It could happen to you at any point in your career. You are thrilled that your boss has appreciated your report, but the happiness is short lived when you are asked to present the same report to the executive team. Sounds all familiar doesn't it!
You can spend hours getting ready, making sure you know exactly what to say,spent sleepless nights writing out the precious presentation and prepared every point thoroughly.
When the D-day arrives, you make a quick dash to hell and back, and sometimes just end up staying there!Nervousness drains you completely and you wish those last few minutes before the presentation never existed in your life.Stumbling through endless slides, lines, graphs and bullet points, you get to a point of no return, traversing a complete downhill .The executive team keeps wondering when an idea emerged and submerged without any notice, things are going from bad to worse and you know this is precisely the substance nightmares are made of!!!
Well, well...the world hasn't come to an end. Its absolutely human to feel that way, however you can work on the outcome of your actions and rule the roost again.As you climb up the corporate ladder, presentations become a way of life and the better your communication, faster you climb.
Survival tips on how you can overcome those anxious moments:
1. Rehearse: Wonder how the ballet dancers dance in perfect harmony, its taken them several hours of practice; every rehearsal getting helping them gain confidence.Trust me, it does get easier after the first few days, just don't give up. Keep your spirits high and keep practising.
2. Keep it simple: Do complex ideas bog you down? Break them to the simplest units till it makes absolute sense to you. Your audience will thank you for enlightening them with concise ideas. The fewer words you use the better.
3. Positive aspects: If you want describe the benefits of your recommendation for a particular piece of work, do so by highlighting the benefits. Describe that it is indeed attainable in a positive manner.
4. Audience: Look everyone in the eye when you talk. You will be more persuasive and believable. You certainly can't do this if you are reading your slides.
It's okay to be nervous, but nobody sees how you feel, just how you look and act.
You can spend hours getting ready, making sure you know exactly what to say,spent sleepless nights writing out the precious presentation and prepared every point thoroughly.
When the D-day arrives, you make a quick dash to hell and back, and sometimes just end up staying there!Nervousness drains you completely and you wish those last few minutes before the presentation never existed in your life.Stumbling through endless slides, lines, graphs and bullet points, you get to a point of no return, traversing a complete downhill .The executive team keeps wondering when an idea emerged and submerged without any notice, things are going from bad to worse and you know this is precisely the substance nightmares are made of!!!
Well, well...the world hasn't come to an end. Its absolutely human to feel that way, however you can work on the outcome of your actions and rule the roost again.As you climb up the corporate ladder, presentations become a way of life and the better your communication, faster you climb.
Survival tips on how you can overcome those anxious moments:
1. Rehearse: Wonder how the ballet dancers dance in perfect harmony, its taken them several hours of practice; every rehearsal getting helping them gain confidence.Trust me, it does get easier after the first few days, just don't give up. Keep your spirits high and keep practising.
2. Keep it simple: Do complex ideas bog you down? Break them to the simplest units till it makes absolute sense to you. Your audience will thank you for enlightening them with concise ideas. The fewer words you use the better.
3. Positive aspects: If you want describe the benefits of your recommendation for a particular piece of work, do so by highlighting the benefits. Describe that it is indeed attainable in a positive manner.
4. Audience: Look everyone in the eye when you talk. You will be more persuasive and believable. You certainly can't do this if you are reading your slides.
It's okay to be nervous, but nobody sees how you feel, just how you look and act.
