I’m often asked whether there is a formula for success in public speaking, and my response has always been, “practice.”  Practice is the secret to becoming good and the antidote to fear.  

But I just had a personal experience that made me realize that practice is only one half of the formula.  Ten thousand hours of preparation won’t prevent a meltdown if you’re walking around with stupid, idiotic thoughts in your head. 

Last week I was invited to speak to the International Leadership Association (ILA) conference in Prague.  Didn’t know much about the conference.  Didn’t even know much about the organization.  I said “yes” because I thought it would be a great trip to take with my husband.  Turns out it coincided with the 20th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall.  Everybody said Prague was an historic, romantic city.  So, I thought, “Why not?”

As for presenting a “case study,”  I felt well-enough prepared. I was more worried about how I would recover from sleep deprivation after an overnight flight to Frankfurt, walking the guaranteed 5 miles through that huge airport to catch a the second leg to Prague at 4 a.m.  However, the reality of my situation came into clearer focus when I arrived, signed in, received my name badge and scanned the program.  Almost all the other speakers had a Ph.D. and some fancy- titled white papers or books with long, complex, theoretical themes.  Walking around and listening in on conversations it became obvious that most of the attendees were academics speaking a language that might as well have been Czech. 

That’s when I started feeling… nautious.

I awoke in the middle of the night conjuring up worst case scenarios.  I imagined that they would read my bio in the program description and not even bother to show up.  Or, that they’d come in with skeptical faces, arms folded, and proceed to stump me with questions on my “research methodology.”   It didn’t help that in the bar the previous evening I noted that these folks weren’t talking about the 135 varieties of beer on the menu; they partied all night talking leadership theory.  Woo hoo. 

By 6 a.m. I had slept little and  convinced myself this had been a terrible mistake.  I faced my impending doom the only way I knew how; I starting taking it out on my husband.  It wasn’t pretty.

When he finally asked what was going on, I told him.  And then, he said, ”You’re kidding right?” 

I replied with a wise crack.  No need to print that here.

“Have you forgotten,” he said, “that you’ve written two best selling books on leadership?  Most academics would love to write something other people want to buy,” he said.  ”They have nothing on you. In fact they’ll probably wish they were you.”

Now that’s very husbandly support, and it’s awfully nice, however on this topic I thought he did have some credibility, as well.  Drew is a screenwriter, author, attorney and film professor at Boston College.  So he’s one of them.  Sort of.  In a bar he would prefer to talk about New England Patriots football, politics or movies.  Or beer.

I had to halt this mental spiral, so I left early and headed to the meeting room, which thankfully was empty.  I ran through my program.  I decided he was right. What was the worst that could happen?  My plan was to share a few “case studies” (stories) of leaders who succeed in motivating and inspiring others by living and working with purpose and passion.  The exercises in the program are designed to get people thinking and talking about their own career passions.  

The room filled up; they had to bring in chairs.  I’m relieved to report that within 15 minutes, the place was buzzing. Everybody seemed to enjoy it.  We had not just academics, but smiling, energetic, engaged college students who added a lot to the mix.  They had some of the best stories to share. 

So - what did I learn?  I realized that I needed to revise my formula for success in public speaking.  It didn’t take into consideration the fact that even experienced speakers allow certain circumstances to rattle their confidence.  

So, here’s the new formula for success.     

Practice + Affirmation = Success.

As we all know, eight bazillion books have been written on success.  They all say the same thing.  Success requires mastery of a skill - you have to be really good at something.  And, success requires mastery of thought - you have to manage the way you think. 

We are what we think.  Our thoughts become our reality. 

Once I started thinking about the new formula, it also became obvious that affirmation needs some definition.  I believe there are two channels for affirmation.  Two “inputs” if you will.  One is the inner channel-your own thoughts, feelings and beliefs; that what you say to yourself.  The other is the outer channel-the affirmation you receive from others; what other people say to you. 

It’s hard to imagine consistent success if you don’t have the inner and outer channels open and working properly.  Last week proved that to me.  I probably would have been okay, but it sure helped to have someone else there who I trusted to offer genuine encouragement.   

You need to have other people who believe in you.  And you need to believe in yourself.  

Here are five steps to help you develop the inner and outer channels of affirmation:  

1.  Take stock of yours skills; if you have negative thoughts there may be a reason - you do need to get better. Practice.  If you are not as good as you need to be, make the commitment and improve.

