Unleash your creativity to stand out among the crowd - Phi Chi Theta

TRAINING | PRESENTATIONSCrafting an Effective PresentationTalking is easy for me. Ilove to talk. If you askanyone, they will tellyou that I could talk forhours and that I probablycould given the opportunity.Any subject is fair game. I can talkto anyone about business, socialmedia, pop culture or anythingthat is on the brain. The only problemis that I freeze up in front ofan audience, especially my peers.Recently, I was asked to do a presentationabout social media at aregional meeting. I had preparedfor weeks and even made revisionsabout what I was going to say anddo a myriad of times. The day hadarrived and I was ready to give mypresentation (or so I thought). Theystarted to do my introduction andas I rose up from my seat to makemy way to the podium, it happened.I froze. I could feel everyone’s eyesas I started to introduce myselfand the topic I was presenting. Ikept thinking, to myself, why did Isay I would do this and then it occurredto me that my gift of gab hadput me in this mess. I eyeballed theexit, just waiting for my opportunityto run. But then I looked upand realized that it was too late.So as I reluctantly started my presentation,the inevitable happened.My PowerPoint presentation didn’twork as I had rehearsed. Maybe itwas that I had a newer version ofWindows and someone just didn’tlike me. So I decided to move onand try to get through therest of this disastrous attemptat a presentation. Itcertainly didn’t help that Ikept repeating that I didn’tusually give presentationsand was nervous. Finally,the presentation endedand I took audience questions.As soon as thatwas over, I couldn’t movefast enough to step awayfrom that podium and sitback down in the back.A few weeks later, I decidedthat I needed a refreshercourse in presentationskills. Ironically,the company I work for is knownfor its great presentation skills training.So I signed up for the next availablecourse, where I learned a greatdeal about giving a presentation andlearning to have confidence in myselfas a speaker. The following is whatI took away from my experience.Before Your PresentationBe on time. Make sure you getto the venue, where you are givingthe presentation, early. Try toarrive at least 45 minutes beforehand.Check out the room to geta feeling for the room and to letyour nerves settle a bit. You wantto be able to relax and gather yourthoughts so that you aren’t feelingrushed. Consider walking aroundthe room to gather your thoughts.Danger, Will Robinson! Anotherreason to arrive early is so that youcan check the audio and visual equipment.Equipment failure is guaranteedto destroy your confidence andusually is a factor in why presentationsgo wrong. Use this time to testall AV equipment and know how touse it. If you a have a MAC, the facilitywill probably be using Windows.It’s just part of Murphy’s Law, whereit states, “anything that can go wrongwill go wrong.” So be prepared foranything. Call the logistics person,conference coordinator or whomeveris in charge to let them knowwhat your needs are ahead of time.Don’t do the dew, Mountain Dewthat is. Don’t rely on stimulants oralcohol to calm your nerves. Theycan only harm your overall performance.They can slow downyour audience reaction, makeyou slur your speech and possiblymake you lose your balance.Doggone It, People Like Me! Tellyourself positive affirmations. Manypeople approach their presentationwith a negative attitude. Theyconsider all the things that can gowrong. They will tell themselvesthat “I’ll probably fail” and “Mypresentation is not strong enough”.You need to tell yourself that you arethere to share your knowledge, ideasand expertise with an audience andthey will benefit from listening.Visualize. Use positive reinforcementby visualizing that the presentationwill go well. Think of apast presentation that was successfulto help you balance your fearsand reservations about failing.What’s my line? Know exactlywhat your opening line or openingstatement will be beforehand.Knowing what you are going tosay will help you open with confidenceand give you an edge.During the PresentationI’m a nervous wreck! If you have“butterflies in your stomach” or “afrog in your throat”, don’t announceit. If you do, your audience will losefaith in you and will worry aboutyou. You won’t inspire confidence.Let’s talk. You want to make surethat you talk to one person at atime. Make eye-contact with oneaudience participant at a time.This will help you with yourconfidence and help you relax.Double dream hands. Take thetime to gesture naturally. Thiswill help release anxiety. Moving,but not pacing, during yourpresentation accomplishes thisas well. Gesturing can also improveyour ability to recall importantpoints in your presentation.Straighten up. Correcting your posturebenefits your ability to breatheeasier which, in turn, makes it easierto get your words out naturally.Did I say that? If you mispronouncea word, lose your placeor train of thought, don’t draw2021