Theo Theobald - Develop Your Presentation Skills: Build Your Confidence; Be Charismatic; Give a Polished Performance (Sunday Times Creating Success)

This ebook published in 2011 by

Kogan Page Limited

120 Pentonville Road

London N1 9JN

UK

www.koganpage.com

Theo Theobald, 2011

E-ISBN 9780749462796

Contents

We all want to be great presenters, but often for very different reasons. Some seek greatness on the worlds political stage, others have more modest ambitions, possibly to be able to speak competently at the next company conference.

Maybe, what most of us want more than anything, is to avoid being a bad presenter. Thats the category Im in. For me there are two sides to this, the coach and the performer. Oh yes, I know what makes a great presenter, I can spot the flaws in anyones delivery, give the presenter hints and tips to up his or her game, but somehow its not so easy when youre trying to do it yourself still, it doesnt stop me trying.

If youve ever had the slightest brush with the fine art of public speaking, some of what you read here will come as no surprise to you. This book looks at conquering nerves, how to use your voice, and good writing and rehearsal technique, to name but a few areas.

However, this is a discipline where experiential learning is the key thing; learning by doing. Its one thing sitting and reading about how to control your nerves, another entirely attempting to do it in a pressurised situation. So, the key to future success is going to be partly about the study of technique, but also about applying what youve learned in a real situation. The third, and arguably most important, part of developing your speaking skills, will be reflection the chance to look back at your performance. There is an entire section dedicated to collecting both objective and subjective feedback on how you are progressing, to help you plan your future learning.

How would you rate your current skill level as a presenter? The truth is youre probably already much better than you perceive. You can think for yourself and conduct a conversation with another human being and thats all there is to it. They are the key attributes of an excellent performer. Now all you need to do is remember a few simple rules, get lots of practice and conquer your nerves.

Good luck, although with the right level of preparation youre unlikely to need it.

My thanks go to the Theo clan, all of whom are endlessly supportive when Im researching and writing; theyre the sort of people youd want in your audience. To Kim, for her tireless efforts in editing and punctuation, plus all the encouragement from the sidelines. To Angie, for letting me steal her best ideas, not just for this, but for everything I do! To Laurence for being Laurence and furnishing me with the best story in the book. And finally, to Helen, for putting her faith in me yet again and sustaining our professional relationship, through thick and thin.

There are dozens of books you could have chosen to improve your presentation skills, but this is the right one. So, there you have it the first, and most important, rule of becoming a consummate presenter: confidence. Or, and this is the really critical bit, the appearance of confidence. No one need ever know if you are shaking inside, if you are terrified of your audience or mortified at the thought of making a gaffe; as long as you appear to be in control you will always look professional.

I hope that by following some of the advice here, which is based on long personal experience, both good and bad, and many, many conversations with business speakers and professionals from the stage, you give yourself the chance to be the best you possibly can.

Powerful presentations are a matter of two things, internal and external factors; the first is all about you, the unique package of DNA, experience, upbringing and environment that sets you apart from every other being on the planet. Whatever else you learn, either by reading this, by practising your presentations or by taking feedback from others, the most important thing of all when you are up there on the stage is to be yourself.

Aside from you, there are the external factors. I would define these as the nuts and bolts of presenting, the things you can learn, practise and master; they include everything from writing and rehearsing your script, through to ensuring that you are introduced properly, weighing up the dynamics of the room and relying on the tools of the trade, from microphones to PowerPoint.

Combining the two sets of parameters together is what will help you achieve your personal best: a presentation that people will be talking about for a long time afterwards, for all the right reasons!

Before you jump in and start trying out new techniques, I hope that a bit of my own personal experience might help you. Right from the early days of doing presentations, I always wanted to be good at it, so I read many books, watched great speakers, noted what they did well and tried to incorporate it into my act. I also listened to mentors, who would gladly offer advice on the best way to improve.

The downside of this is that I would stand up to speak with far too many thoughts running through my head: dont forget to smile, watch your body language, stop moving around the stage, slow your pace down, allow a bit of rise and fall in your voice and on and on. The truth is, I was so nervous that it was impossible to think of all these things at once.

So, what I would say to you, if you are still on an upward learning curve of making speech making, is just concentrate on getting through it. Ensure that you know the content of your presentation as well as you can and use your instincts to deliver it in the best way you think fit. The more practice you get, the more able you will be to start thinking about some of the more advanced techniques. For now, congratulate yourself on having had the skill and resilience to get up and speak in public.

The chapters that follow are in rough chronological order, inasmuch as you have to write your presentation before you rehearse. In order to consolidate the learning of each chapter, there is a short, optional activity at the end for you to try out, along with a summary, in bullet point form, of what you have just read. If there is a particular area of expertise that you are trying to master, it might be worth revisiting the relevant chapter summaries when you are next in the process of preparing to speak.

If you are still not sure of where to start with brushing up on your skills, use the sorting grid overleaf () to decide on your priorities. Consider all the elements of making speeches, including:

Figure 0.1 Sorting grid for presentation skills

presentation skills;

writing;

rehearsal;

use of voice;

appearance of confidence;

using autocue;

visual aids;

developing PowerPoint skills;

assembling the right kit;

finding low-risk opportunities to practise;

humour;

storytelling;

handling nerves;

handling an audience.