2.  Take stock of your thought process; if you are a reasonably good speaker and still routinely experience  doubt and anxiety, learn to use the inner channel of self-affirmation.  “I have an interesting message to share,” ”Audiences always enjoy my presentations,” or “I’m a successful speaker,” are examples of affirmations.  Write your own.

3.  Take stock of personal and professional relationships in your life; if you don’t have supportive people who shine a light on your brilliance, find them.  None of us can do it alone.  We need need people we trust and respect to believe in us and tell us so.  

4.  Admit it when you’re feeling anxious; it doesn’t do any good to suffer in silence.  Seek the support of others you trust and let them know how you feel so they can help you get on track.  Embrace their words and let the magic of that outer channel of affirmations take hold.  

5.  Visualize your success; it always helps to rehearse and picture the audience.  Imagine people nodding, smiling, applauding and shaking your hand after a presentation.  I always do better when I go through this exercise a few hours before a presentation.  This means of course you have to set aside that time and honor the time to visualize and prepare.

So there’s my new formula; practice + affirmation = success.  The two go hand in hand.  Combine them for your next presentation and see how it works.  Let me know if you have affirmations you want to share. 

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I’m just back from an intensive week in which our Bates team coached 23 top leaders of a Fortune 50 company on their strategic recommendations for the organization.   There was a lot riding on it for each of them, since the Chairman and CEO of the company and members of the senior leadership team would be evaluating their presentations and providing feedback. 

What the SLT was looking for were clear, bold solutions to significant challenges facing the business.  They wanted to see how effectively the groups worked together, defined the challenge, analyzed the data, developed strong solutions, and answered tough questions.  The final exercise was an outstanding way to see how these leaders think and how they show up as leaders.  Here are a few things I learned that I want to pass along to anyone who is presenting to their SLT.  

1.  Clearly define the problem: If you have not correctly decided what to look at then everything you propose will be for naught.  Remember, most senior leaders have already looked at issues you’re raising and they demand and expect precision.  Clarify the issue by thinking through the real issues and using precise language.

2.  Tell them why it matters:  Why is it important right now for the company to address this issue?  You must make a compelling case for the company putting its time and attention on the matter at hand.  Explain what the market opportunity is, or what is at stake, or what is at risk, if they do not address it, and conversely what the positive results might be if they take action now.

3.  Prove it:  How do you know what you know?  You need rock solid facts and analysis.  You data should be impeccable.  You also need to be intellectually honest when presenting it; data can be ambiguous and interpreted many ways.  There can be flaws in the gathering of it, as well.  Senior leaders will see right through any attempt to stack the deck in your favor, and they will consider you junior if you try to do so.  They also will insist that you apply rigor to your own process and will pounce if you have not proven your case.

4.  What’s the action step:  Be prepared to get to the bottom line quickly with a set of proposed  next steps that the senior leadership team might take.  If you’ve already sold them on the what and why you need to be ready to move on.  However, don’t tell them what to do; propose.  Avoid phrases such as ”have to” or “must,” and instead use words like, “we strongly recommend,” or “the most prudent action would be,”  because trust me they’re going to make the decision.  Be bold in what you recommend, just don’t be presumptuous in the way you address the top leaders of the organization.

5.  Watch your tone:  A good leader balances confidence and humility.  Leaders recognize high potential leaders when they do this effectively.  Don’t presume that your senior leaders don’t know a lot of what you know; that’s why they have the top jobs.  What they are really looking for in you is someone who cares about the company, in fact, loves the company, and wants to add value. 

6. Focus on the highest priorities for the business:  Business priorities change constantly so you need to be on top of what is most important for your senior leaders and your CEO RIGHT NOW.  Understand the business strategy thoroughly before you start proposing new programs, solutions or spending.  It may be a great idea but if it isn’t perfectly aligned with what the CEO wants to accomplish right now the SLT will have no bandwidth to listen.  And, stay current.  Don’t assume what mattered last week matters this week.  When crisis arises, everybody focuses on that until its resolved. 

7.  Look at the challenge from the top down, not the bottom up:  Don’t come in with a littany of complaints about how people see a problem or what the naysayers are yapping about.  Imagine you’re the CEO and look at the challenge the way he or she would look at it.  Solve the business problem first and then worry about how it gets implemented, including how you’ll work with people on culture or change management.  Change is difficult but it follows big strategic decisions; get the strategy right and then work on the rest of it.

