What Do I Do If My Presenting Times Is Cut Back At The Last Minute

What do I do if, at the last minute, my time is cut short? I was told I had 20 minutes but now I’m told to wrap up in ten minutes just as I am standing up. The organizer says that they are running late and want you to end up quickly.

What most people do is that they stand up and apologize and say that they will be quick and that there is no time. They waste their time talking about being short oin time. So not do that. Use every minute for the benefit of your audience.

The other thing people do is that they speak quickly thinking they do not have time. Do not do that. Your audience will not process information faster just because you are speaking faster. Now you are speaking in a monotone voice and it is boring. You have given them a reason to use their phones.

Do not speak faster. Instead, make quick decisions about what you have that is most important and put your ideas in order of priority. If you have your time reduced from 30 minutes to ten, take the most important two ideas you have and drive those points home. Makes sure the audience really understands them and truly remembers them.

If they want more information, you can email them, give them a handout, or talk to them afterwards. It is a far better idea to convey one idea in a powerful way than to skim through fifteen ideas quickly and have them instantly forgotten.

Should You Warn Your Audience That You are Going to Be Boring

Folks, I just want to warn you right here: I am really sorry, I did not prepare my speech so it is going to be boring and awful.

Should you warn your audience that you are going to be boring? No! That is a horrible idea! Sometimes people feel that by doing this, they can lower expectations so that if they are really awful, they are off the hook. No, you are not off the hook. People have gathered to watch you present. They are listening from the standpoint of listening to something interesting and useful or something that is a waste of their time. If you are wasting people’s time and telling them beforehand, you are still wasting their time- it will not take the sting or the annoyance away.

Instead of lowering the expectations of your audience, spend your time trying to figure out how to say something interesting. It does not have to be wildly funny or the best speech in the world, just give them a useful idea. Act like you find your presentation interesting and useful and exciting even if it is not the single most exciting topic in the world. Focus on one thing that is interesting and put a spotlight on it.

Some people may still think you are uninteresting but you will not be making it any easier for them to form that opinion. So no, do not tell everyone that you are going to be boring- you will not be doing yourself any favors by doing so.

What do You Do If You Are Nervous Before Giving a Presentation

What do you do if you are nervous before giving a presentation? It is a common question I get. The number one way to get over nervousness is to practice on video until you love what you speak.

This is not a sexy answer. It is not as sexy as putting your hands on your hips and visualizing that you are Wonder Woman. It is not as sexy as visualizing your audience in their underwear either. But it is an honest and effective answer. It is not something people want to hear.

It is like hearing the solution to getting to your ideal body weight. It is eating a lot of fruit and vegetables, cut down on the excess junk food, drink lots of water, and exercise every day. Nobody wants to hear that! Everyone wants to hear about a magic pill, or a magic surgery, or a super food that will help them achieve that. It is kind of the same thing with getting over your fear of public speaking.

You need to practice on video until you like what you see. Do that and your fears will melt away.

Who Is the Best Speaker In The World

Who is the best speaker in the world? Who is my favorite speaker? I get these questions from time to time and at some level it is kind of like saying who is the best musician in the world. We all have certain singers we like or bands that we like more than others. But it is very difficult to say that one is the best out of all.

The problem also is that some of my favorite speakers are well known politicians and the second you mention that person, everyone who does not like that person or agrees with their views wants to change the topic and no longer about your public speaking expertise but instead call you a moron for liking that person because they have bad policies in their view.

That is typically why I do not like to give specific names. You will, however, get a sense of who I like in another section of my course how great speakers communicated. At some point, everyone is in there, even if I do not like their politics, because I have respect for them when it comes to their speaking skills.

So my advice to you is to really look around every kind of genre, whether it is politics, business, or government, and try to figure out who you like from a speaking style perspective so that you can learn from them.