How do you stand out from the crowd? How do you make people remember what you’ve said, whether its to persuade them to your point of view, encourage them to make a decision, deliver some bad news or impart information. You are competing for an audience’s limited attention. This presentation is designed to deliver you tools that will help focus what you say, and how you say it in order to be exceptional and memorable. For over 15 years I’ve been doing both formal and informal presentations to small and large audiences. These tools have evolved from those learning experiences and from all the information I’ve gained from other sources (books, training and sitting through many, many other types of presentations).
Ask audience for examples of situations where they would use this structure (like aligning the business to new goals)
Ask audience for examples of situations where they would use this structure (like organizational change, adding/removing a product from the lineup)
Ask audience for examples of situations where they would use this structure (like poor business results / layoffs)
Ask audience for examples of situations where they would use this structure (like informing the boss)
Once you’ve determined the type of presentation you are going to need to deliver, you need to explore WHOM you are going to deliver it to. Who are the people attending, what are their positions, roles/responsibilities and level of decision making authority. Who are the key people you will need an action from? It cannot be overstated how important knowing your audience is to a successful and desirable result. In all likelihood there will be a primary audience whom you need to react and obtain an action from, but there will be a secondary audience who may have other reasons for wanting to be present (and may not align with your desired action). You want to obtain their acceptance to the action of your primary audience.
Write a single key message on a Post it note Order the notes to align with the type of presentation type you want to make Flesh out each slide concept with high level messages
Use props only to SUPPORT your message, not distract from it. A simple approach, with minimal text, animations or graphics can act as a frame which your words will flesh out in order to be memorable.
There is NO excuse for not being prepared! For large groups outside your office the 60/20 rule works well. Scale the amount of time needed to the size of the group. If you have a smaller audience or you already know all the attendees, then adopt a 20 / 10 rule. Always have the room ready BEFORE your first attendee arrives. Use the pre-meeting time to get to know your audience (see preparation section) in order to personalize your delivery and use specific examples learned from the pre-meeting time.
Use only 1 of these. Tailor it to the situation / audience and to your personal delivery style.
The best way to overcoming stage fright is preparation. Do you know your material? Is everything in the room ready to go? Do you know your audience and what they expect?
Stand tall No swaying, shuffling or leaning Head and eyes up Connect with your audience Smile Move with purpose, energy & enthusiasm
Channel your nervous energy into enthusiasm. Visualize yourself being successful. Arrive early so that everything is prepared and you can relax. Anticipate your audience and have prepared answers for the most common questions. All of these things will feed your confidence, which will allow you to conquer your stage fright fear.