Taking the Pitch
27 July 2011
Impressive, high impact presentations are a mixture of technique, preparation and rehearsal maintains Bernard Savage, and all are skills even the most unwilling presenter can learn......just don't rely on PowerPoint!
I will accept straight off that not everyone is comfortable presenting. I will however contest the view not everyone can present. I am someone who came from the former camp - I definitely wasn't comfortable in front of an audience. However, l realised quickly that if my business was going to succeed I had to accept my second statement and learn. Quickly!
The more I studied good presenters, the more I realised they shared common techniques. There was a blueprint, a rule book, and all I had to do was distil what I saw and it's the results of that distillation process I want to share here. I basically put it down to three things - technique, preparation and rehearsal.
Enthuse:
If you're not enthusiastic how do you expect the audience to be?! Enthusiasm doesn't have to turn you into a Cbeebies presenter, it just requires a bit of energy and the ability to transmit the fact you do really care about your subject.
Enjoy it:
I know that sounds hard for the ardent ‘non-presenter' but it's true. Get a strong start under your belt (advice on perfecting your introduction comes later!) and let go. If you start strong you will get a good reaction and you can relax into the rest of your presentation.
Entertain:
No one is expecting an end of the pier comedian (unless you have skills that I certainly don't) but remember, if you're dry and boring your audience won't even switch on never mind switch off. Use humour, use the audience and - most importantly - use anecdotes, relevant reference points and your own experiences. And, never be scared to admit your own failings in those stories - just think of the inexplicably popular You've Been Framed! - we are entertained by the pain of others!
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