Just a some affirmation of the above, as I think many people would be well served to study the guidance. My background? Both stage performance experience in mu

Just a some affirmation of the above, as I think many people would be well served to study the guidance. My background? Both stage performance experience in music alongside academic (National Forensics League) and professional (presentation development and coaching in Fortune-level corporations) public speaking roles. Guitarist for 20 years or so, did public speaking and acting for about 10 counting high school and college, and another 5-6 working in the trenches of B2B sales (RFPs, etc) as a blend of creative / technical / team manager. To add a bit of side-note, I'd like to point out that humor tends to be so highly subjective that it's best to avoid trying to go there (akin to avoiding pop-culture). Being clever or witty is a way to show off, in such a format, and there's no reason to try and show off when the room is already yours, practically speaking. To me, it's a large turn-off when such deviations from the plan show up - being competent means being engaging, and through engagement the audience will appreciate the presentation for what it is doing / trying to convey. Allowing questions during a presentation is not preferred, but if presenting to a potential client, sometimes inevitable. I use the phrase "bus out of nowhere" to try and prepare people to be able to handle a difficult or even insulting question without totally losing footing. It's like a car crash, just let it happen in slow motion, hang on, and don't make any sudden moves to go in a different direction...just get through the question, avoid trying to be clever or witty in response, and get back to the script. I think Willie Nelson also had a relevant piece of advice regarding performing, in that it's good to get some practice in, but don't over-work something to the point of it being robotic. The performance should have some of that liveliness that comes from knowing something well but walking the line of risking that a mistake could happen...that's what can be so compelling about a great speaker, there's a mix of energy, competence, and human nature that gets people to tune in.