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In today’s podcast episode, we have Barbara Moynihan – On Your Feet, Presentation skills specialist will discuss how to prepare, what to avoid, to nail a presentation or speech. What are the building blocks? Where do you start? How to build an effective presentation. How do you manage your fears and anxiety to channel it to add to your presentation. Slides – death by powerpoint.
Show Notes:
[2:10] – John and Barbara begin the conversation with why people have such a fear of public speaking.
[3:38] – Barbara spends a lot of time preparing her clients for presentations and states that most people go about preparing all wrong by beginning with the PowerPoint slides.
[4:07] – The first thing you need to ask yourself is who will you be presenting to?
[4:20] – The next thing you need to ask is what are they looking to gain from your presentation? You need to write this down in a “so, that” statement.
[5:40] – Barbara points out that the biggest mistake people make is that they don’t think about their audience from the beginning and what the outcome should be.
[7:06] – Barbara lists the key ingredients to making an impact with your presentation and begins with the structure and outcome of a presentation.
[8:10] – Having the content right and being familiar with it is important, but to appear prepared and confident you must practice it out loud and even consider recording yourself presenting to watch yourself.
[9:34] – Stop trying to be perfect. You’re not perfect, so be easy on yourself.
[10:10] – You want to sound conversational and not robotic. Over practicing can cause you to sound robotic.
[11:04] – Nerves and excitement are very similar. Accept that you will be nervous, but create a positive mantra to help your mindset to shift to excitement.
[12:58] – The first step in engaging the audience is to watch your “you” to “I” ratio.
[15:06] – A little bit of appropriate humor goes a long way.
[15:31] – When to take audience questions is personal preference and specific to each topic of presentation.
[17:14] – John and Barbara discuss the importance of body language during a presentation.
[18:01] – When Barbara is coaching her clients, she records them practicing a presentation for them to see their natural body language and hand gestures.
[19:23] – Stance can seem stiff for those who are nervous. Barbara begins coaching her clients by having them mimic her own movements.
[20:17] – Barbara also uses a set of cards that are a useful tool in practicing public speaking. You can get your own set of these cards from AtMyBest.com.
[21:40] – If you feel that a PowerPoint is important to convey your message or assist your audience in remembering your content, then use it. But don’t use it as a teleprompter.
[22:28] – John and Barbara discuss the ideal length of a presentation. Presentations should be just long enough to cover the essentials but short enough to keep everyone interested.
[23:54] – The biggest mistake being made with virtual Zoom meetings in our current climate is the first impression and an unprofessional appearance.
[24:45] – Position of lighting is key. And there’s nothing worse than not being able to hear properly so invest in a good microphone.
[25:24] – One of Barbara’s tips for online video presentations is to look directly at the camera and only look at the screen to check things.
[26:30] – Barbara read an impactful book with the message to never look back and think that you should have made a different choice.
[27:30] – How to Win Friends and Influence People has timeless and solid principles that were impactful to Barbara.
[28:03] – Barbara’s daily rituals are to meditate in the morning to clear her head. And at the end of the day, she leaves her mobile phone in another room before she goes to bed.
Connect with Barbara Moynihan:
Connect with John Murphy:
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