When’s the last time you saw a  presentation? Odds are, fairly recently. It could be a professor in your grad school class, a colleague at a big company presentation, a vendor trying to sell you something or a volunteer coordinator at your favorite charity.

Regardless of where it was, there’s a 50 percent chance that it was mediocre to terrible. Many people struggle to give a decent presentation. By decent, I don’t mean snazzy PowerPoint slides or someone with the ease of a pastor at Sunday service. I mean a presentation where the presenter has  some semblance of a connection to the audience and where the audience “gets” the message without falling asleep halfway through. It’s obviously not easy to stand up in front of a group (small or big) and hold its attention. But the reality is, virtually everyone has to do it at some point, in front of their class, church or staff.

Below are the 5 most common mistakes I see in presentations:

1. Reading off slides: Nothing is more tiring than listening to someone read off a screen. Newsflash: we can all read what you’re reading. Also- your lack of inflection and desire to quickly read through the slides does little to improve the presentation.

2. Putting too much on slides: I’ve been guilty of doing this myself, and I’m trying to wean myself off this habit.  It’s cruel to make people read tiny print on a screen while they’re listening to you. Odds are, they stopped listening, to pay attention to the slide.

3. Not having an agenda: It still shocks me when I see presenters walk in without leading with a clear agenda for the audience. Tell us why we’re here, what we’ll hear and what we can get out of it. Otherwise I’m mentally checked out.

4. Trying to stuff in too much information: Less is always more with a presentation. There’s only so much information we can absorb. Trying to add fact upon fact upon fact only serves to tire the audience out, rather than get them to focus.

5. Running over time: This usually happens because you didn’t have a clear agenda or went off on a tangent. Respect people’s time. If you see you’re running out, wrap it up now. And remember to police the clock more carefully next time.

Bonus sixth– showing that you’re flustered: S*** happens. The projector stops working, you accidentally set up the old version of your slides on the big screen, you forgot your notes. The key is to hide your thudding heart and dry mouth under a veneer of warm smiles and an even tone. When the person leading the presentation seems to have lost control, it makes everyone else fear for what’s next too.

So how do you do a decent presentation? I think the keys are pretty simple:

1. Connect to the audience: You can do it through humor, story-telling and eye contact, among other ways. All of these methods help the audience feel that you’re talking to them, rather than at them.
2. Have an agenda- always:  It could be as simple as something you say during your introduction, e.g. “For our training today, we’ll be covering the new blah-blah system, ways in which it will benefit you, how you can use it and ways you can get additional support.”
3. If you can avoid PowerPoint, do it: PowerPoint and  its slide brethren have become a comfortable crutch for most of us to avoid directly connecting with an audience. Used right, slides can be effective visual aids. Used incorrectly, as they often are, they become a source of utter mind-numbing boredom. If you can steer clear of PP, do it.
4. If you are using PowerPoint, never, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever  read your slides out loud as a way to present them.
5. Involve the audience early and often: Starting your presentation off with a question is a good way to make people sit up, listen and respond. If your presentation is longer than 10 minutes, it’s worth breaking it up into smaller segments that you interrupt with questions to the audience.

From the time I was very young, I was an avid British-royal watcher. Most of it had to do with Princess Diana, whose divorce and death were the dominant media events of my childhood and teens. Unlike a lot of people, I’m a big fan of the family, not because I think they’re exalted bluebloods (they’re not), but because they provide a sense of continuity, drama and tourism revenue that you just can’t get when you have an elected nominal head of state. To watch the Windsors’ behavior (ranging from the ridiculous to the dignified) is a reminder to me of how lucky the British are to have this family serve as their national soap opera.

In any case, I look forward to the Middleton-William wedding. She looks like the stable, steady sort who can deal with the exhausting scrutiny of marrying a future king.

If only the rest of the Windsor family had a measure of  the restraint and good behavior of Prince William. The latest high drama with Prince Andrew and his dicey connections (namely pedophile Jeffrey Epstein, assorted Middle-eastern and Central Asian despots et al) has been entertaining to watch, but is obviously a national embarrassment to the Crown and Her Majesty’s Government. If Prince Andrew had any common sense (which he has yet to show)he would resign, claim that he does not want to distract from Britain’s trade issues and then retire to one of his many palaces.

What skills I  bring to a company, what I excel in, and what I need to succeed.

