When I first started blogging, I just thought “inspiration will come if I desired it.” Not so much. I’m scouring for inspiration in my work encounters, social media, news outlets, magazine columns and casual conversations. Daily. Sometimes something sticks – especially when I’m poking fun at myself. Other times, a blank white page/screen glares back at me.
Not today. Today’s inspiration was generated from a TEDBlog post, “A Ted Speaker Coach shares 11 tips for right before you go on stage” by Kate Torgovnick May and Emily Ludolph; and a request from two co-workers for advice on presentations for the upcoming SQLSaturday Baton Rouge.
Having some speaking experience – both horrid from panic attacks and electric when I freely connected to my audience – I was excited to help them become more confident and succinct in their storytelling. Because every presentation should start as a single idea or unique story you’re compelled to share with a new audience. Right?
The Beginning…
I was 23 years old in my first post-college job with no presentation experience except for a single communication class in college (I received a “B” for “not smiling enough”), when I was asked to speak to senior citizens about consumer fraud. I was actually hired as an in-house writer but somehow my boss “forgot” to tell me that occasionally I’d have to give presentations around the state and interviews with media outlets about our consumer outreach. To say I was FREAKED OUT was an understatement.
Everything that could go wrong in my first presentation did – I experienced a panic attack with a weird heat rash on my neck and face (during.the.presentation), said the word “faunky” (not “funky” but a Southern “faunky” – defined as “ugly, gross, hideous”) 10+ times (during.the.presentation) and word-vomited at 90-miles-a-minute with two breaths book-ending my presentation. I’d like to say that fateful day ended any future opportunities to give presentations – but it didn’t. The optimism of youth told me “You’ll be better next time.” And I was … over time.
What have I learned in the 10-years since that fateful day?
- Know Your Audience. I think this is a big blunder speakers make because they don’t tailor their presentations to each audience. Speaking to tech pros vs. business leaders on the Cloud requires different language, details and positioning.
- Preparation is key. I like to start every speaking opportunity, writing assignment or other creative endeavor with an outline. This helps me visualize my flow, key topics, calls to action and where a personal story or example sells my point better than another slide with bullet points. Prepare a 3-5 questions that you think the audience might ask and craft your responses ahead of time.You’ll feel like a rock star!
- Prepare for the unexpected. You can’t anticipate every question the audience will ask. But you can be honest and comfortable saying “I don’t know.” You won’t know everything. That’s okay! Be prepared with a simple follow-up: “I don’t know the answer to X, but let me get your contact info and I can follow-up with you after the event.” Bonus: now you have a reason to engage with an interested audience member post-event!
- Learn how to tell stories that connect. People love stories! People despise dry, text heavy slides and monotone speakers. Get creative. Be willing to get personal. Analogies, images, cartoons, graphs – whatever it takes to drive your key points home. Literally. You want people to drive home thinking about that one great story/image.
- Practice. Practice. Practice (and ask for feedback). Speaking of rock stars, practice that swagger in front a mirror, friend, co-worker or manager BEFORE you present in front of a crowd. Be open to criticism or feedback you receive. As noted above, you don’t know everything including how an audience might react to or misunderstand content.
These are just a few of the “lessons learned” from my career. Definitely read the TedBlog post referenced above, which offers very unique tips, especially when speaking in front of a camera and live audience.
I could write another post just on building your personal brand through awesome presentation content, stories, tone, appearance, etc. These are critical components to building a solid, credible reputation. But that’s for another day …
Read. Travel. Write. Inspire. 
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