Have you ever “winged” a presentation? I know I have in the past…generally, I did not like the results. If you pursued being an athlete, musician or other endeavors, I imagine you invested time into practice to improve your chance of success. How you can approach practice, learn and have some fun doing it…
Watch others present
New to presenting? Feeling rusty or need some inspiration? Pick a couple of topics you enjoy (does not have to be business related) and find upcoming presentations. Pay attention to how the presenter:
- Opens the discussion
- Asks for feedback
- Paces the presentation
- Uses slides and other tools
- Handles questions
- Manages allotted time
- Wraps up
Practice sections, an outline or whole presentation
While eventually you want to practice your whole presentation, if you have the time, try approaching practice in stages:
- Sections – get feedback on sections you are concerned with
- Draft outline – review/present main topics and flow
The feedback you get from either idea above will help finalize how you want to approach the presentation (and might save you some time).
Who to practice with?
Many great options here…first think about your audience
- Someone who knows NOTHING about your prospective client
- Co-worker
- Internal coach at your client
You will be happy you invested the time
No matter how you approach practicing, you are likely to come away with increased comfort and confidence. The better you feel going into a presentation the better the results!
Feel free to contact me directly for ideas and/or help on this or other topics!
Sign up as a subscriber for exclusive weekly emails with additional ideas on my home page (just scroll down)!