You’re on the hook for a high-stakes presentation. You’ve prepared your strategy, crafted three tight-and-bright key messages and designed visually appealing slides. After all this preparation, you might be tempted to arrive just in time to make a big entrance. Do that and you’ll miss an opportunity to light up the room and make more impact with your words.
A lot of high-performing leaders are so focused on results that they try to squeeze in one more thing before heading to their speech, or take the red eye to their destination rather than traveling earlier. If your tendency is to arrive breathless and excited to your presentation, I invite you to rethink that approach and see what happens when you give yourself the gift of time before your presentation.
Here are a few things you may notice when you give yourself when you prioritize arriving earlier.
You’ll increase the connection with your audience
Rule number one of a successful presentation is to tailor it to your audience. All the stats in the world don’t compare to the in-person conversations you’ll have with the people who came to hear your speech or attend your workshop. This is your in-the-moment chance to find out more about what’s important to your audience. Ask them “what made you come here today.” If they say “free pizza,” ask deeper questions, like what’s inspiring them about work right now or what conference is best in their field. You can integrate these snippets into your talk, or slightly change your approach if you learn something that causes your thinking to shift.
You’ll have made a few friends
Because you’ve invested the time to have a few intentional conversations, now you have someone to make eye contact with who will nod in encouragement as you talk. My workshop participants often tell me that making eye contact is intimidating. But with a few familiar faces, you have people to seek out with purpose, rather than falling back on the misguided idea of staring at the back wall. If you’re feeling brave, ask you new friends to sit at the front.
You’ll be better prepared to rock the Q&A
Many an eloquent speech is derailed by a lackluster question-and-answer session. With some on-site curiosity, you’ll be better equipped to answer any tough questions that come your way because you’ll have gained insights in advance. Sometimes the Q&A starts with a lull when no one has a question. You can say “earlier I was talking with someone who asked me about…” and that first question might be enough to get the ball rolling for a vibrant discussion.
You’ll have a chance to center yourself
Because you’re not rushing in breathlessly, you’ll have time to have done a tech check and can spend time getting mentally centered. Visit the washroom to practice power poses, or just breathe deep to gather your thoughts. I’ve had clients who put a crystal in their pocket, or wear a special bracelet. Having a touchstone can help you psych yourself up to rock your presentation.
I hear a lot of reasons about why it’s a challenge to build extra time into your schedule. But when you keep an eye on your priority of presentation success, it’ll be easier to schedule an earlier flight or car ride, or keep the morning free before your noon keynote.
Think of this extra breathing room in your schedule as a gift to your audience, and yourself.
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