Want to be a more effective presenter? Present more often.
There’s no secret to becoming a more effective presenter. As with any business skill, the more time and effort you dedicate to improving your skill, the better you’ll become. Simple, not easy. The secret is in how you choose to improve.
There is no magic bullet nor guaranteed approach to change you into a star presenter. Just as there are myriad exercises to improve fitness, there are many ways to improve your presentation skills.
It’s the very fact that there are so many options that keeps us from getting started.
Which effective presenter approach is right for you?
Years ago a colleague suggested to his effective presentation students the best way to overcome their fear of presenting was to stand on a busy street corner and practice their speech. The theory being if you can survive being ignored, hackled, and any number of responses from the street corner, you can survive any presentation in business.
Within a week of lunchtime street corner sessions, one participant (Jack) gained the confidence he needed to take the next step. Turns out jumping into the deep end of the pool was the perfect approach for him.
Weeks after the challenge was made, however, there were several students who had less success.
One person, Susan, managed to stand on the corner every day for two weeks, but did not jump to the level of actually delivering her speech. Others scheduled their street corner sessions, but had other priorities appear on their calendars.
This less successful group doesn’t jump into the deep end of the pool. They are somewhere between the deep end and wading in the shallow end. Wading into the pool is more of a small gradual approach.
Gradually increasing your presentation skills may start with volunteering to lead the next management meeting.
Simply put, the best approach to improving your presentation impact is the one you’ll use.
Get Started: Become a more effective presenter.
What’s important is not which approach you choose, but that you choose one and take action.
The very first step to becoming a more effective presenter is taking inventory of your current still level. This one action will help you identify what area needs attention and which approaches focus on that area.
Here’s the challenge:
Take this short self assessment to narrow your focus and get ready for your next step.
