5 STEPS TO NAIL YOUR NEXT PRESENTATION

5 ST E P S TO

NAI L YO U R NE X T PR ES EN TATI O N GIGI ROSENBERG

FROM GIGI ROSENBERG’S PUBLIC SPEAKING TOOL KIT gigirosenberg.com

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GG IG I ROSENBERG IGI ROSENBERG

F I V E S T E P S TO YO U R S T ER P SS PTO E L E5VATO EECH

N A I L YO U R N E X T P R E S E N TAT I O N

Dear Presenter, Like most people, you probably give informal presentations every day. Consider a toast at your best friend’s wedding, a welcome at your PTA fundraiser, the story you tell the cashier when you’re returning a bag of peanuts at Trader Joe’s. These are all examples of everyday presentations.

The good news is that you’re probably a better presenter than you realize. Becoming even better means taking the skills you already have and learning to use them in more formal presentations. To help you, I’ve broken down the process of writing and rehearsing a talk or presentation into small, doable steps.

The most important thing to remember is that the presentation you’re about to give is not about you. Even if it includes a story from your life, a good talk keeps the focus on the audience. So, when you feel jittery, ask yourself: What experience do I want my listeners to have? What do I want my audience to walk away with? Stay focused on them.

Taking the time to prepare a talk is a form of respect for your audience. You know their attention is precious, so you want to deliver a presentation that is cogent, inspiring and entertaining. This toolkit helps you do this and may even make the process fun for you.

Turn the page to find tips and advice that will help you stand at the front of room with a powerful presence and a clear message.

Wishing you all the best,

gigirosenberg.com

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STEP

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WHAT’S THE FORMAT & SETTING? The key to a great presentation is preparation. Start with the easy stuff, the nuts and bolts, that you already know or can easily find out about the talk you’re about to give.

Answer the following questions: • How long is your talk?

• D oes that time include a Question & Answer session? It’s usually a good idea to include one, if you can. It can be the liveliest part of a talk.

• How many people do you expect in the audience?

• W hat is the setting for the talk? For example, is it a conference room, lobster boat, breakout room, Madison Square Garden?

• W hat time of day is your talk? For example, are you the last speaker before lunch?

Or the after-dinner speaker after everyone’s had a few?

• A re participants receiving a description of the talk ahead of time? If so, read it again.

Is that what you’re planning to talk about?

• What else do you need to know about the setting or format so you can see it in your mind’s eye?

EXPERT TIP: The best way to become a better speaker is to watch how the pros do it. Keep your eyes peeled for what other presenters do. Presenters can be the parent welcoming you at the school fundraiser, a stand-up comic, TED speaker, or anyone standing in front of a room trying to grab and keep your attention. Note what you appreciate about effective speakers.

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STEP

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GATHER YOUR RAW MATERIALS Your raw materials include everything you want to say and anything you want to show.

These elements might include:.

• V isuals, which means high-quality photography, art or well-designed graphs, charts or other visual elements.

• P rops. What items could you bring to show the audience what you’re talking about in three-dimensions?

• D emonstrations. Are you describing a process that you could demonstrate in front of the crowd?

If so, this could be the most memorable part of your talk.

• Relevant stories. Make a list.

• Statistics. How can you dramatize them?

• Research. What’s important to share that is part of your overarching story?

• A udience participation. This could be as simple as asking for a raise of hands. What else could they do?

• What other content do you want to convey?

Assemble it all. Write each one on an index card or post-it note.

Let it rest overnight.

EXPERT TIP: Start planning your talk as far ahead as possible. Even sitting down for 20 minutes to brainstorm on your own or with a colleague will start the process. Once that process begins, you’ll be thinking about the talk while you’re going about the rest of your life and you’ll find yourself clearer the next time you sit down to continue planning.

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STEP

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WHO’S THE AUDIENCE? You’re giving this talk or speech for a reason. It might be to teach, entertain, persuade or inspire.

The best talks do a little of each. To help you shape your talk, answer these questions:.

• Who’s your audience? Be specific.

• Are they peers and colleagues? Or are they completely new to your topic?

• Why are they gathering to hear your message?

• Imagine this audience sitting in front of you. What do they need?

• How would you like them to be changed when they leave today?

• What’s the one takeaway message?

• What’s the overarching purpose of this talk?

Boil the reason for your talk down to one sentence. That sentence will become your “true north” and will help you decide what to include and what to leave out as you build your talk. You may never even say this one sentence during your presentation. That’s OK. EXPERT TIP: If you want to know more about your audience, survey them either on the registration form or at the open of your talk. Asking your audience questions is a great way to help them feel heard and gives you immediate feedback on how your message is landing.

