Presentation skills
Get Real
A vice-president client we’ll call, Joe, recently presented to a group of peers and more senior executives. Half way through the material he lost his place. So, he stood there awkwardly for twenty seconds or so and tried to remember what he was supposed to say next. He cleared his throat, shuffled some papers and paced a few steps before he remembered and got him back on track.
Joe asked me what he could or should have done to avoid getting off track. I offered a few simple ideas about sticking to the core material and not getting into side-bar subjects.
A far bigger issue, though, was how Joe felt during those 20 seconds, and for four days afterward. Joe felt self-conscious, embarrassed and insecure. Why? Because “that is not…
