Presentations Nerves – The Real Solution

The Speakers Practice has invited Australian Business owners to submit articles on the topic of the Presentation Skills in the workplace. Contributors are experts in their industry , discussing aspects and giving advice concerning presentation skills in their field of expertise.

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David Williams, Growth Whisperers personally enables you to double your income, influence and energy by releasing your hidden handbrakes in your personal and business life.

Do you know that sensation of your heart beating as you wait to give your presentation?

Does your mind start fast forwarding to the moment when you go blank and can’t remember what to say next?

And what about the butterflies in the stomach and the pulsing around your temples?

If you get nervous giving presentations to groups, then you’ll know what I’m talking about. Its no fun and it can be really frustrating. Why? Because except for your nerves, you’re perfectly capable of giving that presentation, right?

Now I know what those nerves are like. For years I got told things like, ‘Practice make perfect’, ‘Just take three deep breaths’, and I love this one, ‘The audience are your friends’. Now lets be honest, did any of these well intended suggestions really solve your nerves? Not for me at least. And that’s the way it was until I had this blinding flash of the obvious insight. Whenever we’re incomplete, we get stressed. Let me explain what I mean.

Will All of You Please Stand Up?

So many times when I watch people presenting, I see more than one person is up there on the stage. There’s the person who wants to be all confident and professional, and then there’s other person whose being push into the background, whose concerned about making a mistake and not being liked by the audience. When we push an uncomfortable part of ourselves away, we make ourselves personally incomplete, and that’s at the core of what makes us nervous.

Now you could say that all I’m saying is for you to ‘Be Yourself’. But that’s another one of those helpful hints that in my experience doesn’t actually tell you how to do it. How do you be yourself? Well the solution lies in what I call ‘the moment of resistance’. In the moment of resistance, you experience some type of discomfort. Its resisting that tiny moment of discomfort that makes you personally incomplete, which makes you nervous and which stops you from being yourself when you present. Let me give you an example.

Naming and Accepting makes it Fun

Say you have a part of you that’s feels you can do a good job at this presentation, and that you have this other part of you that remembers stuffing up and is concerned it could happen again. Now most of us are aware of how nervous we are outwards towards giving the presentation, but there a more powerful inward emotion that’s already there and which you instantaneously resist. In the moment of getting nervous for a presentation, what are feeling towards yourself? Are you actually feeling out of control of how the audience will react, inadequate to answer their questions, or maybe even vulnerable to showing your emotions in public. Its being willing to experience these uncomfortable emotions that is the key to making yourself complete and gaining the calm clarity that you probably want. Because think about the professional speakers that you’ve seen. They often tell stories about their mistakes. Its a little known secret that to tell those stories, those presenters have had to actively accept any uncomfortable emotions surrounding the event when they stuffed up. They laugh at themselves and we laugh with them. And it will be the same for you. When you name the specific uncomfortable inward emotion that you experience as you start to get nervous, make a decision to actively welcome experiencing that uncomfortable feeling. As you do this, you’ll see your nerves subside and your presentations will transform from frustration to fun.

Its The Same For Leaders

Of course the same can be said of any leader having a converssation with their team. Australians in particular can detect a mile away a leader whose pretending to be something more than they really are. Why do you think we call them ‘Tall Poppies’? Equally, staff lose respect when you as a leader don’t respect a part of you that you’re uncomfortable with. Your self doubts create doubts in others, be it your audience or employees.

Now what I’ve explained above is the proverbial tip of the iceberg. There’s a whole other area about a unique process that we use to make being more calm and complete in front of groups a fact that lasts a lifetime.

So come to my live event where I’ll show you how three business leaders harnessed the power of these insights and techniques to literally make millions and enjoy great lifestyles. We’d love to have you there, CLICK HERE to register.

Double Your Profits, Partnerships and Productivity Preview Meeting

Tuesday 9 April

5.30pm for 6-8pm

Amora Hotel

11 Jamison Street, Sydney (near Wynyard)

Cost: Zero – Finger food and refreshments provided

CLICK HERE
to register.

