Are you a professional??
A few years ago I saw Jerry Seinfeld perform in in his home town of Manhattan.
I’d seen the documentary, The Comedian on Netflix.
If you haven’t seen it, I highly recommend it as it provides an excellent insight into how, despite his professional success he is always working to make his performances better.
He is known for his meticulous crafting, trialing and refining of content and I on this night, I was in awe of his ability to observe common everyday actions and activities and shine a light on them in a different way.
As a professional speaker, trainer and educator, a part of me was also watching the delivery of his craft.
When working with clients on their PowerPoint presentations or providing presentation advice such as what NOT to include, one of the things I notice is that many don’t have a plan, they have a presentation. Often the content is a repurposed slide desk put together at the last minute and hoping it does the job.
Benjamin Franklin had a famous quote “If you fail to plan, you are planning to fail”.
Jerry Seinfeld on the other hand is a professional and professionals in ANY arena should always plan for a number of reasons
- Makes things consistent – which means if you need to make a presentation again, you can utilise the framework (notice I didn’t say the content).
- If you get “lost” or distracted, a plan provides a roadmap to getting back to where you were.
- It makes you LOOK like you are a professional who is competent and confident.
I don’t know about you, but when I am looking to learn something, buy something or understand something I want to hear from someone who I believe is confident and competent. In much the same way as you don’t go to a general doctor if you need specialist treatment.
Regardless of whether you are presenting divisional data to your board, shareholders, clients or your team, you want to come across as someone who knows their stuff and can hold their own.
Oprah Winfrey is quoted as saying “..luck is preparation meeting opportunity.”
What are you doing to prepare to make the most of your opportunity to present?
Donna Hanson makes technology work for companies and their people.
Her latest book – Ctrl + Alt + Delete – Reboot Your Productivity is available via this link or through Amazon.com or in the Kindle store.
Want some help getting more productive with technology for yourself or your team?
Contact Donna on +61 39457 4745 or email enquiries@donnahanson.com.au to arrange a time to discuss if there is a fit.
