Presentation Pointers
53 Tips for a Dynamic Delivery

On occasion, your speaking “platform” may be an elevator––when your boss steps on at the 60th floor, turns to you, and says, “So how’s the big project going?” and you have 120 seconds to give a status report before he or she steps off into the lobby.

On other occasions, you may be standing before a group of 2000 customers at an industry meeting or presenting your annual goals and budget in a small conference before 7 colleagues. Your “platform” in all these situations is both portable and powerful. Any of these speaking opportunities has the potential to create career momentum or mishap for you.

Presence may be difficult to define, but it is easy to spot. Most people know it when they see it. It is a manner of moving and interacting that commands attention and creates confidence in the speaker and increases credibility for the content.

Nervousness

TIP 1: Accept Nervousness as Part of the Process

Stage fright often begins long before a performer takes the stage. For most of us, the condition sets in the moment we accept an invitation to make a presentation. And generally, the longer we have to anticipate the event, the more prolonged and severe the symptoms.

The typical person is uncomfortable in a public speaking forum. Neither rank nor personality is a differentiator. In years of coaching on presentation skills, I have had some of the most outstanding executives tell me that they still feel uncomfortable in front of a group—even after hundreds of presentations before employee, stockholder, or industry groups. And even life-of-the-party-type salespeople who give a great presentation sometimes walk away with sweaty palms and knots in their stomachs.