8.  Work as a team and make the presentation as a team: Work out your differences among your team prior to making the presentation.  This is hard work but it will pay off when you have a unified front.  This isn’t to say that you might not have minor differences in how you would approach the issue but if you look like you’re arguing in front of the CEO, he or she will tell you to go back to the drawing board.  CEOs and senior leaders value team work and want to see how you make it happen.

9.  Socialize your idea before you present it: Your idea will probably go through several iterations during the process of gathering data, analyzing and developing recommendations.  Talk with other senior leaders, influencers and experts to be sure you are on track and answering their questions.  Find out whether there are third rail issues you shouldn’t touch until you understand them better.  Get feedback and accept feedback from people who are in the know.

I’d like your comments on this article - especially if you have new tips on presenting to senior leaders.  Click below to “Leave a reply.” 

I’m also interested in knowing whether you’d like to read more articles like this.  Let me know and also suggest other article topics.

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Even the most seasoned, experienced professionals can find their hearts racing and their palms getting clammy as they walk down the hall to the boss’s office.  If you are:  a. laying awake at night worrying about how it’s going to go, or b.  not sure how far you’ll get before you’re interrupted, or c. afraid you’ll be flummoxed by a tough question, then it’s time to analyze what’s happening.

Let me make 5 observations about mistakes people make when meeting with the boss.

Observation number one:   You probably aren’t prepared

Most managers and leaders are woefully underprepared for these exchanges.  I’m frankly shocked at how little thought they put into shaping their proposals, writing their comments or practicing out loud.  What is more important that a meeting with the CEO or the board?  What are you doing that would take priority over that?  If you’re not spending time preparing and practicing, it’s because you’re avoiding it, not because you’re too busy.  Too busy is a myth.  Too busy means you don’t have your priorities straight. 

Observation number 2:  It’s a huge mistake to treat this as a game.

Your goal cannot be to simply get in and out without saying anything controversial—playing it safe will never get you ahead; your goal is not to out maneuver your colleagues – you may win a round but with a good boss, you’ll lose when you’re not part of the team; your goal is not to get the boss to make the decision – any good CEO wants you to make your own decisions – based on sound evidence and a logical plan. 

Observation number 3:   Most people aren’t in tune with the CEOs agenda

Just the other day I heard the story of a well respected Chief Information Officer who went in to tell the CEO about a great idea he had.  This was something that would require an investment up front but had the potential to create tremendous efficiencies within six months to a year of implementation.  To the CIO it seemed like a no brainer, so he was quite shocked when the CEO said, sure, I’ll approve it, but I still expect you to reduce your overall budget by 10%. 

Has something like this happened to you?  Have you gone in thinking you have a strong case, only to get a monkey wrench thrown into your perfect plan?  You walk out thinking what just happened?  The problem is you’ve set your own trap by not tuning in to what matters to the CEO right now.

Observation number 4:   Your CEO is looking for answers.

You need to have some.  Let me give you an example.  I know the new president of one division of a financial services company.  This guy is smart, analytical, thoughtful and articulate.  Only one problem.  He prepared a presentation but he came in with just questions, not solutions.  The CEO finally stopped him and said, Listen, if you want me to tell you what to do I can do that.  But is that what you want?  Or do you want to decide?  It was a moment of truth – a moment of empowerment – the president was grateful but also learned a lesson.  Come in with answers.  You may get shot down but you need to take a stand.  That’s what leaders do. 

Observation number 5:  Winging it is just plain dumb.

You may think you have your ideas in your head, that you know the project, understand the issue and can talk about it in your sleep.  Then what happens.  The meeting starts, you’re rambling, your answers are disjointed, you can’t remember key facts, and you’re fumbling opportunities to make a powerful point.  In short, you’re winging it, and that’s suicide.  There’s a big difference between confidence and overconfidence; between self assurance and arrogance.  The person who doesn’t prepare well is not confident or cool; he or she is simply not doing what it takes to succeed at the executive level.

Meetings with the boss are a chance to show your potential and shine.  If you know how to prepare you will significantly reduce the fear factor and ace the meeting.

This week, I’ll be posting a new series of how-to communicate audio Podcasts on I Tunes, - including a longer version of this article with tips on how to build your confidence in speaking with the boss.  It isn’t posted yet, but look for it later this week.  Simply go to www.itunes.com and  search for Suzanne Bates. 

