"I think you guys already know this" and "I want this session to be interactive"


One of my favorite comedian says “if you had to explain it then the joke wasn’t funny enough.” I attended a lot of presentations (2 hour sessions) recently, and I found that some of the presenters started their presentation by saying things that made me think about the joke-wasn’t-funny-enough-scenario. They started their presentation by saying:

“I think most of you already know this...” - This line rapes the quality of the presentation like anything. As in, if I already know this subject, why should I pay any attention? Also, the audience is keen on learning something new or something cool; saying “you already know it” is like telling the audience “bad luck, I am going to waste 2 hours of your time”. And anyway, if you start your presentation and half-way thru I sense that I already know what you are talking about, I would (invariably) not pay much attention.

“I want this session to be interactive” - Certainly, interactive sessions are great. But again, if you are running a meeting (or giving a presentation to a small group), this “interactive-thingy” is understood. The part that isn’t understood is that “I am going to talk for 1 hour straight, And I’ll take your questions later”. So, if you want the session to be interactive, you will simply have to design your presentation in such a way that it makes people wanna interact. 
One more groundbreaking human psychology tip for all presenters, humans love to interrupt and express their views/opinions (no wonder we all love giving advice without being asked to).

I understand that saying such lines is very *gentlemen-like* but if you ask me, there is no incentive in being a gentlemen while giving a presentation (unless your audience is full of sexy blonds). In addition, many a times, the audience is more than happy to listen to the things they already know (because they think that there will be something *more* in your presentation).   

By the way, after all this, I feel it doesn't hurt to say those lines if you have an awesome presentation thereafter. But again, why take a chance, the first impression is very crucial, why sound cliche.

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