Powerful Presentations - The 7 "P's" Of Presentation Preparation - EP. 10

EPISODE SUMMARY

The top three fears people have: snakes, heights and public speaking.

These top tips for making a presentation will help you be prepared so you fear is less (can't help you with any snakes in the room). 70% of executives surveyed have stated that having better public speaking skills is critical for success. Even noted investor Warren Buffett stated that public speaking is “an asset that will last you 50 or 60 years”. Buffett also warned that low skills in public speaking are a liability; Buffett said "If you can't communicate and talk to other people … you're giving up your potential". 

EXAMPLE CONTENT

Preparation

Be prepared. It seems obvious, but if you are more familiar with your material, you will have less to be nervous about.

Practice

Practice early and often. The closer you can come to recreating the speaking experience, the more effective the practice will be.

Put your feet on the floor

Stand up when rehearsing and actually speak aloud. You can practice with an audience after you’ve done a few run-throughs on your own.

FREE PDF OF THE LESSON WITH BONUS CONTENT

You can download the PDF of notes for the episode. The PDF's include detailed notes on the subject, a quiz and lyrics to the songs (I write songs using words and phrases from the podcast for some of the topics).

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EPISODE CONTENT

Remember These P Strategies for Handling Anxiety

Preparation

Be prepared. It seems obvious, but if you are more familiar with your material, you will have less to be nervous about.

Practice

Practice early and often. The closer you can come to recreating the speaking experience, the more effective the practice will be.

Put your feet on the floor

Stand up when rehearsing and actually speak aloud. You can practice with an audience after you’ve done a few run-throughs on your own.

Plan ahead

Get comfortable in the space. Check out the room where you will be speaking ahead of time. Even if you will speak in the same room in which you’ve had class all semester, take a moment to stand at the front of the room and look out at where your audience will be. Making yourself familiar with the view from the front of the room, eliminates one more aspect that can trip you up.

Plant a friendly face

Have a friend in the audience? Someone you would like to have as a friend? Use that person as a touchstone.  If you are comfortable, you can let that person know that you tend to get nervous and ask them to give you some extra encouragement. Seeing that smiling face (and maybe the occasional thumbs up) can give you a boost in the moment.

Pace your breath

Take a few calming breaths before you go to the front of the room, and take another one before you begin. Inhale through your nose for a count of ten, hold that breath for a count of ten, and then exhale slowly out of your mouth for a count of ten. Doing this a few times before you get up to speak will slow your racing heart and give your brain important oxygen.

Picture your success 

A common strategy for athletics and other performers works for speaking too. Picture or Visualize yourself in the speaking event.  Visualize yourself giving the speech confidently and successfully. Pay attention to how it feels to do well and hold on to those feelings for when you get nervous.

Pump out the nerves

Shake it off. Take a minute to literally get the jitters out before speaking. Stretch out your arms, run in place, roll your shoulders, move your neck and jaw around— anything that gets you moving. This helps you relax by loosening up those muscles that you have been tensing. 

Presentation pose

When you are on stage speaking to the audience, here are some things you can do to keep yourself calm. Squeeze your toes in your shoes to reduce shaky legs. Stand balanced to avoid swaying. Gesture broad and forward. Keep your arm gestures below your head and above your waist. This shows you are in control.

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