screen dimmed (even if that means loosening the bulbs) so your visuals show up well. If you’re using some other sort of visual, you may want lights brightened and shined directly on them so they show up well.
5. Check the stage and the path to it. Whether you are on a riser or platform of some sort, or just walking to the front of the room, make sure you step into the space and check it out. Look for things that will block the view of audience members (and your ability to see them), things that you might stumble over while walking into place, and things that might distract the audience's attention from you when you are speaking.

Taking the time to perform those five checks will put you at ease in the room and make your presentation much more effective. It will also send a clear message to the people who asked you to speak that you are committed to making an impact, and that will go a long way toward building your reputation as a great speaker.

Set the Tone of the Room

Arriving early also gives you the chance to show your genuine interest in the event. You get a chance to do some meeting and greeting, and make the attendees (not to mention the event planner) feel more at ease.

Here is a little-known, over-looked fact: It is the responsibility of the presenter to determine the setup of the room in which they will present.

Take the time to talk with the meeting planner about why you want the room set up the way you want it set up. Give them a diagram in advance. Personally connect with the people who will set the room to make sure it’s the way you want when you arrive. 

If the worse case scenario occurs, don’t hesitate to go in and reset the room before the meeting. Room setup has a greater impact on presentations than we realize, and the wrong room setup can ruin the best presentation.

Preparation Pays Off When It Comes Time to Present

By arriving early, checking the equipment, and setting the room, you are making a commitment to yourself and your presentation. There are a lot of details that go into any presentation, but making sure that these last few things right before you present are handled will give you the confidence and capability to deliver it well. Further, you get a chance to help yourself relax because you are already onsite and not stressed.

This strategy has been essential to my success when speaking, and I believe that with time, practice, and the proper tools that everyone can deliver an effective speech or presentation. For more insights like these to help you with your speaking, download your free copy of my new ebook 52 Speaking Tricks.

~~~~~

Michael Hudson is a coach, speaker, idea-junkie, and creator of Vision Speaker? system, a proven process to help leaders deliver dynamic presentations to communicate change and drive strategic success. Learn more at MichaelHudson.com