Presentation-Secrets-Of-Steve-Jobs
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188 REFINE AND REHEARSE<br />
LEAVE YOUR COMFORT ZONE<br />
Most business professionals could use an energy boost. But how<br />
do you project the right level of vigor without seeming over the<br />
top? By weighing yourself on an energy scale. And on this scale,<br />
more is better.<br />
I often ask clients, “On a scale of one to ten—one being<br />
fast asleep and ten being wildly pumped up like motivational<br />
speaker Tony Robbins—tell me where you are right now.”<br />
“A three,” most of my clients reply.<br />
“OK,” I say, “what would it feel like to be a seven, eight, or<br />
nine? Give it a try.”<br />
If they’re being honest, most presenters place themselves at<br />
a three to six on the energy scale. That means there is plenty of<br />
room to raise their energy level.<br />
Energy is hard to describe, but you know it when you see it.<br />
Television host Rachael Ray has it. President Barack Obama and<br />
Tony Robbins have it as well. These three individuals have different<br />
styles, but they speak with energy.<br />
Try this exercise—practice leaving your comfort zone: Record<br />
several minutes of your presentation as you would normally<br />
deliver it. Play it back, preferably with someone else watching.<br />
Ask yourself and the observer, “Where am I on the energy<br />
scale?” Now try it again. This time, break out of your comfort<br />
zone. Ham it up. Raise your voice. Use broad gestures. Put a big<br />
smile on your face. Get to a point where you would feel slightly<br />
awkward and uncomfortable if you actually delivered the presentation<br />
that way. Now watch it again. Odds are your energy<br />
will be just right. You see, most people underestimate how little<br />
energy they actually have during a presentation. When they are<br />
asked to go “over the top” and to leave their comfort zone, they<br />
hit the right note.<br />
Five Steps to Rehearsing<br />
“<strong>Of</strong>f-the-Cuff” Remarks<br />
With the economy plunging deeper into a recession, 2009 was<br />
a tough year to introduce a new car, but automobile companies