Presentation Mastery

The 2 Biggest Mistakes Presenters Can Make

It’s no wonder so many people don’t feel comfortable presenting. It’s like a disaster waiting to happen. For example, you could:

Faint, throw up, ramble, bore, forget, amble, become parched, blush, not know, say too much, say too little, humiliate yourself, not be funny, stutter, not shut up, patronize, condescend, shake, and in general make a mess of yourself 

But wait, there’s more! The 2 biggest mistakes any presenter, teacher, executive, sales professional,  sales trainer, rev manager, general manager, chairman, or parent can make are these:

1. A self-centered perspective
2. Providing only information

I watched a presenter faint once. He had stayed up all night to work on his presentation. No sleep, too much coffee, lots of pressure. But you know what? Before he fainted, he greeted every person in the room. He looked people in the eye. He asked questions about what they needed to get from the session. People knew he cared about them more than he cared about his lack of sleep or the pressure he was feeling. No one was happy that he fainted but more for his sake than their own. They took care of him because they knew he was trying to take care of them!

When audiences know you deeply, passionately care that they grasp it so that they can be happier/more successful/wealthier, they’ll forgive you almost everything.

And about the second biggest mistake…information only, consider this: Once your listeners hear the information, then what? Almost every presentation is about changing behavior; they’ll use the information and data you’re providing in some way at some time to gain some additional success. Dump information and you waste the opportunity to make a difference.

Be the first to agree or disagree!

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