You have a presentation coming up, you know this is a great opportunity and you want to be effective, dynamic and you want to be remembered. BUT... what if... 'what if's' are dangerous, aren't they? Instead of asking yourself 'what if", Remember these three things and put them into practice:
1) Practice.
Or as I like to call it, rehearse. As much as you can, go over your presentation backwards and forwards. Change up the words and let that be OK. Go over questions you might be asked, what you will do if you don't know the answer, what you will do if you catch someone not paying attention, what you will do if you lose your focus, or lose your thought. Practice, practice, practice. Then, when you're standing there, just about to go on, say to yourself "The work is done, it's time for fun.", sounds silly, but give yourself permission to just get out there and enjoy it.
2) Focus on them.
Those moments before you begin your presentation can be traumatic and paralyzing. Why? Because you are focusing on the 'what if's', because you are focussing on YOU! At this point, it's no longer about you, it's about THEM, your audience. Shift your focus to them. Ask yourself, 'how do I want them to feel?' 'What experience do I want them to have?" Do you want them to feel welcomed? Excited? Shocked? There's no wrong answer, you just need to know how you want THEM to feel, and then go make them feel that way!
3) Feelings.
This is a biggie! If you want to make a connection to your audience, you need to access your feelings. We talked about how you want them to feel in #2. They will feel how you feel, but you have to know how you are feeling. So while you are rehearsing, ask yourself 'how do I feel about this?' Name the feeling and then FEEL it. Bring your feelings to your presentation because words without feelings lead to bored and disengaged audiences. Feelings are magical connectors.
Remember, while you are Practicing, remember to marry your feelings to your words. Before you go out there and present, focus on them. You'll nail it every time! The work is done, it's time for fun!
You got this!
Annie