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I’ve never met anybody who didn’t wish they could give a great presentation.  I’ve met a lot of people who are kidding themselves about what they’re willing to do about it.  These are people with good intentions and bad habits that are killing them.

As those of you who read this blog reguarly know, I can write with absolute certainty about these mistakes because I’ve made all of them.  One of the dirty little secrets about professional speakers is that they cheat too, sometimes.  I’ve cheated and I don’t recommend it.  It’s not worth the price you pay in anxiety, stress and sometimes, total failure.

Most people know even before they walk to the front of the room, whether they’ve done enough.  In my experience, even newbie speakers have a sense that they’re simply not prepared.  However, as I say, some of the worst cheaters I know are leaders who think they’re pretty good at this.  As soon as you start believing your own press releases, you’re headed for mediocrity.  

Here are 7 suggestions to help you mend your cheatin ways:

#1: Start thinking, outlining and researching as you have the presentation date…don’t cheat yourself out of the time it takes to find great material and develop keen insights 

#2: Get on the phone with the meeting planner…don’t cheat yourself out of the opportunity to really know your audience and learn what they care about.

#3:  Write it out…don’t cheat yourself out of the opportunity to be an articulate leader - use the script to hone your ideas and choose poweful words and phrases. 

#4:  Let it rest….don’t cheat yourself out of those aha moments that come to you in the early morning or on a walk; let your subconcious work on it and the presentation will write itself.

#5:  Put practice on the calendar…don’t cheat yourself by pretending you will practice when your schedule is already brimming.

#6:  Track the number of practice sessions by marking your script…this is one of my favorite tricks…i make a mark like this /// at the top of the script each time so I can’t kid myself about how many times I’ve done it before I go live.   

#7:  Get feedback…don’t cheat yourself out of the sage advice and counsel of people who are good presenters and have your best interest at heart.  Find them and tell them you want to know how you can be better.

Speak Like a CEO Boot Camp - we’ll make you sweat here, so you don’t sweat out there.  www.bates-communications.com/bootcamps

Watch this video and learn what Alan Weiss, author of the business best seller Million Dollar Consulting, has to say about executive coaching with Bates. http://www.bates-communications.com/testimonials/

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I’m often asked, “what are the biggest mistakes people make in a business presentation?”  I’ve seen speakers trip up on all of these, and the pain is also personal - I’ve made every one of these mistakes myself.

Here are 5 mistakes to avoid at all costs:

Mistake #1:  Failing to get important information about your audience.  This is not just a rookie mistake.  Experienced speakers do it, usually when they get lazy and make assumptions.  The more you speak, the more you kid yourself that you know enough to get by.  If you want to hear a story about how I blew it by making assumptions about an audience, listen to my new podcast, “How to Make Your Audience Love You,” which will be posted on I Tunes next week.

The simplest way to avoid this is to pick up the phone and talk to the meeting planner or person in charge. They know the audience.  If they don’t, they’ll probably be happy to set you up to interview one or two people who will be there.  Get on the phone, find out what’s on their minds, and craft your speech with them in mind.

Mistake #2: Failing to open with a bang.  You have to grab them.  Audiences size you up in about 30 seconds.  If they’re generous they’ll give you a minute or two.  Attention spans are shorter than ever and we live in a culture of entertainment.  You don’t have to be Letterman, but you should make an effort.

So, engage them from the start.  Tell a story that makes a powerful point and takes your audience to the heart of the issue.  And please, please, don’t ever say, “Good morning,” and wait for the audience to respond.  Think about how you feel when it happens.  Audiences want to drink their coffee and be engaged in the first few minutes.  Don’t make them fake a cheery attitude.

Mistake #3:  Depending too much on your slides.  Aren’t you sick of hearing this?  But 98.7 percent of all presentations are driven by PowerPoint and are deadly, deadly, deadly.

You’re going to have to depend on your slides if you start slamming the presentation together the night before you give it.  How can you be creative, find interesting visuals, or come up with stories and examples that make the presentation memorable?   If you start the night before you’ll have to read the bullet points because you don’t know your presentation.  The bottom line - don’t procrastinate!

Mistake #4:  Failing to find time to practice.  And this is an absolute.  You must practice.  Sometimes people tell me they are afraid that they will come across as too rehearsed.

