Stressed Out? Try This

-
Stressed-Out Before your Presentation?

Managing Presentation Nervousness and Stress, Part I

One of the most asked questions I get during my presentation workshops is:
How can I get control of my nervousness and stress before I present?

The good news is:  you are not alone.  
Unless you are dead or drugged, the vast majority of presenters have this challenge. 
It is your body going on "High Alert", the same basic as the "Flight or Fight" mechanism that automatically kicks in when faced with danger.

Now, most presentations are not dangerous, although it might feel that way.  (thus the High Alert reaction).  In my 15-plus years of coaching, I've found that the driving force behind this stress is insecurity.  

It could be that you don't know the material or message as well as you would like.  Maybe you have so many slides you "need" to present that you're afraid you might forget some key info. Or you simply have too much to remember, and didn't have time practice.  It might also be that you are not sure that the content you have will satisfy your audience, especially those pesky senior managers.

If any of these scenarios sound familiar, the solution to mastering this insecurity is straightforward. 

PPR.  Prepare, Practice, Ritual.

Today, we'll talk about Prepare.  This means knowing concretely what your message is, as well as the key take-aways for your audience.  
(KISSS!Keep It Short, Sweet, and Sexy).

It also means making sure that your message and take-aways add concrete value to the needs and priorities of your audience.  (Ideally, you need to understand who your audience is, what they need, and how the info your giving them helps them.  Get into contact with someone from your target audinece to cinfirm your assumptions.)

Then sit down and answer three concrete questions for your overall message, 
as well as each key take-away.

WWR?  What, Why, Result.

What:  What is my message, take-away, etc.
Why:  Why is it good for my audience?  How do they profit from it?
Results:  What conrete results can they expect if they act on my message/take-aways.

You need to be able to answer the basics of each question in 30 words or less. 
Worry about details later.  
(But only include the essential details which support each point.  
Less is More.  If they need more info, you can cover that in the Q&A or a break-out.)

This basic Preparation will help you to own your content.  
The more you own it, the more secure you feel about it.  
The more secure you feel about it, the easier it is to deliver confidently.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

The PowerPoint Slide from Hell

-
Image
The PowerPoint Slide from Hell Wanna Kill Your Audience?  Make Your Slides Complex Almost every time I do a presentation workshop or one-to-one coaching, I am amazed how stressed-out presenting complex and/or very detailed PowerPoint slides make my clients. Actually, I'm not really amazed, because complex and/or very detailed slides would make just about any presenter stressed-out.  What amazes me is how often presenters use PowerPoint in a way that makes it basically impossible to use in an easy, comfortable way--for themselves and the audience. The more stuff you have on your slides, the more difficult and stressful it is to present.   The less stuff on your slide, the easier and less stressful. It's that simple. So, the take-away is:  if you want to lower your presentation stress, make sure your slides are as simple as possible.  Use visually oriented slides and minimal text.   A headline is often enough. Your job as the presenter is to then tell the sto
Read more

Make That Boss Happy

-
Image
Make That Boss Happy Managing Your Boss's Expectations: 5 Things To Think About. "The more we manage expectations, the better we can manage the future." Stanley L. Boswell, Jr. It's almost always useful to understand and manage our counterparts' expectations, especially our Boss's. It minimizes the chance for disappointment and maximizes the chance for satisfying the Boss. Here are five tactics to consider, practice and get good at (and, where possible, get in writing): 1. Confirm boss’s expectations. Duh! But far too often we think we understand (when we don't) or we're afraid to look dumb is we ask for confirmation/clarification. 2. Get commitment on priorities. Here we want to make sure that the new task is important and valuable enough to replace one of your current Top 3 tasks. If so, then one current task has to be re-assigned, delayed or killed. Don’t commit to new tasks until priorities are re-evaluated.   3. Reach common agreement on what = su
Read more
-
Image
Rejection Can SUCK…If You Let It. Every time we get rejected it hurts a bit. That’s human. Actually, rejection is nothing more than redirection. The key is to stop, take a breath, and ask: What is that rejection offering me? A chance to improve a chance to let go of something that was holding me back, a chance to better understand what my counterpart really wants, a chance to move on? All of the above? Rejection is actually a valuable lesson to bring us forward, if we choose to see it sa such. A lot of people choose to dwell on the hurt, the „bad guys who just don’t get it“, or any number of negative feelings. Don’t be that person.  Be better than that, and see it for what it really is: An invitation to redirect and keep going… Be Your Absolute Best. Turn Rejection Into Redirection.
Read more