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STEP

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ASSEMBLE THE PIECES The hardest part of making a talk is sitting down with your raw materials and your constraints and figuring out how to tell THIS story. There’s no one right way to do this. Entire books have been written on story structure and still it’s a struggle. If it’s too formulaic, your talk won’t have any surprises and be a little dull. And if it’s a mess, your audience won’t get your message. This is the uphill part of putting a presentation or speech together.

The first version of your presentation will be rough: your transitions might be missing and you’ll likely be trying to cram in too much.

These questions will help: • H ow can you open with a hook? Some examples include: a dramatic statistic, a rhetorical question, a relevant story.

• Where will you end? What’s the last message you want to leave your audience with?

• Is everything you’re talking about important? What could you omit and still tell this story?

• How are you transitioning from one point to the next? Which transitions are absent or still rough?

Once you have your open and your close, take each piece of content from Step 2 and write it on a post-it note or an index card and play with the order until you can tell it as a story that even a non-expert could understand. Keep switching the order until it feels right. Smooth your transitions.

Then, find someone who is not in your field to tell your story to.

When you’ve taken it as far as you can, it’s time to either get more help (see the last page) or proceed to Step 5 and rehearse.

EXPERT TIP: If you’re using visuals like PowerPoint, present no more than one idea per slide.

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STEP

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REHEARSE THE WEEK BEFORE If you only do one thing to prepare for your talk, rehearse it with at least one person. Make it a real rehearsal where you actually give the entire talk. That’s why having another person helps — you’ll be less tempted to skip over sections. If the rehearsal is in the same room where you’ll be presenting, even better.

During your rehearsal: • Time your presentation.

• P ractice eye contact. (If it’s a big group, you only need to look at a couple people and everyone will feel included.)

• P ractice with a whiteboard, even if you’re using slides, so that if the technology fails, you can still give your talk.

• Act out worst-case scenarios.

• Rehearse your answers to the toughest questions you might be asked.

• I f you’re rehearsing in the same room where you’ll be presenting, spend time just being in the room, sitting in different seats until you feel familiar with the room and it feels like “yours.”

• A t the end of the rehearsal, make a checklist of everything you need to bring to the talk. This list might include: business cards, tissues, water, reading glasses, your introduction (in case your host forgets it), your outline printed in large type, and so on.

• W rite encouraging notes to yourself on your outline. You can write: “Breathe.” “You’re doing great!” and so on.

EXPERT TIP: Memorize your first line and your last line so you can look at the audience during your open and your close.

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BONUS STEP

WHAT TO DO THE DAY OF • Warm up physically. Do your usual workout or take a brisk walk.

• W arm up vocally. This could be humming in the car as you drive, yawning and reciting the alphabet as you enunciate each letter. These exercises help your face muscles warm up.

• S ome presenters like to be alone right before a talk so they can focus. Others find that mingling and chatting with attendees helps them relax, so they’re not talking to a room full of strangers.

• If you’re waiting off-stage and feeling nervous, keep moving by walking and stretching.

• When in doubt, speak slower and louder.

• Speak to the audience, not the projection screen.

• Don’t be shy about asking people in the back, “Can you hear me?”

• If you lose focus, focus on the audience and what you want to tell them.

• Remember to breathe.

• Take your time. Pausing can be dramatic.

• If any mishaps occur, acknowledge them and move on.

• I f somebody leaves the room during your presentation, don’t let it throw you. Focus on the people who are still there.

• Always start on time and end on time. (Ending early is always fine.)

EXPERT TIP: The day after your talk, make detailed notes about what worked and what to change for next time.

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WANT A FINAL POLISH? If you’d like help crafting or polishing your next presentation, Gigi offers free 30-minute consultations via Skype or phone. To schedule your session, email Gigi or sign up here: gigirosenberg.com/presentation-coaching-questions.

ABOUT GIGI Gigi Rosenberg is a public speaking coach, author and speaker based in Portland, Oregon.

She’s worked with executives, nonprofit leaders, technical experts and teams in corporations and nonprofits to help them connect with their audience. Her clients have included Microsoft, Mercy Corps and the Seattle Foundation, to name a few.

As a public speaking coach, she draws upon her 30 years of experience in corporate communications and fundraising to help presenters find their story and calm their nerves.

Gigi’s been a guest commentator on Oregon Public Radio and has performed at Seattle’s On The Boards, Portland Story Theater, the Fertile Ground Festival of New Work and the United Solo Theatre Festival in New York City.

She’s the former editor of Professional Artist, a national business magazine, and author of The Artist’s Guide To Grant Writing, published by Watson-Guptill.

Do you have a presentation looming that you’d like to deliver with confidence and ease?

Or does your team need to take their presentations to the next level? For details on how you can work with her as a one-on-one coach or as a workshop leader at your organization, visit gigirosenberg.com/presentation-coach or email Gigi at gigi@gigirosenberg.com.

Connect with Gigi

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© 2018 Gigi Rosenberg

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