My skills:

1.       If you want something completed on time, on budget and with minimal drama, you will probably give it to me.

2.       I am the project manager type– that’s why I like working with  ideas people, account for any potential challenges, map out how to get it done and take the executed idea  to the finish line.

3.  As a writer, I excel at factual reports, news-stories, letters and speeches. I can write a decent press release, e-mail or brochure copy. If you want great e-mail or brochure copy, you’re  better off giving it to someone else.

4.   I’m a good speaker,particularly in  group settings of 10-50 people.

5.       I’m an excellent editor– I can restructure a piece to make it more accessible  for the reader, while retaining the original author’s voice.

6.       I have a great eye for font choice.

7.       I love working with print vendors– graphic designers, printers, et al. I appreciate and seamlessly integrate their ideas, skills and attention to detail into larger projects.

8.       I’m comfortable using social media, content management systems, and other technology– everything from Facebook and Twitter to Drupal and Wordpress. But I always believe that the message trumps the tool. Having a Facebook fan page is not enough– what are you doing to ensure that your company/product/ service reaches potential customers and   projects the right messages and ideas to the public?

9.       I love mentoring people. One of my favorite parts of my job is working with my supervisee and interns to complete a job. I love helping them develop new skills along the way that will make them better employees while they work for me, and whenever they choose to move on.

10.   I am excellent  at  refining processes and methods so that we save money, reduce the time we spend on something etc.

11. I have a finely tuned BS meter for vendors who make esoteric promises about deliverables (especially in the social media realm). If I think we can do something almost as well (if not better) than you, we’ll just do it in house.

12. I’m good at taking complex information, and making it easy for others to understand, either in writing (a document or e-mail) or an oral explanation.

My work style:

1.   I possess a diligent work ethic– no short-cuts, no short-shrifting of deliverables.

2.   I believe in a team-oriented culture: if we need an all-hands on deck moment because of an emergency, mis-step or otherwise, I  will step up and do what I can to help the team succeed.

3.   I delegate tasks and responsibilities well. No one on my team ever feels caught off guard if I manage a project– they always know what’s expected of them, and when.

4.   I’ve heard that I sometimes come off as too direct. I work very hard to minimize that.

5.   I don’t kiss up or flatter anyone, ever. If I said something nice about your work, it’s because I meant it.

6. My workplace mantra= underpromise, overdeliver. I can’t stand when people do the reverse.

My Workplace Ideals:

1.   I prefer working in an office vs. work from home/ work on the road while traveling. I prefer the face-to-face contact and productive environment of an office.

2.  I need clear goals,  expectations, and benchmarks. I can’t perform well in an atmosphere where nothing is good enough.

3.   If I’ve done a good job, I want my supervisor to say so. If I didn’t do well, be specific and tell me what needs improvement.

4.   I like work-time flexibility. I’d rather work 10-6:30, than 9-5:30, if I have the choice. And if I need to stay 9-9 to get the job done, I will.

5.    I prefer taking one long annual vacation of two weeks, to visit my family overseas rather than a series of interspersed personal days.

6. Loyalty matters– I try and be there for people in my department, or on my team. But if you screw up, I’ll hold you accountable– that trumps loyalty.

7. I’m acutely aware of what I’m worth and I won’t hesitate to ask for it.

To review my resume, click here.

I first started blogging in 2003, using Xanga. I did it because all the cool kids (aka my American cousins) were doing it. I used Xanga for a couple of years, and it was fun. I then wrote anonymously for a now defunct blog and then migrated over to here, mishri.org.

The original purpose of mishri.org was to help me right around the time of my graduation from college. I wanted to use the site as a vehicle to showcase my portfolio of news-stories and other clips (that’s how we journalism graduates did it, back in ye olde days before Twitter and all this new-fangled techology!)

Fast-forward to 2009 and guess what- I was NOT a journalist. I wrote a fair bit at my job, and I maintained this site as a showcase of my interests and random bloggie thoughts. The site then became a brochure site of major topics that you could associate with me– work, volunteering and Toastmasters.

Anyway, here we are in 2011 and back to where we began in 2003– reviving the blogginess of the site. I’m hoping to post here more often with my thoughts on a variety of interests and  I hope you join me on the journey.

