H2O: [waw-ter] Water; the best bet for hydration while presenting.
Sometimes, it’s the little things that count. Presentations can be nerve-wracking for many people, like a Bermuda Triangle of emotions. You can do all the right things: be funny, engaging, and authoritative; give concise and pertinent information; and present it all with visually arresting slide design. But if you’re downing brewskies like it’s a game of corporate beer pong, you still run a slight risk of absolute failure.
Of course, it isn’t just alcohol that has led to horror stories in the past. There’s coffee (how does slurping a hot beverage sound through a lapel mike?), milk (got maturity?), 7/11 slurpees (need I say it?), and sports drinks (you’ve got bigger problems than an electrolyte deficiency). All are acceptable beverages somewhere, but the podium is simply not a place for consumption. Any beverage drinking should serve an express biological purpose, such as keeping you alive or keeping that awful peanut-butter-smacking sound out of the loudspeakers.
So why water? Because it’s clear, odorless, and tasteless. In fact, it is so naturally nondescript that audiences will fail to notice your drinking at all. And that’s exactly what you want, because you’ve spent a lot time preparing a fantastic presentation—right?—and wouldn’t want anything to distract from the important message you have to give.
The Takeaway: On stage, it isn’t about pleasure: it’s about basic comfort and compassion for the audience. Use water to speak clearly, and save your pleasure beverages for breaks.
