A big presentation can be one of the most challenging and important performances for any professional. It can range from presenting the latest market research findings to an executive team to pitching a large client.
It is said that public speaking is the number one fear of most people, and it’s no wonder, standing up in front of people to speak puts you on display with nowhere to hide.
Here are some performance strategies to help you perform at your best when it comes time to present.
Trust your talents
When it comes to presenting, we often start to second-guess ourselves. Did I include all the relevant information in the deck? Did I send out an email reminder to participants? What if they don’t understand what I am presenting? When this type of thinking sets in, it’s important to pause, and turn the “thinking” brain off and trust your presentation talents. Our best performances in life happen when we stop the thinking noise in our heads, and let our performances happen naturally.
Preparation and preparation
In order to trust your talents, you need to invest time into preparing for your presentation. This might include researching the company, marketplace conditions and the people who will be attending. When I worked in advertising and prepared for a pitch, we would learn all we could about the people attending, professionally and personally. Then we would practice in the boardroom over and over again until we had perfected the pitch. Remember, preparation is the key to your best performance.
Dress the part
Yes, I know there are many organizations that allow casual dress and do not have any formal dress code. However, if you are looking to present like a pro and want your best performance, dress for the role. You will feel more confident and gain more credibility during and after the presentation. In fact, the way we dress has now been shown to have a significant impact on our workplace performance. So remember, big important presentation, dress for the part.
All the best in achieving your highest performance.
Paul
Image courtesy of Ambro at FreeDigitalPhotos.net