The night before an important presentation you have trouble sleeping. Your mind is racing. You’ve prepared, but you just can’t help feeling anxious. Your thoughts run in rapid succession: What if I forget what I want to say? What if they don’t get it? What if the presentation doesn’t work? What if they don’t like what I have to say? I wonder if I can just call and cancel? Then you wake up after a restless night and your stomach is...
Continue reading...Deliver and Inspire
Get the Most From Practice Sessions
Warning: Practicing your delivery should not be your first step to having impact with your presentations. A practice session is like a dress rehearsal in a play or musical performance. You are there for the purpose of practicing the delivery of a script or score. A practice session is NOT a way for you to get to know your content. It is not a place to learn your lines or learn the music or even to write it as you go....
Continue reading...Handling Failure During a Presentation
Of course the best way to manage presentation disasters is to avoid them in the first place.But the reality is they will happen. Technology will stop working. Your live demo will die. Your slides will somehow get out of order. You’ll forget what you were going to say. Your jokes will flop. Your audience won’t respond. So what do you do in these situations? Three Step Recovery 1. Don’t apologize. Don’t blame. Don’t let your emotions get the best of you....
Continue reading...