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All posts by Nancy Ellis
7 Little Tricks To Speak In Public With No Fear
No matter what, it’s hard for me to shake my nerves before a presentation. There are ways to cover them up that definitely help, but even after presenting over and over again at work, I still seem to always get a little nervous before a presentation. Lifehack has some good insight into this – these tips outline a few ways to overcome your nerves. The author admits that he still gets nervous before speaking publicly, but it’s all about finding ways to control your nerves.
His first tip is interesting – I can see how admitting your nerves could in a joking manner could break the ice. My favorite of his tips, though, is redefining your audience. That’s something that I’ve found to be very valuable at work. Rather than viewing your audience as people critiquing you, view them as your peers or very close friends.
These tips may not work for everyone, but I think there are a few that could help overcome nerves. Good luck to everyone on your final presentations! At least in our situation, we really are all peers 🙂
How to Motivate Employees
There have been quite a few blog posts regarding effective management styles and how to be a good leader. In addition to these tips, one thing I find very relevant is how to motivate your direct reports and ensure your team is engaged every day. We’ve probably all been rewarded at some point or another with trophies, bonuses, etc. While those are all nice to receive, do they really keep us motivated and energized to deliver great work on a daily basis?
In a recent Inc. article, the author highlights some of the most effective things you can do as a manager to motivate your team:
1) Interesting Work
2) Information
3) Involvement
4) Independence
5) Increased Visibility
I wholeheartedly agree with the tips of being transparent and supporting employees with independence. I think one of the most demotivating characteristics a manager can have is to micromanage his or her employees. In my experience, having a manager who empowers you to make decisions on your own is by far more motivating than anything else. As we all advance in our careers, I think these are great tips to ground ourselves in how to keep our employees engaged and delivering great work.
Selling Your Idea
Penelope Trunk is one of my favorite career advice bloggers. In one of her older posts, she provides advice on how to get your company to listen to your ideas. While the underlying principles are pretty basic, I find them very valuable and applicable to presenting a recommendation and gaining buy-in at most companies today.
I think often, it’s easy to have an idea that you think is great, and you expect upper management to agree and implement it. In reality, it’s so much more beneficial if you sell your idea in a way that makes it a no-brainer for the decision makers. What’s important to them, and what will their concerns be? If you craft your story in a manner that answers all of those hesitations upfront and also sells your idea, you’ll have better success than expecting them to know the answers.
Penelope provides three tips for selling your idea in, which I think are very useful in crafting any presentation. Know your audience and think about it from their perspective before you try to sell it in.
11 Tips for Calming Nerves Before a Presentation
I know that many of us are working on improving our “delivery,” and I think the tips provided in a recent Business Insider article are interesting. I’ve heard most of the suggestions before (i.e. being comfortable with the material you’re presenting and exerting confidence), but some of them were new to me. I really like the three audience truths:
- One: They believe you’re the expert, so don’t tell them otherwise.
- Two: They want you to succeed, so they’re on your side.
- Three: They won’t know when you make a mistake, so don’t announce it.
We have some really good presenters in our class, so I’m curious if anyone has any personal tips to share?