A few weeks ago, everyone was caught up in the 25-Things-About-Me craze on Facebook. I did it as well. Here’s my list:

1. I hate the idea of forgetting something, so I always keep lists of everything. This includes doing my laundry. I also check my handbag before I leave work to make sure I have my wallet, keys, cell and Smartrip card.
2. I’m not bitter by nature, but I will remember people who’ve hurt me or my family. Then I will always be wary of them.
3. I don’t use the “friend” loosely. If I consider someone a friend, it means I trust him/her tremendously, and will defend them when someone else is hating on him/her (at a minimum).
4. Outlook Tasks help keep my work life sane. I always think of a million little things I need to do, and I hate to forget any of them.
5. I’m the master re-stocker of groceries in my home. You notice you used the last tea-bag? No worries– another box is right behind it! Because I noticed we were down to the last 10 bags last week, and I put that on our grocery list. Thus, we don’t run out.
6. One of the most vivid memories I have of my teen years is my dad’s friend telling me that “you’ll need to marry a rich man so that you can have as nice a car as your Daddy has.” What’s surprising about this incident is my mild-mannered mom’s furious reaction: “She’ll make her own money and buy it herself. She doesn’t need a man to take care of her.” I always remember that. And it’s my guiding force even today.
7. My inspirations are my mom, my granddad (paternal) and my grandmother (maternal). MY grandmother and mother are feminists who don’t realize they are. My granddad always believed in me, even when I wasn’t sure of anything.
8. Travel: I didn’t travel much until I was 23. That’s when I visited five U.S. cities in five months and traveled around southern India. I can’t wait for my India trip this year– so much to see and do!
9. I have THE weirdest celebrity crushes: I think Tim Geithner is dreamy, and I adore British actors like Colin Firth and Richard Armitage (NOT the former State Dept guy). I think this is because I’m drawn to people who seem smart, witty and stable. I hate the bad-boy type.
10. I’m extremely sensitive to people’s financial situation. That’s why I avoided asking my parents for anything as a teen, because i was convinced we had no money.
11. I’ve always been entrepreneurial. When I was six, I grew cilantro in the garden (well, my grandmom planted it), and I sold it to my aunt at twice its market value. I think I told her it was pesticide-free.
12. If I could watch cricket all day, I would.
13. I’m extremely thin-skinned, but I also have a thin, cold metaphoric vein of steel that runs through me. It means that no matter how upset/ sad I am, I can fulfill whatever tasks/duties/goals I have.
14. I get lost really easily and I can never ever give directions.
15. My sister and I are much closer now than ever before, in part because the age gap (6 yrs) isn’t as big a deal as it was when I was 12 and she was 6.
16. I had a dog from age 12-17, but have had cats before and since. I’ve come to prefer cats because I’m lazy about dog-walking and such, and because my dog’s death was totally traumatizing; I feel like I was a mediocre dog parent. My current kitty is actually my cousin’s, and I’m convinced he is the cutest,sweetest cat in the history of the universe, bar none. Biased? Who me? Ask anyone who’s met him. Even non-cat people love Jefferson.
17. I am uncomfortable around children, but I want my own someday. I’ve come to this conclusion after talking to my mother, who assured me that while she never really liked other people’s children, she loved her own.
18. The only shows I watch on TV are Bravo Reality Shows, 80s/ 90s sitcoms and bad girly dramas on ABC (Hello Private Practice!) I adore my DVR (altho I miss my TiVo. *tear*)
19. Oh, I love ABBA. LOVE. And not just the 12 songs on the Mamma Mia soundtrack either. I mean the whole freakin’ catalog.
20. Food: I like Indian, Vietnamese and Thai. I like Italian on occasion. I do not enjoy Ethiopian food.
21. My favorite U.S. cities: DC, Boston/Chicago when it’s not freezing.
22. I don’t consider myself very ambitious, but anyone who’s followed what I’ve done over the past years would think that I was.
23. Most people think I’m smarter than I actually am.
24. I read a LOT of magazines/ newspapers/blogs everyday– online. That means anything from the Post, Times, Slate and blogs from The Atlantic, The New Republic and occasionally the Economist. HuffPo is my latest media addiction.
25. I always watch the people who are far ahead of me and doing cool stuff, and I try to catch up. As a result, to 98 percent of the world, it looks like I’m rising and moving far ahead. Really, I’m trying to keep up with that one distant rabbit.