It’s all in the preparation

I’ve been speaking, training and consulting for over twenty years and one of the things that still surprises me is the comments I get from participants about my presentations.  I’m regularly told “gee you make everything seem so easy”, or “how do you remember all that?”.   

There is no real secret to presenting, making things look easy or remembering things.  It just takes practice.   

I recently presented a program for a client to educate their organisation on some new software.   

I was familiar with the programs and whilst I could have just turned up and spoken about the programs to the audience, I didn’t.  The client didn’t want (nor did I want to deliver) an adequate presentation.  I wanted to deliver something special.  Doing so requires extra preparation. 

I took several hours to explore their environment, develop a list of questions for them to answer and prepare a program outline. 

The outline provided structure so I knew where I was going, what I planned to cover, how long it would take and any extra elements I could add in or take out if I needed to lengthen or shorten the session. 

None of that information pops into my head when I stand up in front of an audience.  It all happens in the preparation! 

The old adage is “proper planning prevents poor performance”.  My logic is I am my brand and everytime I step on stage I want to ensure my brand and what I deliver are congruent and planning ensures I generally achieve this. 

What are you doing this week to prepare for success in your world? 

Need help with getting your team prepared?   

Donna Hanson is a productivity speaker, trainer and educator who works with organisations who want to increase teamwork, collaboration, engagement and productivity with technology they already own.  To learn more about how Donna can help, visit www.donnahanson.com  

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