When people worry about a presentation, they ruminate on their fear of public speaking, about how they have no time, that they are overwhelmed, worried about the tech, and do they look fat in this? These are all valid points but there is something more important than all of these combined: it’s not about you, it’s all about your audience.
When you start a presentation and you haven’t prioritised the audience, you make a fatal error. Not fatal as in you’ll die, but fatal as in your presentation might die. “Death by PowerPoint”. Who’s dying—you or your audience or both? Clue: we don’t want anyone popping their clogs, we want you to feel great delivering a top talk, we really want you to shine. We also want your audience to feel that was the best presentation they’ve ever heard. Happy you. Happy audience—it’s a key point in my step-by-step Speak and Shine Method.
Unfortunately, because of bad presentations, audiences are more reluctant than ever to sit through them. And, with their phones in hand, they are also more distracted. Don’t be the speaker who bores their audience. The majority of speakers haven’t been given adequate support, advice, or training about presenting. It’s not your fault if you’ve bombed before. I really don’t want you focusing on past blunders. I want you to know you can turn this around. Imagine being among a handful of speakers who delight their audience?
Here’s the thing: audiences want one thing—don’t waste their damn time! Don’t worry if you’re not a natural joke-teller. A presentation can be entertaining and fun without you trying to be a comedian. Audiences prefer authentic to fake and they can spot it a mile away. Just remember the whole presentation should satisfy their time investment. What’s in it for them? Answer: the whole thing. The whole presentation is for them. I coach people to perform rather than present and don’t worry if you’ve never done that before, I’ll show you why it’s easier than you think.
How well do you know your audience? I believe you know your content better than anyone else. Keep on top of that. How much research have you done about your audience? Your audience should think, “Wow, she really gets me…”; “He knows exactly how I feel…” They know you probably have anxiety, but they don’t want to see it because it might agitate theirs. He probably also didn’t sleep too well last night. Maybe her toddler puked on her blouse, and she couldn’t change before attending your talk. Life’s a bit messy but your next talk doesn’t have to be, in fact, I can help you clean it up and make it enjoyable for you and your audience.
If you want some top tips on how to prepare and perform a dynamic presentation that is warmly received by a relieved and happy audience, contact me and let’s get you ready to speak and shine.