Wouldn’t it be great if communicating confidently came naturally?
In reality, most people question their word choice, tone and voice in almost every interaction … especially when it comes to making a presentation.
Maybe it’s the stigma surrounding public speaking that spooks you, or perhaps you’ve had a few tomatoes thrown in your direction. Either way, there is hope.
The first step in boosting your public speaking confidence is having a rock-solid and engaging presentation. How do you do that? Just follow these steps to present like a pro:
- Determine what matters most to your audience. Then focus your presentation on this angle. If your audience wants to boost sales make sure each of your points relate to that goal.
- Draw everyone in with a story or anecdote. Clearly demonstrate that what you have to say is worthwhile and not the usual snooze fest they’re used to.
- Provide a “what’s-in-it-for-me” to connect them to your topic. Say you’re pitching a new CRM for tracking client interactions to a sales team. You could take this approach: “I’ve got good news: When I finish my talk, every one of you will have a surefire way to double, triple or even quadruple your sales!”
- Preview the points you’re going to cover and offer a numeric so your audience can better follow along. For example: “We’re going to cover the three CRM secrets that our competitors don’t want us to know: how a CRM saves you time, increases referrals and makes it easier to close.”
- Conclude with a quick review of what you’ve shared. Then tie the key points back to your introductory story or anecdote.
Following this presentation formula can boost your confidence and make public speaking easier. Sure, it’s presentation skills 101 … but with a compelling twist … you focus on providing value to your audience.
Once you have your presentation down, there are several other steps to follow to ensure you come across as confident, knowledgeable and influential. I cover these in my private coaching sessions — my clients love my unique and personal approach — as well as in my Communicate without Chaos self-study program. The audio lessons and worksheets in my virtual self-study program will help you deliver clear, engaging messages with a newfound confidence you’ll love. I even include templates and scripts which you personalize. These will help you present like a pro regardless of the time you have to prepare. My goal is to help you become a more confident and powerful communicator.
A final thought: Never wing a presentation. If you try to fake your way through it, you’ll probably meander off track into tedium town … and the tomatoes will fly.
