Tuesday, April 21, 2015

Present for Success: Project Confidence During Your Next Presentation




Tomorrow’ s the day and you’ re dreading it. You’ re prospective to give a presentation to the senior management team about the new program you’ re proposing. You’ re wild and enthusiastic about the program but nervous and anxious about the presentation. You don’ t know how you’ ll administer to sleep tonight. These thoughts keep running through your mind; What if I sway? What if I talk too fast? What if they get bored? What if they ask questions and my mind goes blank?



Do any of those sound confidential? If you answered without fail, don’ t trial! Try some of these simple strategies for your next presentation to help you build confidence and credibility with your audiences.



Developing your presentation



Change the paradigm: Think from your listeners’ perspective.



If you can change your focus from, " What do I want to communicate? " to, " What does the audience need to hear and note? " you can be a more relevant and engaging presenter. By focusing on your listeners’ needs, somewhat than on yourself, you can relax and let that limelight guide you through the development and delivery of your presentation.



Here are the essential questions that will help you stay on lane:



- Who is your audience?



- What is most important to them?



- What is their current level of knowledge on your topic?



- What do they want or need to know about this topic?



If you can’ t answer the senior questions, it’ s important that you do some research to find the answers. If your presentation is an educational or training reunion, you might want to forward out a pre - class ordeal or survey to learn the current knowledge level of your audience. This can be a simple 5 to 10 - interrogation, one - page document that you email or fax. If your presentation is more informational or persuasive, you might want to make some phone calls to learn what you can about your audience.



What’ s your impartial?



Every presentation you give should have an uninvolved or objective. Why? Being your detached will help certify that you stay focused on the topic. And, by defining your even-handed in the square one of the development process, you’ ll save time.



Structure



Employ a presentation structure that consists of a inception, middle and heel. In presentation language these components are called the opening, body and close. The destination of the opening is to introduce yourself and your topic. The opening gives a short preview of the information you plan to cover. You may also want to include some stupendous data or a citation. The main aspiration of the opening is to get your audiences’ attention. The body of the presentation contains the main ideas and details you want to transfer, while the close is the ending. During the close, you may longing to afford a summary of your main points to help the audience nail down them. Also, any vivacity items of follow - up information should be in the close.



Delivering your presentation



About nervousness



Most people feel nervous and anxious before giving a presentation. This fear and anxiety can start the minute they’ ve been obsessed the assignment and can last until the presentation is over. It’ s important that we accept the truth that we’ re going to be nervous and learn how to work with it. Try this three - step process developed by Protection Glickstein of Speaking Circles International to ease your nerves:



1. Feel your feet on the ground.



This will help to set a firm foundation for you and has a placatory aftermath.



2. Breathe. And, most importantly, respect that you are breathing.



Most of us when we are nervous or anxious nurse to clasp our breath and that only makes us feel worse.











3. Speak every word to the eyes and heart of higher human being.



Every time you stand in front of any audience, you are building a relationship. If you want people to listen and pay attention to you, you have to listen and pament attention to them. By having a more personal connection with your audience you will develop rapport faster. By looking at people individually, not seeing a assembly, you can be more relaxed and at ease. Try to have a one - on - one conversation with everyone in the room.



Five strategies to project confidence



1. Reduce your usage of wadding words.



Stuffing words are words that we say unconsciously that add no meaning to our communications. Examples of padding words are um, uh, ah, okay, so, you know, well, but, like, etc. The big problem with stuffing words is that if you use them frequently, they boost to splinter away at your credibility and can make you practical indefinite and green. To start reducing usage, you first have to become scholarly of when and how frequently you use them. The best way to do this is to either audiotape or videotape yourself giving a presentation. Then listen, or better basically, have someone fresh listen to the disc for wadding words. Feather a checklist of wrapping words and ask the reviewer them count how many you use. It’ s fine to use one here and there— using them repeatedly is the problem. Once you have an awareness of which filler words you use, you can start trying to reduce them. Speak for a cease longitude the wrapping words would normally befall and your listeners will thank you.



2. Be sophisticated of body language and posture.



Just as mungo used to say, position up reliable. Posture is important. Promenade with start posture and confident strides. Also have an awareness of your body language. Pomp confidence with an unlatched body position. This means hands at your sides not crossed in front of you or qt in pockets. Keep your hands footing the audience can sight them and use gestures for importance.



3. Mind that you are the expert.



You probably know more than your audience does about your topic. That puts you at an advantage and should instill confidence. Retain, though, to be relevant. You need to know your audience’ s level of knowledge on your topic so you can start locus they are.



4. Keep your nipping when things get hot.



No matter what happens, keep your composure. If you are using technology, be warned: It is bound to malfunction just when you need it most. For peace of mind, have a Plan B ready just in event. If you can think in advance about what might go wide, and have a contingency plan ready, you can forge ahead and keep your nippy. Every presenter has a personal horror story of how the laptop or projector crashed in the middle of their presentation. Be prepared.



5. Have a good time.



If you are having a good time, chances are, so is your audience. Put a smile on your face and be keyed up and enthusiastic in your delivery. You will breathe life even into dull subjects and help your listeners be engaged in your talk.



The close



I promise you’ ll practice some of the strategies listed here. Don’ t feel that you have to do all of them during your next presentation. You might want to think about what your biggest presentation challenge is and pick one improvement that you’ d like to make. I can guarantee that you’ ll feel more confident as you incorporate and practice these suggestions. And elicit: Do what you can to groove on your time at the front of the room and your audiences will relish you.

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