That’s absurd!

I’ve never, ever seen a speaker who isn’t better when they practice.  Practice has many purposes; you try out your comments and edit out loud; you hear how it will sound to your audience; you internalize the messages; your synapses start firing and you create pathways of recollection that will be handy when you get up in front of the group.  As one of my mentors Patricia Fripp often says, practice is the work, performance is the relaxation.

Mistake #5:  Failing to connect with the audience while you’re on stage.  I mean, really connecting with them.  Looking them in the eye and seeing them.  Enjoying the opportunity to be there.  Having fun.  Making it an experience.

One of the most important keys to connecting is to know your material very well.  If you don’t, all you can think about is what you want to say.  You won’t even know the audience is there if you’re busy trying to figure out what’s on the next slide.

Make it a point to practice and know your material.  Then, when you step to the front of the room, look around, meet people eye to eye; gauge their reaction as you speak; ask them questions, make observations; in other words, be in the moment with your audience.  You don’t have to be perfect or polished as long as you are with them.

I welcome your comments on the “biggest mistakes” especially if you would like to add to this list.  I’m always looking for new ideas.  Just click on comments at the end of this article.

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The story about President Obama’s teleprompter “snafu” was all over the morning news today.

For those of you who didn’t see it, Obama was in the middle of a press conference when suddenly one of his teleprompters crashed to the ground.  You can see the video here: http://www.realclearpolitics.com/video/2009/07/13/obamas_teleprompter_crashes_during_speech.html

Unfortunately for the President, the snafu brought up chatter in the news circuits about how he has a reputation of relying too much on his teleprompter.  Some news sites and blogs even go as far as to credit teleprompters for his election!

However, this particular incident is a reminder to anyone who speaks - on a stage, in a meeting, in general presentations - that you can’t rely on technology.  Obama had one teleprompter still functioning, but also had printed notes in front of him, which allowed him to continue seamlessly.

Whether you’re using a teleprompter, a PowerPoint, or any other technology to assist you with a speech or presentation; having printed, old-fashioned notes is still essential.  Even better?  Knowing your topic and talking points so well that you can continue unscripted! But that’s a whole other subject…

This “snafu” is also a great example of how to deal with distractions during a speech or presentation.  When the teleprompter crashed, Obama simply said “Oh, goodness.  Sorry about that.” The audience quickly chuckled and he went right back into his speech.

Distractions are inevitable during speeches, large and small.  Whether it’s a cell phone ringing, a door opening, or a teleprompter crashing, don’t allow distractions to ruin your speech or presentation.  Like Obama did, just keep on talking as if nothing happened.  As hard as it might be to stay focused, these are the “little things” that make the difference between being a great speaker and an “OK” speaker.

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So Congress has passed a $789 billion stimulus package to confront the worst recession in decades.   We all hope that it will at least nudge the economy back to life.  However, reports are its going to provide less near-term support for the economy and make it less likely that the economy will pull itself out of recession before late this year.  The White House and Democrats in Congress have made it clear that we won’t see a quick turnaround.  

In the meantime, we have to take action to help ourselves.  We need to create our own business stimulus packages.   We can’t print new money like the government and we can’t issue bonds.  We may or may not be able to tap a line of credit. 

So what do we do?  We use brain power.  We create our own stimulus package.  The line items will include innovation, creativity, ingenuity and good old fashioned hard work.   I know, we’re all working harder than ever, and some of us with fewer resources.  But what choice do we have?  We have to stimulate our businesses right now, to survive and position ourselves for quick recovery.  

I’ve been talking with a lot of business leaders and paying attention to what they’re doing.  Some are actually in growth mode.  Some have had the rug pulled out from under them.  But one thing I’ve noticed about those who are plowing ahead - they’re getting up every morning, coming to work, and taking action. 

Here are 7 steps you can take right now to create and implement your own business stimulus package:

1.  Reach out - Get on the phone with your customers and find out what problems you can solve for them.  Even if they don’t have a budget right now, you can become a trusted advisor and consultant.  If you hit on a problem that is challenging enough to solve, they may even “find” money for the project.

2.  Tap collective wisdom- Get your team together to come up with some new offerings that are more targeted to your customers needs right now.  If you get everybody together in the same room you’re going to be able to tap into their collective wisdom and find creative approaches

3.  Reinvent - Based on what you’ve learned from your customers/clients and your own team, create a high value solution to a common problem and put it out there to your customers and prospects.  Find out what they would be willing to pay for this; it may be a lot it may be a little but if it is on the mark they will buy it and this will increase immediate cash flow.

