Training Your Brain for Presentations

Fascinating studies are coming out consistently on how we interpret various communication mediums. Whether it's decoding the signals from someone's body language or how our own personal self-talk can affect our attitudes and even our future. So why not implement some strategies to help you in your business presentations?

Studies have shown that when you need to build your confidence, if you smile and nod to yourself in the mirror while you're working on your presentation, your confidence will increase. Beware! If you do this exercise and slip up by saying to yourself, I'm going to do horrible in this presentation, you will just be reaffirming that notion to yourself. You will become more confident that you will fail. There is no room for sarcasm in this exercise. 

If you are nervous about giving a presentation, try the exercise. You may feel goofy at first, but there is a chemical reaction that will happen in your brain that will help you feel confident in what you're saying. Give it a try.

Is It The Right Message?

I had a very interesting experience last week that taught me a great lesson, and I'd like to share it with you. Not too long ago, I was working with a client of mine on a speech. He was the CEO of a financial investment firm and was wanting to speak to different groups of prospects, informing them of ways to make effective financial decisions. This way he was establishing himself as an expert in front of his prospects, giving them helpful information, and informing them of his services.

However, our work together was sluggish. One meeting we would decide that we had crafted the perfect message and then the next, he was wanting to start back at square one. It was frustrating to say the least. I never could quite figure out why our work wasn't "sticking". It wasn't until I met with him over coffee that I finally understood.

At the end of last year, he had shifted the focus of his business. Instead of working with the elite and wealthy, he was wanting to work with people who are struggling with their finances, people who could really use some help. Through a genius business plan, his business is rocking and rolling! And when we talked, he was able to communicate his message and his passion with more clarity  and energy than I had ever heard him before. He was excited and his thoughts we so well connected and structured he could have given me a 45 minute keynote on the spot! He had found his right message.

As a speech and presentation coach, this was a very important lesson for me to learn. In the future when I meet with a client who isn't allowing him/herself to connect to the message that we're working on, I will have to ask them, "Are you sure this is the right message? Is this what you really want to share with the world?" 

As a speaker this is some very important information you need to have. While you're working on your speech, if it feels like you're taking two steps forward and three steps back every time you want to rework it, you might want to ask yourself, "Is this the right message? Is this what I really want to share with the world?" Because once you find the right message, trust me, the words will spill out with unbelievable ease. Your thoughts will be clearer your energy will be through the roof! Finding the right message can transform you as a speaker. So ask yourself, "Is this the right message?"

Business Presentations: What do you want to know?

This is it folks. This is your chance to tell me what you want to hear. With the new year finally here, I want to be sure I'm giving you the information you want to know. So put up your posts and let me know what interests you! Power Point? Vocal variety? Gestures? Speech writing? Speech marketing? You tell me! Any area of presentations is up for grabs. I want to hear from you! I'll write on all of your topics of interest. So...let me have it!

How Speaking Gains Respect

In one of my recent sessions with a client who is the CEO of a large corporation, he shared with me an interesting perspective on what he had learned so far. He said that even though he had always been able to be "quick on his feet" in various business situations, he found that running meetings and speaking to his employees required a slightly different skill set. He said that it has been extremely beneficial to have an expert like myself to consult with for such meetings. He has found it helpful to learn how to keep things on track, keep the focus on his listeners and not himself, and to have an outside perspective on how what he says could be interpreted. 

More importantly he said, "At first I didn't know how beneficial this would be. But after hearing your feedback on certain areas I can see how crafting what I say and working on how I say it can make a big difference. I've been able to carry this over into our company's website and brochures. I see now that it's important to work on speaking skills because it makes me a better leader."

You Don't Need a Prescription for Stage Fright

Not too long ago at my Toastmasters club a fellow member gave an interesting speech about her daughter. Apparently her daughter has horrible stage fright and hates to speak in front of any size group. The only problem is...she's a lawyer! She has to speak in front of judges, juries, clients, and her partners. Her mother has been trying for years to get her to go to a Toastmasters meeting to help overcome her fear, but the daughter replies, "Don't worry. I have a pill for that." Apparently she shared her fear with her doctor and he gave her a prescription for a moderate tranquilizer. On the bottle it reads, "take one pill one hour before public speaking".

When I heard this, I was shocked. The fact that this poor woman's stage fright is so bad that she will take a sedative be speaking is sad. (And my I say I'm ashamed of the doctor who gave her the prescription.) Stage fright is curable, and it doesn't take a pill to cure it. There are many methods to overcome the panic that people feel before speaking. Feel free to read my articles on breathing and relaxation before a speech. Every case might be slightly different. If you have any questions, please feel free to post them on the blog or e-mail me personally. I look forward to hearing your stories.

Think Like an NFL Legend

Earlier today I watched "NFL Legends" on ABC. The program highlighted the careers of top quarterbacks Payton Manning, Brett Favre, and Tom Brady. It was very interesting to learn how each of them developed their skills and work ethic to lead their teams to multiple Super Bowl Championships. At the very end, Tom Brady said, "People always ask me which ring is my favorite, and I always answer 'the next one'".

That statement, "the next one", is powerful. This is how professional speakers should view their business. Your favorite speech should be the next one. This mentality means that you're hungry to be successful. You can't wait to share your message with the next audience. This mentality propels you into a forward motion. There's no need to beat yourself up about a speech that went bad, and there's no reason to sit and reminisce about that perfect speech to the perfect audience because you're too busy thinking about your next speech to your next audience. 

This "next one" mentality will speak volumes about your work ethic. Once you've enjoyed giving a great speech, you're right back to work (training, so to speak) for the next great speech. You will never be standing still waiting for the speech to come to you. You will consistently be on the top of your game. 

So if you're a professional speaker, are you focused on "the next one"?

Will You Ever Be Happy with Your Speech?

A few weeks back I attended the speech of one of my clients. We had been working on a 15 minute speech, everything from the content development to the delivery. Once he finished his speech, he came to me and asked, "So, how was it?" I could tell he was nervous about my response. He obviously was thinking about when he stumbled over his words for a brief moment, and when he moved too far away from the mic, and many other little things that went wrong. I told him he did great. Sure there may have been a few problems here and there, but he got a great audience response and right after a speech is no time to dissect the problems.

When you give your speech, you should immediately treat yourself. Give yourself a pat on the back, go out and get some ice cream, anything! But do not think about all the things that went wrong. No speech is perfect and you will never be 100% happy with your speech. You may get close, but something always could have been just a little bit better. Give yourself the time to be happy with your accomplishment. You can review it and do a postmortem the next day. 

Speeches are meant to be a work in progress. Timing can be perfected. Physicality can be improved upon. But the point is you did it! You were successful! No matter how many mistakes happen, if you get a positive audience reaction, you did a great job. Take joy in it. Then improve it tomorrow.