That’s A Recipe For Disaster!
When you see a baby learning to walk, do you say, “That baby’s not good at walking”? Probably not, right?
You recognize that the baby is learning by practicing, falling down and getting up again, and often holding a grownup’s hand for support.
So I’m intrigued when people say to me, “I’m not good at presenting.” I ask them how many times they’ve given a presentation? Not many. How much feedback or coaching they’ve received? None, or not much.
How can we expect ourselves to be good at something that we haven’t learned yet?
I truly believe that ANYONE who is capable of having a conversation with another human being can be good at giving presentations.
I’ve seen this time and again with my clients. All it takes is practice and some support to keep you moving in the right direction.
But if you keep telling yourself you’re not good enough and you keep comparing yourself to people who’ve probably had much more experience than you, you’ll put unnecessary pressure on yourself. The result can be a recipe for disaster.
Not only do you struggle to get your message across to your audience, but you feel terrible.
So here are some “baby steps” that you can take to build your confidence and skills in giving presentations:
1. Look for opportunities to give presentations
Start small to build your confidence, such as during a team meeting in your company or on a committee in your community, and gradually work toward more challenging situations – you need to do it to learn it!
2. Ask for feedback
When your friend or trusted colleague is attending your presentation, tell them in advance that you’d like them to pay special attention and give you their opinion afterward about what worked well and what you could do differently.
3. Practice!
One of my favorite quotes is from Tony Robbins: “Repetition is the mother of skill.” You can practice speaking out loud or rehearse in your mind as you picture yourself giving your presentation.
4. Build your knowledge
The internet is FULL of opportunities to learn about presentations (including the Sasuga! Blog and the free weekly newsletter Sasuga! Tips For You). But, of course, these are only valuable for you if you practice what you learn!
Follow these for steps for your recipe for success!
Thank you, baby Maya (daughter of Yumi from Team Sasuga!), for the photo!