4.  Approach a crisis with massive action - You may be feeling especially jittery or vulnerable if your business has been hit more severely than others, and when you feel that way it can paralyze you.  Get a good night’s sleep, take care of yourself, and come to work every day energized and refreshed.  Take action in the first few hours of the day that can move your business forward.   Give each activity some time to “take” and keep going.  

5.  Take advantage of down time - If the calendar is emptier than usual, use every minute of the time you have right now to enhance your brand in low cost ways.  This is the time to raise your visibility and profile in your market place.  This is the time to build relationships with customers.  It’s also time to do favors for friends and colleagues who are influential and can help you develop business.  Schedule time with them, and help them with their projects.  You can also give presentations, write articles, blog, twitter, and offer help that way.  In your downtime you can really ramp up the marketing - which is important because you need to keep your name out there.  People do business with people and companies they know and trust. 

6.  Think future opportunity- read the paper, read respected business newspapers and journals, and pay attention to trends.  Think about where the opportunities are and how  can you position yourself for these opportunities now.  These are times to break out of your rut.  Look at healthy growing industries, refocus and consider how to adapt or reinvent your product, services and marketing to get into those channels.

7.   Have faith:  Most of us are familiar with the power of positive thinking, and successful people know how effective it is.  Our thoughts become our reality.  Remember that you have to think powerful, positive thoughts, then you need to communicate those to your team and the people around you, in order to have a positive impact on your business or organization.  In my new book, Motivate Like a CEO, I define leadership as connecting people with purpose and passion toward a common goal.  Have faith and believe in the vision, and communicate it to others, every single day.  Start fresh today - lock in on that vision, walk into the next meeting and tell people about it.  Faith will carry us through.

In the spirit of helping you stimulate your business, we are offering significant early bird discounts right now on all of our popular Speak Like a CEO Boot Camps.  Our goal is to help you tell the story of your business and make a powerful impact on your important audiences. These are two-day intensives that have helped hundreds of business executives transform their speaking skills.   I’m not going to spend a lot of time explaining it here, but if you want to learn more contact Meredith O’Connor, moconnor@bates-communications.com .  She’ll give you all the details.

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Last week in the middle of a presentation to of 500 people at the Massachusetts Conference for Women, my PowerPoint presentation became suddenly “unavailable.”  The screen went dark and a signal sign was flashing.  As luck would have it, even though we had “tested it twice,” the computer crashed while Meredith O’Connor, our Marketing Director, was loading  videos.  These videos were an important part of the program, an exercise called “You Be the Coach,” in which the audience critiques well known CEO speakers. 

To compound things, I had arrived there in the morning without a hard copy of the PowerPoint slides.  They were not printed for the audience.  So without PowerPoint slides it would have been tough to make sure the “show went on.”  Fortunately, I have had so many experiences like this, that I knew I would need a print out.  I asked a terrific conference aid if she would take the flash drive and run to Kinkos downstairs at the Boston Convention Center to have it printed for me.  This is an important reminder- you ALWAYS need to have  hard copy in front of you - little did I realize it would save me.  I was able to go on and even joke about how whatever can go wrong, will go wrong, and to point out how to rescue yourself when you encounter such an inconvenient technological glitch.

Here are five tips on how to resuscitate a presentation when the technology gremlins threaten to ruin you.

1.  Bring backup: Flash drive of the PowerPoint, hard copy of the same, and any other visual aids that do not depend upon technology.  Make sure whatever happens you can deliver a great program.

2.  Be flexible: While the technical gurus work on “fixing” a problem, go on with the program, ask questions, do an exercise, get people engaged in a discussion, so that you don’t continue to call attention to the technical issues and people feel the time is used productively.

3. Bring a side-kick:  It would have been extremely difficult to resolve this technical issue with only the technician that the conference center provided; in fact the guy was nowhere to be found at the moment it went down.  Meredith rebooted and kept working on it while I kept the program going, and that was what made the difference.  Whenever possible, bring along someone who can trouble shoot.

4. Stay cool:  What impresses audiences is not the PowerPoint, but how you handle yourself on the platform.  They feel bad for you but they don’t want to have to live your pain.  You will be judged by clients, prospects, bosses, your board of director and other audiences by how you manage under pressure and keep your focus.

