How many of you experience pain when you deliver presentations at work? How many hate speaking in public? I see a lot of hands up, so let’s briefly discuss five simple strategies for managing your Presentation Anxiety.
Presentations
Slides … Use Them Wisely!
Let’s assume you’ve just created some Best-in-Class slides – the right number with the right content and the right design – to support your message and add value to the audience experience. Great … now it’s time for you to Use Them Wisely!
Here are 10 more techniques to add to your Workplace Presenter’s Tool Kit that deal with what you should do and say when using slides. Conventional wisdom dictates that how you use them may have more impact on your audience and results than what is on them.
Slides … Use Them With Sizzle!
Let’s assume you’ve just created some Best-in-Class slides – the right number with the right content and the right design – to support your message and add value to the audience experience. Great … now it’s time for you to Use Them with Sizzle!
Practice Till You Sizzle!
I hate to trash a childhood fantasy, but Practice doesn’t really make Perfect … it only makes Permanent. Only Perfect Practice makes Perfect!
Q&As that Sizzle
As workplace presenters, you have two basic strategies for handling audience questions – holding them until the end and handling them anytime. Both approaches work, but each has some disadvantages.
There also are two hybrid strategies that involve the best features of both approaches. So, here’s how to make your Q&As Sizzle!
Make Your Stance Sizzle!
How you stand when presenting can harness physical power and project confidence, credibility and competence … or not. Because your audience only knows what it sees, your stance can be a great natural visual aid. It can also show nervousness or lack of confidence very quickly and clearly. So … look the part you’re playing – a confident and credible presenter … and make your Stance Sizzle.
Success is in Your Hands
Looks like our summary of Gesturing ‘Worst Practices’ last month was a big hit, except for those people who though I was talking about them. As promised, this month we do a deep dive on Gesturing Best Practices that you can add to your Presenter Tool Kits to add dynamic Sizzle to your Gestures. So, hang on – it will be a fast ride.
Gestures that Sizzle
(This deep dive into the delivery skills that can make your presentations Sizzle deals with gestures. What you do … and don’t do … with your hands can project confidence, credibility and competence, or detract from it. Gestures can really add Sizzle to your Workplace Presenter Tool Kits.)
Make Your Eyes Sizzle!
(Here’s another deep dive into the physical and vocal delivery skills that can make your presentations sizzle and project an image of confidence, credibility and competence. So, let’s add eye contact that sizzles to your Workplace Presenter Tool Kits.)
Phil’s Feb. Faves
Another of my favorite … and often-repeated … concepts from my training and coaching engagements: ‘Perception is Reality’ with audiences. All they know is what they see and hear. If you look and sound like you’re comfortable, credible and competent, you are!’ Use with my compliments and stay tuned for more ‘Phil’s Faves’ next month. And … … Read more