Speakers Corner  

Presentation Tips

I am required to do a presentation in front of our CEO and senior managers next week.

I received this plaintive cry from a subscriber to "Living Your Best Life"

I am one of your readers and just can not go without your messages.  Thank you for the good work you do.

I however need your advise on something and I thought you would be the best person to ask:  I am required to do a presentation in front of our CEO and senior managers next week.  I stand a chance to win an award if I can give the best presentation.  Now my question is, how do I stay calm and focussed?  I froze up with my last presentation (even though I was chosen to present to the managers), I can not afford to freeze up or read from my notes or get all tangled up.

What would your advise be to someone that is scared to talk in front of people?

Here is my reply

Thanks for your confidence in me. I will try to live up to your expectations.

how do I stay calm and focused? 

With any presentation the first thing that you must realise is that the presentation is about your audience and not about you.

There are 3 questions that you need to answer and they are:

1. What do I want them to know? This determines the information that you must prepare.

2. How do I want them to feel about what they now know? – This determines the presentation style. If you want them to be excited you must be excited.

3. What do I want them to do with, or about, what they now know.? This defines the outcome, the deliverable, of the presentation and defines it purpose. While it is the last question it actually sets the tone for the presentation.

I stand a chance to win an award if I can give the best presentation. 

Leave all thought of what you might gain behind as the thought that you might win automatically leads to the counter thought of "but I might lose" and this will have a negative effect on your confidence.  Just focus on doing the best that you can. Just remember that Preparation Promotes Confidence.

I can not afford to freeze up or read from my notes or get all tangled up.

Just before the presentation you should use this "trick" to loosen up, just be sure to do it on private. Clench all your muscles and grit your teeth as hard as you can for about 5 seconds then slowly relax. Do this twice and you will be amazed at how relaxed you feel.

Key point on freezing up. Be sure of your information.  Key tip. "Practice in Private before Presenting in Public" Using the 1^st 3 questions prepare and organise all your information. Imagine any questions that you might get and prepare answers. You might not need them but you'll be grateful that you prepared them if you do. If you are sure of your facts then you will be confident in your presentation.

Where is it written that you can't refer to, or in some instances read from, your notes. Your notes are there to assist you, unless this is a memory test.

Some notes on notes.

1. Write big. You do not want to put yourself in the situation of having to peer short-sightedly at your notes.

2. Number the points and make the headings bold. They are there to prompt you. Make them easy to refer to.

3. Number your pages. It is very embarrassing to have your notes all jumbled up.

advise to someone that is scared to talk in front of people

I am presuming that you have friends and family and that you speak to them?

I am presuming that with your colleagues you are comfortable with voicing your opinion?

If the above is true then you are not afraid to talk in front of people, it's these specific people that you are concerned about and more to the point it's what you think that they are going to think about what you have to say and how you say it.

Whenever you face a situation like this rather than allowing your imagination to run rampant creating negative expectations, use your intelligence to identify your positive expectations. Create a picture of the perfect end result (A standing ovation – Being congratulated of a great presentation – etc) now use your creative energy (nervousness) to work out what you have to do to get what you want. So rather than asking "What if it goes wrong?" ask "What do I have to do to make it go right?"

Remember that each member of your audience is a person just like you. Make your connection at the "human level" and not at the "corporate label" (Even the boss likes to be hugged)

Involve them in your presentation. Talk to them and talk with them. Where possible ask them questions to get them involved.

Prepare thoroughly. Practice diligently and you will Present Masterfully

Please let me know how well you do.

Regards

Johan

PS: Just a final thought. "No-One has ever died of embarrassment so don't take yourself too seriously. Relax and have fun."