Hi PSC!
So excited to be here. A topic I'd be really interested in discussing is what type of techniques you use to "get in the right headspace" prior to big presentations - be it demos, executive presentations, a conference talk, and anything in between.
Personally, several years back this Ted Talk by Amy Cuddy really resonated with me. It dives into a variety of topics that hit home, but one technique she discusses is doing "power poses" before a big meeting.
I have found this technique extremely helpful any time I am challenging myself in a public setting.
What are your tips?
I always used to think of it as a 'performance' much like performing a concert or a play. You remember your lines and once you get on stage its all about your muscle memory.The more I rehearsed the more confident I would feel. Thats not to say line by line script memory, but just being confident in your talk track, value points and storyboard.
The great thing is that unlike a play... no one in the audience knows your 'lines' so you can say whatever you like and no one knows you ever messed up or forgot anything!
Thanks for sharing the Ted Talk, @Hannah! Interesting to learn about the science of power poses.
It's similar to what Tony Robbins does and recommends before he goes on stage. His "power move" gets the body chemistry into a peak state - giving you energy and presence to deliver.
In preparing for big presentations I usually do the following:
Create the outline of key points I want to make
Rehearse live (with a practice audience ideally)
Visualize - this is a completely mental exercise where I visualize myself delivering the presentation and focusing on it going really well
Physical movement/power move to get into a peak physical state
Great topic! It's certainly something I continually strive to be better at. Would love to hear how others take on big presentations.
@Hannah this is such a great TED talk. I definitely think @Matt and @Yuji are on to something with rehearsing. I used to feel so uncomfortable with meetings with non-technical executives, but one leader put it to me like this:
"In every other profession that relies on a skillset that is on display, the expectation is to rehearse, practice, and make improvements over time. For some reason in sales, we just assume it's those who 'have it' and those who don't. Do reps with others watching and your confidence will increase"
I've tried to practice with other SEs in my own company (not as much as I probably should), but its definitely helped me with feeling good about my executive presentations. Even with my sales reps, we do practice runs and get a good laugh out of it by nominating an executive to ask the hard questions.