In the meantime, please let me know what you found useful and the difference this article makes in your personal and business life. I’d love to hear from you. Warmly,

David Williams ,Growth Whisperers www.growthwhisperers.com

When was the last time you said yourself, “I really want to write a press release”?

The Speakers Practice has invited Australian Business owners to submit articles on the topic of the Presentation Skills in the workplace. Contributors are experts in their industry , discussing aspects and giving advice concerning presentation skills in their field of expertise. Ric Willmot, Executive Wisdom is an author, speaker and owner of Executive Wisdom

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Ric Willmot is an expert Executive Business Coach.You can accesss Ric’s books, the outstanding Business Forum at greatly reduced rate through the affliation with The Speakers Practice.

See Ric’s Business products – http://bit.ly/YfYt4H

Business owners, managers and those responsible for marketing are commended to write media releases, speak at trade association events, and have articles published in the journals that their clients read. That’s not unreasonable advice. But unless you were exceptionally good at English at school, or in the University debating team, or lucky enough to have exposure to journalism, the whole idea can be a little daunting. And so as you settle into your office with a fresh cup of coffee, there are numerous other priorities that take precedence over you actively progressing the writing of your next press release, article, or presentation to your local Chamber of Commerce. So, it never happens, even with the best of intentions.

The good news for you is that with just a small amount of effort, the correct guidance, and an editable template you can do any of these three tasks in ninety minutes or less. A media release can be written and disseminated within thirty minutes. A presentation to a business association, industry group, networking event, and the like can be crafted and composed in under sixty minutes. A full-page article in any business or trade journal may require the full hour and a half.

There is no one perfect way to write a media release. Take solace in the knowledge that much of the reason for a release being picked up is entirely luck. That said, through plenty of trial and error I’ve identified some key points that will greatly improve the chances of your release being considered favourably by radio, journalists and editors.

Before you invest time in writing a media release, critically decide if the topic is something that people want to read about. Is it newsworthy? Will it be interesting for the editor of a particular publication? Can provide a controversial twist to the topic that will capture the reader’s attention? Do you have a message that is contrary to conventional wisdom or what is currently being touted by others? Can you support your philosophy with evidence, facts, data, or a case study that proves you’re right and everyone else isn’t? If you can do this your media release will go to the top of the pile on the editor’s desk.

When you write your release, contrary to what you might assume, you are not writing it for the editor. Articulate your message specifically to the readers of the publication. Your answers to the following questions will have your media release writing itself:

i What’s your purpose for writing the release?

ii Who are you specifically speaking to as you write?

iii What are your 3 most important points of wisdom you can share with the reader?

iv How do each of these improve your readers?

v What one piece of evidence can you provide to support the 1st point?

vi Summarise a case study that proves your 2nd point.

vii What data can you provide in bullet point form that supports your 3rd point?

viii So looking at what you have done so far, what do you now believe is the most powerful way to write your premise that his benefits based for the reader?

ix Does your article raise any questions that you need to refute? If so, enter them in your writing.

x Can you conclude your media release without powerful and interesting call to action that is not a sales pitch?

You have now rapidly written a media release that has a far better chance of being published. At first it may take you slightly longer then the thirty minutes I mentioned. However, if you diligently use this process and schedule the time to write at least once every month, you will very quickly get better in quality and speed. And, as a bonus, here’s three of Ric’s Tips for you that are worth the price of admission, alone:

The media release does not have to tell everything you know. Simply tell the reader what they have to know, today.
Keep your sentences concise and on point.
If you can incorporate a visually appealing, unusual, or amazing photograph, you must include it.

Press releases can be a valuable tool for your business in terms of branding, repute, and word-of-mouth. But press releases on their own do not make you money. So they are only one component of your Whirlpool Marketing™. Media releases don’t need to be perfect, must not be lengthy, and written in a tone that’s easy to read and understand.

Ric Willmot: Improving Your Business Results Through Intelligent Strategies

Executive Wisdom Consulting Group

You can accesss Ric’s books, the outstanding Business Forum at greatly reduced rate through the affliation with The Speakers Practice. See Ric’s Business products – http://bit.ly/YfYt4H

Website: http://executivewisdom.com

Blog: http://ricwillmot.com

e-mail: info@executivewisdom.com