This last week I've learned how important presenting is, mainly within the business world. Even without presenting and being critiqued, I know I have a lot to work on with my presenting. Being a successful presenter really comes down to doing the little things. All of us have seen those people giving a presentation who don't stop shifting their weight back and forth or playing with their jewelry. Sadly, almost all of us have actions we do when we're nervous without even knowing we're doing something.
The problem this causes when we do these little things is we distract our audience from what we just spent hours preparing. Sadly, these people now have no idea what we're talking about because they can't focus.
One thing I'm going to start doing as I prepare my presentations is imagine over and over again myself giving the presentation. If I do this I feel like I'll get a grasp of where I want to go. I don't want to just prepare my material and say I'll do this and say that, but I want to actually imagine being up there and being asked possible questions that may come and where I want to stand.
If there's anything in this life that will help me be the most successful I can be, I know it's being a great presenter.
Just as consumers give a product only a few seconds n a store to decide if it is worth buying, our audiences will only give us a few minutes at best to decide whether we are a person worth listening to. We need to create strategies so that we can overcome the tendency to do things that are comfortable and seen to us as safe when in reality these things are distracting and detracting from the rest of the presentation.
ReplyDeleteJD-
ReplyDeleteDude, it is all sales. Selling yourself, and idea, a product, a dream, a company, whatever. But, I get the feeling you already know that. My old man always says, "Everything I have is for sale." I always thought he was being sarcastic. But I have since realized that not only everything he has, but everything he is, everything he represents, and every idea he has. There is always a buyer if we package whatever "it" is correctly.
Rock on.
I really liked what you said about imagining yourself giving the presentation. This is something that I have always used in my life whether it be sports, performing live, or presenting! As we imagine how things will go, they usually go that way. This is a very useful trick that you should use.
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