zandax online course logo
zandax website search
zandax phone callback
Info, Blogs, Contact & Login
Courses
Tests

How Do I Avoid Wandering off the Topic while Delivering Presentations?

From the ZandaX Presentation Skills Blog

Articles to make you more effective in your presentations

Home  >  ZandaX Blogs  >  Business Blog  >  Presentation Skills Articles  > 
How Do I Avoid Wandering off the Topic while Delivering Presentations?

How Do I Avoid Wandering off the Topic while Delivering Presentations?

A post from our Presentation Skills blog

Article author: John B
      Written by John B
A few years ago, while visiting friends for the weekend, I accepted their invitation to go with them to church on the Sunday morning. It came time for the main sermon, and the pastor was really entertaining. He had everybody laughing and relaxed, and he was getting his point across. Surprisingly, I was actually listening attentively to him.

Slowly though, he seemed to drift off topic, and while he was still really entertaining and amusing, it became increasingly difficult to see what point he was really wanting to convey.

On the way home, in the car, I asked my friends about it. Apparently he is always like that. Many years ago, before becoming a minister, he had lived a really wild life, and blamed taking too many drugs as the reason that his memory was so bad. So apparently he always wondered off topic, but because he was humorous, his congregation loved him and accepted it.

Wandering off topic while giving presentations

As a visitor though, I could not help but leave and wonder what he had wanted people to take away from his message? And many people do this. If not carefully prepared, they wander off topic, and do not stick to the point. I have seen sales people delivering a sales presentation go completely off track about something unrelated to their product or how their product matches the client's need. By the time they came back on track, they had lost the client's interest. Chances are, if you lose their interest, you will probably lose the sale.

Now, I am not suggesting that you cannot change tack in a public speech. The greatest orators, like Martin Luther King Jr., often used to change tack midway through an address. The difference is that they were doing in intentionally. They recognised the need to change, and deliberately did so. King changed his planned speech when delivering his famous I Have a Dream speech, as he felt something better suited the occasion. But he knew what to change to. He already had other material ready that he could change to. If you change tack, and wander off topic unintentionally, usually that content is not prepared and therefore not as engaging.

So, unless you are planning to change tack, be careful that you do not wander off topic. Stick to the point. Otherwise, you run the risk of leaving people wondering what you were actually trying to say. And no matter what your goal from the talk was, that was not it. Stay focused. Stay on track. Successfully convey your message.

Are there ways to stay on track?

Different people plan public speaking and presentations differently. There are ways to stay on track, but they often depend on how you plan.

Memorising presentations
  • Some people memorise entire speeches. Word for word, gesture for gesture. Obviously, if you have the time to do this, and you know that you will not want to change deliberately for any reason, it will guarantee that you stay on track.
  • Some people plan the speech, but do not prepare every single word. They might either use notes, cards, teleprompter, or some other system to let them know what section to move onto next. They then talk around the related topic. This certainly will keep you on track in general, but can still allow you to wander a bit within a certain section.
  • Many people now use a tool like PowerPoint, or anything similar to it. They then use the slides as a guide to what to talk about next. If you have not prepared specific wording though, and maybe saved that into the text section of the slide for yourself, you can still go off topic.
  • Some people prepare blocks of content. That is what King did. He had many blocks covering many different subjects, and because each block was memorised, he could move from block to block and still actually have the next few paragraphs memorised. This allowed him to change tack, often without any awareness from anybody, unless they know what he had intended to say in the first place. You could use blocks just like him, and be able to change tack if necessary. For example, if you ask for feedback in a presentation, you could have different blocks prepared allowing for different responses from your audience.
  • Some people just use a couple of key words as prompts, and talk ad hoc around each subject. This is the most dangerous method. You run the risk of meandering from one topic to another, but it is still possible to have some ways to not wander off. I have seen minister's wives in the front row of a church gesticulating to them when they wander off topic. Have you got a colleague or someone with you at the presentation? Let them guide you if they know what you should be saying.
As you can see from these tips, if you do wander off topic, and want to eradicate that from your presentations, maybe you need to relook at how you actually prepare for the presentation. Looking at different techniques to use might help you stay focused, and on message. And be flexible enough to change should you need to.

What do you think? Let us know what you think in the comments below.



Presentation-eBook

Download our Free eBook:
10 Tips for a Perfect Presentation

Back to the Presentation Skills blog

Click the button for more Presentation Skills articles.

The ZandaX Business Skills blog

Click a panel for great articles on business skills

Write For Us

We pride ourselves on our busy, high-quality and helpful blog, and we're always looking for guest contributors to increase the variety and diversity of what we present.

Click to see how you can write for us with an original and well-written guest post.

ZandaX Blog Contents

Want to see them all? Click to view a full list of articles in our blogs.

Online courses to boost your skills
Click a button to see more about each course
Personal Development
Microsoft Software
 
 
Leadership & Management
Sales & Presentations
Service & Support
 
 
ZandaX online training course logo
ZandaX – Change Your Life ... Today
All content © ZandaX 2023
ZandaX LinkedIn logo
ZandaX LinkedIn logo
ZandaX LinkedIn logo
Close menu element
See how you score on a range of skills that are critical to your well-being and performance
Communication Skill test
Communication Skills
How Can You Communicate Better?
Would you like to see what kind of communicator you are? And how you can improve the effectiveness of your communications?
Likeability test
Likeability
How Much Do People Like You?
Do you sometimes wonder just how likeable you are? And wouldn't you like to see how you can (genuinely) become more likeable?


Time Management test
Time Management
How Can You Make More Use Of Your Time?
Are you frustrated by how easily time slips away? Do you get frustrated when things don't get done just because you run out of time?
Assertiveness test
Assertiveness
Are you Passive, Aggressive or Assertive?
Would you like to know where you fall on the behavior spectrum? Does your response to events sometimes surprise you?


Close menu element
Information & Resources
ZandaX information
Information
Read more about us, our Privacy Policy and our Terms of Service
See how we want to help you, and how we make everything easy for everyone
Callback request
ZandaX Blogs
Articles to increase your knowledge and understanding in key areas of your life and career.
Read our blogs on Personal Development, Business Skills and Leadership & Management


Time Management test
Log In
Log in to your online dashboard
View your courses, review what you want and download your workbooks and certificates
Assertiveness test
Contact Us
An easy online form to get in touch
With options for More Information, Customer Service and Feedback


Close menu element
Develop Your Skills, Knowledge and Understanding with ZandaX
Click any subject in the listings for more information and a full list of courses

Personal Development
Personal Development training
Your soft skills affect everything you do, at work, at home and with friends ... they are truly life changing!
NEW COURSES
Online training courses
Hot Off the Press...
We're always adding to and upgrading our courses, so here are a few of our latest releases:
For a full listing of courses, please visit our Quick Course Finder to find exactly what you want.
Site Cookies
We have placed cookies on your device to help make this website better.

You can change your cookie settings in your browser. Otherwise, we'll assume you're OK to continue.

I'm fine with this