When you’re planning to give a presentation, you must prepare thoroughly beforehand to effectively convey your message to the audience. Otherwise, you’ll leave your audience confused and disinterested. And it’s not just you who needs to prepare; you ought to make sure your computer is properly set. It can’t just suddenly go to sleep or display unwanted notifications while you’re in the middle of your presentation. Just think of the embarrassment when those things happen.
First of all, make the necessary adjustments for connecting a projector to your computer[a]. Setting this up could take a while, so make sure this is done before the presentation. You shouldn’t keep your audience waiting.
Don’t let the screensaver replace your visual aids. Forget moving the mouse all the time; just disable the screensaver[b] or set a longer waiting period. If some admin policy is preventing you from altering the screensaver settings, download and run a program that keeps your computer from being idle. For Windows, it can be as simple as the Mouse Jiggler software that simulates mouse input. For Mac, the Caffeine app does the job.
Alternately, if you’re using a Windows laptop, consider using Windows Mobility Center (WMC) to turn on presentation settings. If you’re using Windows 7, open the Control Panel, go to Mobile PC and select Windows Mobility Center. (Select Adjust commonly used mobility settings under Hardware and Sound instead if you’re using Windows 8 or 10.) In the WMC window, click the Turn on button on the Presentation Settings tile. Remember to turn it off when you’re done giving a presentation.
To adjust the presentation settings, click the projector icon in the aforementioned tile. In the new dialog box that appears, mark the appropriate checkboxes to enable their settings. You can, for instance, choose to turn off the screen saver, set the volume to a specific level or show a specific background when you turn on the presentation settings. Click OK to save the changes.
Another critical reminder for presenters using a laptop: make sure the battery is charged beforehand. You don’t want your computer suddenly turning off because of critically low battery levels.
