To point or not to point?
A laser pointer is convenient but it will draw you away from your audience. To prevent this, you can rethink your slide design and consciously refocus on the people in front of you.
Have you ever seen a cat chasing the spot of a laser pointer? You might have felt like that cat during a research talk. Some speakers use their laser pointers excessively, circling frantically around one bar in a graph or around a particular word - to the point where it becomes a distraction.
Then there are speakers whose hand shakes uncontrollably from nervousness. That tremor becomes painfully obvious when the screen is far from the speaker.
You may also have experienced speakers who turn their backs to you, talk to the wall, and interact with their slides to “help you” follow along.
These situations are very real and you are not a cat.
The common culprit in all three examples is the laser pointer. Have you asked yourself why you need a pointer in the first place? Yes, a laser pointer is a very effective tool to draw the attention of your audience to a specific part of your slides. If you have a complex graph or several panels, it can be extremely useful. And when answering questions, your laser pointer will help you direct your audience to the relevant part of a slide. Let’s be honest: a laser pointer is useful and very convenient.
The major problem is that your pointer draws you away from your audience. When you point, you have to look at your target. And usually you point because you want to say something (or, hum… make a point…), so you end up talking with your head turned to your slide. Then your shoulders follow. Then your feet. Before you know it, you’re facing the wall instead of the people listening to you. If you have a series of complex slides with lots of information, you might spend most of your talk with your back to your audience. How can you make them feel included then? How can you show that you care about them, not just about your own work? How can you gauge their reactions? People may feel ignored or even disrespected if you spend more time addressing the wall than addressing them. And when you’re presenting in front of a panel of experts who will decide whether to award you a million-euro grant, you definitely don’t want to upset them!
To avoid the laser-pointer problem, I invite you to do two things.
First, design your slides so you rarely need to point. A simple approach is to spread information across several slides to avoid cramming too much onto each one. In the same vein, remove unnecessary information from your slide deck. Without irrelevant clutter, it will be easier for your audience to focus on what matters. You can also represent information in ways that guide your audience’s attention (adding an arrow, a circle, using textural and color contrasts…). These visual cues direct their gaze without requiring you to interact with your slides. The ultimate challenge: give a full talk without ever using your pointer.
Second, once you are done pointing at the screen (if you do point, that is), consciously turn back to your audience. You want you feet, hips, shoulders and head to be facing the people listening to you. They care about what you have to say, the wall doesn’t. You should focus more on your audience than on the screen because they will make the success of your talk, not a white wall.
In summary, to avoid the laser-pointer problem (pointing and turning your back) you can:
spread information across your slide deck (more simple slides is better than fewer crammed ones)
remove unnecessary information (minimise distractions)
add visual cues to guide your audience’s attention (color, texture, arrows…)
refrain from using your pointer
make a conscious effort to turn back and face your audience after pointing
remember that your audience members are people, not cats
If they are not cats, then who are they? Who is in your audience? Why does it matter? Stay tuned for the answers.