Presentations and public speaking doesn’t need a lot of kit – laptop and your brain are all you typically need… or at least that’s what you might think. Over the last ten years I’ve added a range of ‘stuff you never imagine you need until you need it’ to my presentation and public speaking skit.
I’ve taken a few minutes here to jot down some of the more unusual items of kit we take to our gigs. Your use for them will vary of course, but some of them apply to almost any presentation – business pitch, after dinner, wedding…. | You’ll notice I used the word “skit” there..? That’s a (rather sad) in-team joke based on the idea that whenever something goes wrong our first reaction is ‘Shit, where’s the kit?”
Eventually that got abbrevitated to s-kit. I never pretended it was a good joke… ;) |
VGA cable – a long one
We like to have our laptops near us (onstage) when we work. In a couple of badly designed venues, the projector will be a long way from the stage (which isn’t a bad thing in itself!) but they’ll only have a short cable to connect to your laptop. That means you’re expected to have your laptop some way off, and control it using a remote control.
Remotes are good – they stop you being stuck to in one spot, but suppose you need to see your screen as you present?!? You’re screwed.
Hence our tendency to carry a 25 metre cable with us (and an audio cable too). Call us paranoid if you like but we’re looking for a 50m cable at a reasonable price, too ;)
Better socks
… and shoes. Seriously. If you’re not 100%, absolutely and utterly comfortable in your footwear it stops you moving as naturally as you should. The shoes you wear for your normal work aren’t necessarily enough. Deal with it… if you don’t think you could run a mile or two in what’s on your feet they won’t do.
Bib
A lot of our gigs involve eating beforehand – at the very least there’s tea/coffee and biscuits involved. And nothing spoils your professionalism than a stained top/shirt. Actually, we don’t use bibs as such, but a spare shirt in case of emergencies is handy – and is a sweater to pop on when we’re refreshing.
Chocolate bar and toothbrush
You can’t perform as well if you’re not fully charged – hence the chocolate bar. And the toothbrush? So that you’re all freshened up after you’ve eaten. It’s not just to make sure you’ve got no stains on your teeth, of course (although that’s important!) it’s more to make sure you’re not ‘clarty’. (Great Yorkshire word, that!)
Batteries
My second rule of presenting is ‘Never trust the venue’. No matter what they tell you, they won’t be as prepared as you’d like. Trust me on this. Seriously.
So what say you, gentle reader?
What unusual pieces of kit have you ever needed in your presentations?
Good points Simon. I was asked to do a series of portrait photography at a school. I asked about where I would be shooting: was there plenty of space? Were there plug sockets? etc. Turned out I had to shoot in a glass fronted room in the reception of the school that was barely the size of a bathroom. This meant I wasn’t able to use all the lighting I had planned and made the shoot much more difficult for me.
Yep – Raybould’s Rule number2 = “Never trust the venue” ;)
Great post. Love the socks idea! Totally agree on the chocolate.
A change of socks isn’t as good as a hot shower, but it’s more convenient ;)
Great list Simon
My own includes a 4 way extension lead for those occasions when logistical challenges cause issues for connecting laptop and projector to the mains.
Also, my own microphone and audio recorder, tripod, flip camera, remote clicker to advance/blank slides.
I’ve got a sensible list, too, Mark! :)
Masking tape (gaffer tape) it’s surprising how often I need to use it (and not always on my audience!!)
Masking tape (gaffer tape) it’s surprising how often I need to use it (and not always to tie down my audience)
We have a saying around here, Carl… If you can’t solve the problem with gaffa tape, you’ve just not used enough! ;)
Mac to VGA
Mac to HDMI
Mac to DVI
Ahhh… a Mac man! Good call!