5. Have a sense of humor:  When I turned to Meredith (semi seriously) after it looked like she had rebooted and we would be able to see the video.  I said, “Don’t make a liar out of me!”  and that got one of the biggest laughs at the conference.  Later people came up and said, “you model what you say.  That could have been a disaster and you handled it well.” 

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Our new Executive Assistant, Shellie Dunlap, is, in a word, FABULOUS.  It’s as if she’s been here for years instead of weeks.  Still, as in any new job, there’s much to learn.  The idiosyncracies of the organization and the many hats she is required to wear make it…well…let’s say… interesting.  Today as she was sorting out the complexities of our payroll and commission system, we told her, “It gets easier.”  She laughed.  But our Marketing Director, Meredith O’Connor, who used to do the payroll added, “Seriously, it does.”

This got me to thinking about what it’s like to develop new skill, such as public speaking.  The first time you get up to speak it is unnerving and awkward.  If you get past the first few, you stop trembling.  You are a little less self conscious.  As your career moves forward and you have more opportunities to speak, it becomes something you do.  You may not love it, but you can survive it.  It gets easier.

What happens after that is to me what’s most interesting.  If you decide you want to become an outstanding speaker, to connect in a powerful way with your audiences, you have to stretch again.  You need to feel a little uncomfortable, before you get comfortable with things like speaking without notes, standing on stage without a podium, telling stories, using gestures, moving around, trying creative exercises, whatever moves you into that next level of speaking.  Each time you do it, with a modicum of success, it gets easier.

Knowing that, I think it’s important to have courage…embrace the awkward feeling … and try something new.   We recently witnessed how hard this was for a group of executives who were about to make a major presentation to their senior leaders.  They were…quite simply…uncomfortable.  They were under pressure, so it wasn’t very much fun.  And I didn’t blame them for that.  It’s better to try something new when you’re not under the gun.

Still, I think every leader would be more energized about public speaking, more engaged in the process, and happier with the results, by getting comfortable with being uncomfortable.  As we all know… it does get easier.

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If you had already completed your budget planning for 2009 around October 1st, you are probably bemoaning the fact that you’ve had to throw out your budget and start over.  When the  stock market started plummeting and economists began their doomsday predictions of a prolonged recession, the orders came down to cut back.  So you know you can’t go into the board of directors or the senior management team with the original presentation on your budget for next year. 

At the same time, you’ve put a lot of thought and careful planning into the budget for next year.  You know the rationale still exists for many of their projects.  In fact, some of these projects seem absolutely critical, given the challenges ahead.   

 The question is how should you adapt your presentation when the financial landscape shifts?  Should you throw it out and start over again?  The answer is yes, and no.  Of course you have to demonstrate that you’ve tightened your belt, eliminated excess, done without, and become more efficient.    However,  your budget should have been clearly linked to important strategic initiatives that lead to revenues and profits.  If it was, make your case.  Do your homework and have the courage to present your projects and advocate for them in the best interests of the company.  Cut back in some areas and then take a stand where it will make a difference.

If you’ve prepared a plan that focuses on the company’s most important objectives, it should be easy to present a clear and compelling case.  You need to tie the investment directly to growth, profitability, productivity, efficiency, competitive advantage, and new opportunity.  If you do this then it should be easy to demonstrate measurable ROI.

 When we help our executive clients prepare presentations, we always start by thinking about the end “user.”  That is, who is listening to your presentation?  What would persuade them?  What are their concerns?  Forget about the beautiful slides, graphs and charts.  Put it all aside and write down the top five questions on the minds of your audience.   Then be sure you have great answers. 

For example, when you walk in the door to make your presentation, they might be thinking:

·         What do you want to do and why?

·         Can we get by without it?

·         How does it help us right now?

·         What’s it going to cost?

·         How can we do it cheaper, better, faster?

If you don’t answer those questions right up front, you will lose them.  Get right to it.

So my advice is, before you blow up your presentation, see what you have that works.  Then, write down the top of mind questions.   Answer them with compelling facts.

FI you don’t do this,  you’re doomed to fail.  If you do, you may walk out with exactly the budget you hoped for, or something close.  As the song goes, you don’t always get what you want.  But if you try sometimes, you get what you need.

For more tips on how to prepare important presentations, click here

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