It is a widely-acknowledged truth that many people fear
speaking in public. Some will run a mile
from presenting to a group of people they know well, for instance peers and
colleagues. Others hate presenting in
front of people they don’t know, for instance at a business luncheon or social occasion.
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| Emerging leaders volunteer to be the one out in front! |
Yet others hate being the one out in front and presenting to
a group of any kind, even when they are the acknowledged expert. One
example I recall was when I was the State Director of a human resources firm
and invited a senior psychologist with many years experience to present to a
group of clients working through their career transition programs with our firm. The presenter accepted my invitation and
mentioned how he was usually nervous and did not like doing group
presentations. I took this information
on board but didn’t give it much weight until I actually saw him in action.
I was astonished to see how this self-assured senior
professional began to show his anxiety shortly after he commenced speaking. He stumbled over his words and appeared to
lose his train of thought. He stopped
talking, looked down at the floor and his voice trembled slightly. Worst of all, he started to sweat
profusely. Clearly he was stricken with
severe anxiety and I quickly devised a solution where he could sit down and we could
have a round-table discussion, rather than a stand-up presentation.
Fortunately most people don’t suffer such debilitating
symptoms before or during their presentations.
In fact, the butterflies in the stomach, the slightly-raised respiration
and sweaty palms are typical and normal ways we feel before we speak in public.
We may think that others can see right
through us and know how nervous we are but generally our “nerves” are not that obvious to members of the audience.
In People Results’ Confident Presentation Skills One-Day workshop, we talk about how our goal is not to be “the perfect presenter” but
to become “a competent presenter.” Once
we are competent, we will find that we can become a more accomplished and
confident speaker with practice and more practice.
In the Confident Presentation Skills workshop, the first module of the day is devoted to some simple yet very effective techniques to release and diminish the nervous tension in our bodies and voices before we commence and during our presentation. We cover this element first because we know it is one of the keys to becoming a successful, self-assured speaker.
As an example of how a “not perfect” presenter can be a very
successful, entertaining presenter, I have attached a video presentation by A.J. Jacobs "The Importance of Self-Delusion on the Creative Process".
Don't be put off by the strange title (which is definitely tongue in cheek) although it is a long presentation and you may not wish to view/ listen to all of it. However, please
take note of the things that AJ does which are not out of the “The Perfect Presenter’s
Copy-Book.” Here are a couple to get you thinking:
·
He looks down at the floor a lot.
·
He paces to and fro all the time.
·
He uses palm cards, stops the presentation to
read them and find his place.
Despite the above “flaws”, I believe that AJ is a very engaging and
entertaining presenter. He uses his likeable
personality, ability to tell a good joke (often against himself) and weaves in some
very interesting personal anecdotes to illustrate his points. And so we listen and look, and we keep on listening
and looking. He has captured our attention;
we are engaged with him, his stories and his presentation. In my view, AJ is a very successful
presenter despite the obvious imperfections of his technique.
What do you think? Your views and feedback are very welcome.
Lynne Lloyd
Managing Director
People Results
Executive Coaching and Talent Development Programs
Telephone 1300 167 981
Note:
The Confident Presentation Skills workshop is being held on Wednesday, 31st July 2013 in Brisbane and registrations are now open . Generous Early-Bird and Value Package offers are available until sold out. For any questions or assistance, please get in touch with us at People Results at the above contact points.
