The ONE thing you NEED to know about Presentations
Think back to a time when you drew something, wrote a poem, or composed a song. Do you remember how hard it was to show it, read it, or play it for someone? Even if you were not the artistic type, remember that time when you had a question but didn’t want to ask it out of fear of sounding stupid? We have all been there. We all fear judgment.
It’s not hard to think that everything you do is a reflection of who you are. Therefore, if someone has something negative to say about what you’re doing, you naturally think they’re saying something negative about you. We are very quick to draw those conclusions. If somebody found your drawing, poem, song, or question to be dumb – you automatically make the jump and think: They think I’m dumb. This feeling is exponentially stronger when you give presentations. Imagine! You have a whole audience who are probably thinking all kinds of things. So, YOU start thinking all kinds of things. “Am I dressed appropriately”; “Is my voice loud enough but not too loud”; “How much time do I have left?” And while you juggle those thoughts, you start forgetting some pretty important things; like breathing. Notice, all those thoughts are about YOU. After all, YOU don’t want to be judged. This brings us to the most important thing you need to know about presentations: It’s NOT about YOU.
Your presentation (or any presentation, for that matter) is about an idea. Your slides, the room, the set-up, the lighting, the sound, and most importantly, YOU, are there to support and communicate that idea. Once you make this disassociation, presenting becomes so much easier! As the presenter, you do everything in your power to carry that idea through. That, alone, makes you a more engaging presenter. And your presentation becomes that much more interesting. So, put yourself second and give it a shot!
Get presenting.
