Presentation? Don’t Miss This Opportunity!



Q. I’m in a panic. My boss just told me I have to give our department’s monthlyreport to management next week, and I’ve never been very good at speaking in front of groups. Can you give me some tips to help me survive? —Bette C.


A. The best advice I can give you is to look at this as a terrific opportunity to let your light shine in front of people who control your career. Let’s start with your first concern: you’re in a panic. It may surprise you to learn that the #1 fear listed in the Book of Lists is speaking in front of a group. (Death and divorce are #2 and #3.) So let’s help you put your fears in perspective.


1. By-Pass Your Fears.

Focus only on your talk and selling your ideas across.


2. Be Prepared.

When you know your subject thoroughly, there's little to fear, because you probably know more about the topic than anyone else in the room. How much preparation? Rehearse your talk for as long as it takes to make you feel confident that you know what you want to say and how to say it. Usually a ratio of 8:1 is the norm; if you’ve giving a 1/2-hour talk, rehearse it for at least four hours. You may even need eight or ten hours--whatever it takes.


3. Use Humor.

When you use humor, people feel more comfortable with you, and you'll feel more comfortable with them.


4. Act confident.

In other words, fake it until you make it. When you show confidence, it puts your audience at ease. Try this:


Use a strong voice that doesn't falter.

  • Speak slowly enough so you don't have to grope for words.

  • Smile often, if appropriate.

  • Use firm, definite gestures.

  • Don’t put your hands up to your face.

  • Don’t fidget with rings, pencils, your lapels, or anything else.


5. Speak Slowly, with Short Sentences.

Talking too fast will make you feel even more nervous, because you’ll feel like you’re losing control. You are.


6. Watch Your Audience.

Think of your talk as a one-to-one conversation with each person in the audience. Look at someone directly as you speak. After a few seconds, pick another person to talk to focus on. Keep doing that until you engage the entire audience.


7. Use Plenty of Pauses.

Pauses help you use shorter, clearer sentences. They help you to establish control and speak more

deliberately and carefully. They make it easier for you to breathe, too.


8. Turn Fear into Enthusiasm.

Do it by being enthusiastic. Raise—and vary— your volume and tone; use gestures, show the excitement or the commitment you feel about your ideas. Once you’ve got your fear under control, the rest is relatively easy:


  • Speak up—loudly enough so they can hear you, and allow you to

command attention, and breathe from your diaphragm. If you’re projecting right, you shouldn’t feel any discomfort in your throat.


  • Stay on the topic. Organize your ideas into a simple outline you can remember, so that you don’t stray from your focus. If your mind wanders, theirs will, too.


  • Use real-life examples. People remember things they hear when they're expressed in down-to-earth terms. Stories or examples based on your personal experiences, sometimes with humorous illustrations, will help people remember your message.


  • Don't read your talk. When you need to, refer to a few key ideas from a basic outline or from overhead transparencies. Reading keeps you from paying attention to audience. And if you can't remember what you want to say, how can you expect your listeners to?


  • Focus on beginnings and endings. Make your topic statement—your key idea—at the beginning and summarize it again at the end. Open with a startling statement, a powerful question, a personal reference, an exhibit, a specific example, or an illustration that will appeal to the audience's self-interest. Grab their attention fast.


  • Use powerful gestures. They’ll help you hold and your audience's attention. Reinforce your main points by pointing; clenching the fist; facing your palm to the audience to show caution. Let gestures reflect your feelings.


  • Finally, use your face to show emotion and reinforce your talk: move your eyebrows, grit your teeth, open your lips, show a broad smile. Even use pantomime or impersonation if it’ll drive home a key point. You think that's acting? Of course it is, and that's part of any really good presentation. You haven’t been asked to go to a meeting and read something; you’ve been asked to present ideas in a valuable helpful way. So go for it with enthusiasm and confidence. You’ll enjoy the experience better, and your audience will, too.

Knock ‘em alive!