Here are some great tips to help you put the presentation butterflies to rest during your next presentation. I am summarizing from Harvard Business Review's "Guide to Persuasive Presentations". Enjoy!
1. Preparation is Critical
1. Preparation is Critical
- Know your audience and setting - -find out who will be attending & what interests them; also the setting
- Prepare the material
- What you want to say
- How you are going to say it
- 4 rules for preparing presentations:
- Know your topic -- avoid anxieties by being the expert on the topic
- Prepare more material than you think you will use; then pare it down
- Imagine questions people might ask
- Memorize the first minute! Having the start memorized makes you more comfortable; you may also want to memorize the last minute to conclude with conviction
- Focus on communicating your message to your audience, not on yourself (some suggest you practice in front of a mirror. BAD ADVICE!)
- If you begin feeling self-conscious during a presentation, talk to individual listeners; pick out a person & tell yourself you're going to talk right at him until he begins to smile/ move to another and talk directly to this person until s/he nods her head
- I'm scared --> I'm excited
- I'm going to be effective…
- This is exciting..
- What an opportunity
- I know my stuff and I'm going to convince this audience
- When you start use energy to move around a bit, use gestures
- Take deep breaths, strectch before-hand
4. Avoid Rigid Rules -- drop the rigid rules (3 main points, begin with a joke, etc..)
5. Think before you speak
5. Think before you speak
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