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You can get your audience cheering!

by Graham Jones

So, you've been asked to make a presentation and you are facing a combination of eagerness and fear. You want to do it, but you're worried that something might go wrong. Welcome to the club! All presenters have these feelings, even the best. All you can think of is that mass of people all staring at you, waiting for you to fail or hoping you'll be quick so they can go to get a coffee. But it is not like that.  Here are two important things to remember about your audience:

1. They are not waiting for you to fail - they are far to worried about themselves to think about you.
    
2. They want you to succeed - after all they have come to listen to you.

Just think back to when you were in an audience at a presentation. Did you spend your time looking for mistakes, worrying about how the presenter might cope? Unlikely. You only do this when the presentation is absolutely dire. Even for average presentations you listen and try to work out how you can use the information you are being given. Your audience is on your side. So don't get hung up on how they might react to you. The chances are very high that they'll love you - besides most of them haven't got the guts to do what you are doing and standing up in front of them.

Change your thinking

Simple changes in the way you think about presentations can dramatically alter your approach. Remembering the audience is on your side is one important change that helps boost your ability. Another alteration in thinking relates to content:

Your audience is only likely to remember two things you say

So don't try and cram your presentation with content. Stick to one or two main points and don't try to fit in everything you know. This has a tremendous impact on the way you think about your presentation. Suddenly it is not 'the be all and end all' but has become you talking to some people about a couple of things. Easy eh?

Just hold a conversation

Now that you know you only need to cover a couple of points with people who are on your side, you can treat your presentation as though it were a conversation. All you are doing is having a chat with people. Even 'life or death' presentations are rarely as important as we believe. When you need to impress to get that money or be awarded that contract, treating your presentation as a 'chat' will always be more likely to gain results. The reason? You've become human in the eyes of your audience and not some 'automaton professional presenter'!

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Graham Jones is available to the media for comment

Graham Jones is available for comment and quoting in articles and on broadcasts. He is a regular contributor to a variety of media and can talk to you about any aspect of human communication.

Contact him on:

0118 336 9712