We tend to avoid what we fear, so before you hand that presentation over to someone else or try to shirk responsibility altogether, consider what you might be letting go of. Every presentation in front of your peers, your boss, an important client is a unique opportunity to show your value. A home run at a presentation or briefing can do more to enhance his reputation and build trust in these important relationships than all the hard work you’ve already put in to prepare.
That’s because your audience can see and hear your ideas. for themselves. They can connect the messages with the messenger and get the full measure of its impact. Importantly, they will give credit for those ideas to you, the presenter. In short, presentation and reporting skills are essential tools that every executive must master.
Take advantage of the presentation opportunities you have by conquering those fears and letting your experience shine. Follow these pro tips to help:
don’t memorize
If you memorize (as opposed to just getting comfortable with your ideas), all you’ll be concentrating on when you deliver your presentation is remembering what you were i’m supposed to say. That’s going to interfere with being your best and most confident self. Instead, stay in the moment and give yourself permission to express your key ideas in a way that sounds natural and comfortable for you. Don’t worry about perfection. Your audience is not.
Prepare (the right way)
Reduce your essential ideas to (no more than) three main points. Practice delivering these orally. Pay attention to how he naturally communicates them, what details he uses to explain each, and how he moves from one main point to the next. There is simply no substitute for listening to yourself present and developing some muscle memory for how you want the presentation or briefing to flow. (Recording yourself is a great tool for this.) If you write a full script, start practicing with a very reduced one with just bullet points or notes with key points and phrases. It’s much more important to stay connected with your audience than it is to remember every detail of something you’ve prepared.
Build in a breath
Many presenters need help controlling their fears from the very beginning of their presentations. Once they get into the body of your material, the content of what you’re saying helps them find their stride and get ahead. If you’re more anxious at the beginning of your presentation, try a different approach. A question to the audience allows you to momentarily subtly shift your audience’s focus and could offer them the respite they need to settle in. (Of course, the question should be one you’re reasonably sure will generate the correct answer, or a poll with no right or wrong answer to help you make your points.) You can also use a prop or brochure to momentarily draw people’s attention to something you’re about to talk about. You can even start with a short video or another image after the shorter presentation.
Go with what works for you
Many executives breathe a sigh of relief when the presentation or briefing is over and can move on to answering questions. If that’s you, don’t feel limited by formats. Keep the presentation shorter and the q and the a longer. You’ll still need to deliver some key messages about your conclusions, but you can save the details for when your audience tells you to; asking a question. Just tell your audience what you’re doing (“I have a brief overview and then I want to directly answer their questions about what this means”). Remember to present your audience first and foremost in mind: what is the essential information THEY need?
treat the symptoms
Fear causes a physical reaction in us, since our brain tells our body that we are in some kind of danger. Our breathing becomes faster, our voices may tremble, our palms sweat. It’s those ‘symptoms’ that many presenters are afraid to show, so have a plan to manage those reactions. You must know that no one can hear what you are thinking and does not realize your fear. Tell yourself it’s going to be great, remind yourself of past successes, and visualize how great it will be to hear congratulations afterwards (even if you don’t think so). Tell yourself: You have this! Remember that no one knows what you were supposed to say, so if you forget something, move on without apologizing. If you forget something, this is a good time to pause and ask “any questions so far?” Don’t try to banish your nerves, channel them. It’s the same energy that will help fuel your performance. Spend a little if you can right before your presentation (a brisk walk, some deep knee bends, and long, slow, deep breaths).
Remember, the more presentations you do, the easier it will be. Don’t shy away from talking about your own ideas and your own abilities. Remember how scary things were the first time you tried them, that now you do them with ease. You can build this ‘muscle memory’ of success one presentation, one briefing at a time!