Wow. It happens every year. It’s December, and I find myself wondering where the heck the past year has gone. Fortunately, December provides many great things to think about, like good will towards others.
With this in mind, why not turn a little of that good will towards yourself and think about what speaker-related items you could add to your wish list, or gift yourself for Christmas, Hannukah, Kwanzaa, or simply because you’ve been very good this year! Whatever the reason, here’s a list of speaker items that will help make sure your 2023 presentations work to your best advantage.
Let’s begin with speaker basics/essentials for building both digital platform (like Zoom) and in-person presentations.
- A word doc program (MS Office, Libre, etc.) that will allow you to create/write your presentation scripts.
- A program or app for creating artwork, such as Canva, PowerPoint, and Keynote. Here’s a link to an article sharing links to 25 different programs.
- An additional storage system where you can save your work and presentations, such as Dropbox or Google drive.
- A Zoom account, free or paid, so you can practice and review your presentations.
- Having both pen and paper handy so you can take notes on the fly.
Technical tools for online presentations are always evolving, which makes right now a great time to check out options for updating your tech toolbox.
- Lighting – Ring lights have come a long way with helping us look our best on camera.
- Microphones & Speakers – There are definitely options in addition to whatever’s loaded into the device you’re currently using for online presentations. It just boils down to deciding what you’re most comfortable with.
- Camera – If your computer doesn’t have one, or the resolution on the device you’re using isn’t up to par, how about an external webcam?
With in-person presentations happening more frequently, are there ways you can update your stage-presentation toolbox so you’ll always be prepared—even if your planner isn’t?
- A paper flip-chart easel
- A dry erase board easel
- A pointer, laser or manual
- A wireless slide-advancer remote
- Microphone
- Portable speakers
- A portable flash/thumb drive with your current presentation saved on it so you always have a copy with you.
Lastly, how about a portable lectern? There are several portable light-weight options. You might even consider using a music stand.
Obviously, you could find something on one of these lists and decide to wait until next year (aka next month 
) to purchase it.
But why wait? Why not gift yourself something that’s going to add to your presentations right now? This is the perfect time of year to pat yourself on the back with a gift that’s going to have you looking forward to your next presentation!
I wish you and yours a peaceful, joyous, healthy, happy holiday season.
‘Til we speak again,
~Beth
I Am Grateful For….
