Behind the Scenes: How I Stopped Sweating Over Public Speaking
Inge Geerdens
Founder & CEO CVWarehouse, Pitching expert, keynote speaker about entrepreneurship
This post is part of a series in which Influencers go behind the scenes to explain in detail one aspect of their work. Read all the stories here and write your own (please include the hashtag #BehindTheScenes in the body of your post).
My job is to sell my services and manage my company. I am an entrepreneur by heart, not a professional speaker or presenter. Speaking in front of a crowd is actually not really my cup of tea. But as I am the most important salesperson for my company, and a female entrepreneur in IT, I am often invited to the stage for a presentation, keynote or lecture.
For a while I figured that the best way to handle those invitations was to say "no." But I actually found it harder to refuse than I had expected. So somehow, when the request came in enough in advance, I figured that would give me enough time to prepare. And yet I always found myself franticly working late at night, a few hours before the presentation, trying to create the visual support I had in mind. Despite all my good intentions, I kept procrastinating.
One night I decided to turn my habits around. Now, when I have to give a presentation, I mark it in my calendar six weekends in advance. During that weekend I write down two or three key messages I want to get across. Five weekends before the presentation, I decide which stories could support these messages. The following weekend, I look for pictures that go with my stories and my messages, randomly collecting everything that I think might be useful. The next weekend I slowly rehearse the presentation in front of my computer, while shifting through all the pictures.
The next weekend is when the magic really happens, because two weekends before the presentation, I go to the gym. Combining a workout with the rehearsal for a presentation has proven to be ideal for me. Time flies while I am working out, and I also work more efficiently on the presentations to avoid an endless workout. Afterwards, I go home to make the final changes. The next week, I go back to the gym and rehearse my presentation while doing steps until I can practically sing the whole story.
Sure, my way of working might not be mainstream, but it has three important benefits for me. First of all, I can now actually bring the keynote or hold the presentation I had in mind.
Secondly, I gain a lot of time and peace of mind. Instead of spending a whole weekend being stressed about the amount of work I still have to do, I now only spend one or two hours during six weekends, completely calm because I know I have plenty of time.
Even when something unexpected happens, like one of my kids getting ill or something urgent that needs to be covered at work, it doesn’t completely ruin my mood, or the presentation.
And the third, most important benefit of all: I am happy with my performance. I now actually look forward to preparing and holding a presentation.
How did you turn a challenging task into something you can look forward to?
Photo: Author's Own
community pharmacist
9yThank you so very much for your post! These are excellent recommendations, especially for someone like me, a veteran retail pharmacist, with very limited public speaking experience. Like you, I had always declined invitations to speak in public. Lack of confidence and time constraints seemed valid reasons to shy away from the podium. Recently, however, I received an invitation, from a young pharmacy colleague, to help her conduct a seminar on pharmacy law to a group of local veterinarians, many of whom I know on a first name basis. With 33 years of retail pharmacy experience and the prospect of a number of friendly faces in the crowd, I felt reasonably secure and agreed to speak. I prepared for about three weeks and my colleague and I conducted the seminar last night. I handled my portion of the presentation adequately, but came away from it knowing that I could have performed much more effectively. Your advice and recommendations have just given me the tools I need to "wow the crowd" should a future opportunity arise. Again, thank you for this most informative and helpful post! Jann M. Sides, R.Ph.
Great post! It's a cliche but 'Failing to Prepare is Preparing to Fail.' Everyone has a different approach and it very much depends on your own personality and organisational structure. Our approach is very much focused on the individual and what works for them, giving them a structure to work from/around and not a set of rigid parameters to stick to. Depending on your role within the business also has a impact, and the frequency of your Public Speaking. The most important person in the room is YOU, why? Because the audience has taken THEIR time out to listen to you, so extend the courtesy and pay them back with an interesting talk or discussion. But like I said, whatever works for you!
Customer Insights Manager at Officeworks
9yFantastic approach. Sounds foolproof (save getting asked, or worse, told, to present with next to no warning!). Thanks
--
9yGreat idea. I employ "old experience", for it works for me. After my life experience, nothing is difficult.