I was talking with colleagues about a speaking engagement I was doing and they asked, “How much preparation do you put into an hour keynote?”
My answer, “Weeks – plus 20 years”.
The reality is, that when you are about to take to the stage, it takes a lot of preparation and practise.
Even though I have been speaking and running workshops for over 20 years, I still prepare well with my notes, the speech, slides and my mindset.
Sometimes I still get anxiety in the lead up to an event, but if I have prepared as much as possible – on the day I trust the process.
If you’re taking to the stage, here’s a quick summary on how I PREP.
PREPARE
We often think about what we want to say, and yes if you are introducing a new product line or initiative to your audience, there is a certain number of facts and information you might need to include – but rather than think “what am I going to tell them?” the better question is “what do they want to hear?”
The first stage in planning your presentation should be to find out as much about your audience as possible and how you want them to feel while learning from or listening to you.
Some of the things you may want to find out are:
Speak to clients/customers to find out how can they benefit from this presentation.
Research the background or culture of organisation or people, collect written material.
What is the genre – younger, older, businessperson, creative types, banker or other types of people. Who will physically be there? Fine tune to suit your audience.
Are there any current issues – anything topical or political or of particular interest to them or their organisation – a funny story or anecdote that may suit them.
REHEARSE
Rehearsing is one of the best ways of reducing the nerves you may take with you to the front of the room. Some people feel uncomfortable rehearsing.
However uncomfortable you feel in rehearsing, it is normally the same as you feel when you stand in front of the real audience.
Rehearse your presentation in front of friends, family or whoever will listen. You may be tempted to just “wing it” as you want to come across as natural and spontaneous. That is of course the desired response, to appear as though the presentation is effortless yet interesting. But you’re better off having a few run-throughs in front of a familiar audience first.
Actors and sports people never take their respective stages without rehearsing. You should give it the same importance.
One of the best things to come from rehearsing is comfort with the flow of your presentation which allows you to respond to the unexpected more easily and comfortably.
ENVIRONMENT
Familiarise yourself with the space you are presenting in. The staging and microphones, size of the room, the layout, lighting and seating arrangements, whether round tables, u shape or theatre style.
Know what facilities are there and what you might need such as, whiteboard, flipcharts, PowerPoint, laptop, handouts and other props.
How long will it take to get there, travel and parking arrangements and set-up time?
See Your Success. If you can walk around the room or on the stage beforehand, picture yourself there, owning that space and sharing it with friendly people and faces. Visualise yourself in front of your audience who are smiling, engaged and of course interested in what you have to say.
PRACTISE
To help you avoid "winging it" or freezing during presentations, you’ve done the planning, structured your presentation and rehearsed.
Time to do it again.
“How do you get to Carnegie Hall?”. Practice, man practice …
It’s an old joke repeated in a song from a favourite TV series of mine, The Marvellous Mrs Maisel. It’s also a line I say from my Presentation Skills to Shine program to help people increase their confidence in public speaking.
Practise, practise, practise, rehearse and rehearse. This tip is one of the most important to improving your presentation skills and gaining confidence to speak in public. Otherwise, there is a risk that all tips, techniques and learning you’ve gained will become a faded memory.
As an executive or entrepreneur, being able to deliver engaging presentations in boardrooms, on speaker stages, virtual platforms, and panels is a key component to an influential personal brand.
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Sue Currie is an image entrepreneur who guides and empowers business leaders and entrepreneurs to have “Spotlight Confidence”. She is passionate about helping professionals elevate their personal and professional brand through her speaking, coaching and training programs on Self Brand, Style and Speaking Skills, providing a multi-faceted approach to gain high transformation for her clients.
