As an entrepreneur it is entirely possible that you have never had to make public presentations and improbable that the receptivity to your previous presentations would decide if you were going to get paid or not. Certainly, the pressure of having to present to people who will decide your fate is a bit daunting at first blush. The thought of having to do that is enough to quicken many a heartbeat and increase the flow of perspiration in even the most stalwart among us if they have never had to do that. In fact, it has been reported that people fear going to the dentist and making a presentation even ahead of dying!
To provide some relief for you on your first few times through this process though, I would suggest you remember the following:
1. You have been asked to present because you know something of value that the people you are presenting to want to know. The only way you get to presentation stage with a prospect is if you have demonstrated at least a preliminary understanding of what the prospect is interested in achieving. So, relax and share what you know.
2. Of course, that causes some people to fast forward ahead and begin to think of all the ways they will embarrass themselves:
a. They will stutter and stammer
b. They will not know the answer to something
c. They will fear that they will spill something on themselves or a whole host of other horrific events.
The truth is that the more one focuses on these things, the more likely they are to occur, but even accepting that, there are still the fears and anxieties associated with presenting. The good presenters have managed to use a healthy dose of humor, self deprecation, and an ability to recognize that even if the absolute worst thing that could happen does in fact occur; that their life does not come to an end. Each of the previous things may happen from time to time – but remember that you are also presenting to people that are equally fearful of being held up to ridicule themselves and very often will relate to you and your troubles and be very understanding.
3. Given that you will likely be super-prepared for the presentation and will likely try to anticipate every possible question or objection to your presentation, chances are that there will be little that you have not worked through in your mind by the time of the presentation. However, should a question arise that you are unprepared for, do not be afraid to say something to the effect of, "I will get back to you with the answer to that question. I would rather not try to respond with an answer that is off the cuff and risk being wrong." Then, make sure you do respond later.
4. The last thing to remember is that the participants do not know what you intended to say, they only hear what you did say. So, since they did not know that you missed a point or shared the third point before the second one, they are unaware that you skipped a line in your mental script. You know better than they do about what you wanted to say, so don't stress about how you botched the presentation, only you will know what it should have been.
If all else fails, remember the Cindy Brady trick of imagining the participants to your presentation in their underwear and smirk to yourself. Laughter is always a tension reliever!
David Zahn is a two-time author addressing the issues of entrepreneurship and consulting ("How To Succeed As An Independent Consultant, 4th Ed." and "The Quntessential Guide To Using Consultants") as well as being a frequent interviewee and contributor to articles in publications like, "BusinessWeekOnline, Entrepreneur, BrandWeek, Training & Development, CTPostOnline, and others. For a free "business readiness assessment," please click on http://www.startupbuilder.com. |
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