I recently discovered the delights of Instagram (I know, I came very late to the party!). At first, I had no idea how to use the effects, but I played around and found out how things work. Now I am hooked. I'm not talking photoshop at 50 paces, but I've certainly been making sure that my pictures look super fly! And that my friends is what editing does for your presentation. Good editing makes sure that whatever you are presenting is shown in the best possible light.I know you may feel that what you've written is a masterpiece and maybe you are one of those rare individuals whose first draft is excellent. However, in my experience, most of us need to edit our presentation before we deliver it. This is because your first draft is unlikely to be your best draft. I remember reading a tip a while back, about how to write a blog post in an hour. The idea is to write everything down, without worrying about how it reads or anything like that. Once you've got the first draft down, then you spend the rest of the time editing it, until it's what you want. Unfortunately, i'm far too finicky to stick to that advice (I always think someone's looking over my shoulder and going "tsk tsk" at my grammar). However you do it, bear in mind that no matter how good it is now, it can only be better, once it's been edited. Thinking your first draft is your best draft is like cooking a great meal and refusing to season for taste!
Secondly, editing your presentation critically, helps to reduce the chances that you won't connect with your audience. Be ruthless. Anything that doesn't work, cut. That joke that you're not sure about? Cut. The anecdote that seemed really funny, but doesn't sound so funny now? Cut. Something that a person has to read 5 times, before they understand it? Cut. The aim of communication is to be clear, concise and easily understood. If your presentation fails on any of these points, then maybe it's time to think again, revisit your draft and edit some more.I'm taking my own advice this week. I think this is probably the shortest post I've ever written. I'd love to hear from you. Would you edit this post some more? How would you edit it? Leave me a comment and let's continue the conversation.
Until next time, speak up, because the world needs to hear your voice.
