Newsletter January 08

What the Cleaning Lady Said

A while ago we used to have a cleaning lady called Helen.

Helen was a very interesting person, who talked all the time and seemed to have an opinion on just about everything!

Not long after she started working for us, she asked me what I did.

“Well” I said, “I spend part of my time training people in presentation skills, …”

“Oh” she cut in, “there are only two things you need to know about giving a presentation.”

Intrigued, I replied “And what are they?”

“You need to stop thinking about yourself, and you need to know what you’re talking about.”

While I would hesitate to say that these are the ONLY two things you need to know, if you get these two aspects right, you would be well on your way to giving an effective presentation.

The concept of S.T.A.Y. (Stop Thinking About Yourself) is a highly beneficial one to build confidence and ensure you give a presentation to meet the needs of the audience.

Refer to our newsletter of January 2003 http://www.successfulspeaking.co.nz/newsletter-january-5/

Knowing what you are talking about when giving a presentation also has obvious merits!

The reason the audience is there is to hear your message, so make sure it’s a message that you know, and know well.

To gain a feeling of confidence and to meet the audience’s needs, you need to know your topic as well as you possibly can – inside out, and back to front!

It’s important to prepare your presentation so that the content is effective. However, often people stop here and don’t carry on to the next stage of practising their topic.

The golden rule is Practise Practise Practise.

Practise it in your living room, in the shower, while driving in the car, just before you nod off to sleep, in work in front of colleagues, when out for a jog – it doesn’t matter where, as long as you practise.

When I got married in 1992 I decided to give a speech at my wedding. I practised it so much that I could give the speech again now, I know it so well.

When you know your topic that well it gives you confidence, as you will be completely familiar with your material; if you lose your place you will be able to get back on track easily; and you will be well set up to answer any questions that arise.

You will also be showing a level of respect to the audience by giving them your message in the best way you can

So, do you S.T.A.Y?

And how well do you know the presentations you are giving?

Happy speaking!

Copyright Successful Speaking 2008