In an era of tough competition, presentations that persuade, educate, motivate, and inspire give you a competitive edge. Good presentation skills are no longer simply nice to have; they can mean career life or death. When you have an upcoming presentation, you must rehearse to ensure your success.
Enjoy this replay of my recent web event, How to Steal the Show Every Time You Speak:
Imagine yourself in the front row of a ballroom at a convention. Sitting with you are sales professionals from all over the world. This was a software company’s challenging January sales meeting.
That company had recently bought a competitor, and 40% of the sales professionals had no involvement in the decision.
The opening speaker, who is the company’s president, faced the challenge of ensuring everyone understood they were working for the right company, at the right time, that the company’s strategy is sound, and that they can have a great career with us. He is an engineer, a brilliant leader, and rather shy. He is not a bad speaker; for this meeting, however, he knows he needs to become the corporate Rock Star.”
Here are the ROCK Star Principles that our shy engineer used and that you can also use to become a ROCK Star communicator in the business world.
Rock Star Principle 1: R = Rehearse
Great performers and rock stars value rehearsal.
When your message is internalized, you know your structure, could wake up in the middle of the night and deliver your opening and closing, and have informally told your stories, get serious about rehearsal and delivery.
When you walk on stage, stand still at the front center while you deliver your opening remarks. When you move, do not wander aimlessly; it makes you look nervous!
Before an important presentation, schedule a daily rehearsal. Rehearse in your own environment. Then rehearse on the stage where you will be speaking.
You need to know how many steps it takes to get to the center of the stage. Work with the production company and the audiovisual technicians. Their job is to make you look good. They can’t do their job as effectively if you do not take your sound checks and rehearsals seriously. If possible, do this the day before.
This is part one of a four-part series. In part two, I explain why and how to capture your audience’s attention from your first words. Part three will help you communicate your core message. Part four covers closing your presentation in a way that supports your core message.
If you want to become a great speaker easily, conveniently, and quickly, FrippVT can help. http://frippvt.com
“I wanted a Super Bowl-quality coach, and I was lucky to be introduced to Patricia Fripp. Her help in coaching and scripting was world-class. With Patricia Fripp on your team, you can go places.”
Don Yaeger, Long-Time Associate Editor for Sports Illustrated magazine, Award-Winning Keynote Speaker, New York Times Best-Selling Author
Executive Speech Coach and Hall of Fame Keynote Speaker Patricia Fripp works with individuals and companies who want to stand out, gain business, and enjoy a competitive edge that powerful, persuasive presentation skills give them.
“Our investment in Patricia’s presentation coaching quickly became one of the smartest decisions we’ve made for our technical experts. What started as support for high-stakes events turned into an essential part of our preparation process. Patricia isn’t just an outside coach—she’s truly part of our team. Her ability to help our executives and engineers communicate with clarity and confidence has elevated not only our public presentations and Executive Briefing Center sessions but also internal meetings and customer conversations. The best part? The rave reviews keep coming.” Greg Smith, Vice President, Product Marketing at Nutanix
Need help for you or your team on improving important conversations and presentations? The Fripp Customized Approach will work for you. Contact Fripp today!
