Written by: Anna Frummerin, Executive Contributor
Executive Contributors at Brainz Magazine are handpicked and invited to contribute because of their knowledge and valuable insight within their area of expertise.
Have you ever found it difficult to articulate your message clearly and create an impact with your presentation? Have you ever felt you could have done better? Or struggled to find the confidence to present well even though you prepared thoroughly?
We all know that presentation skills are crucial to how you are seen and received at your workplace, impressing your boss and also plays an important role in how fast you get promoted.
So, what can you do to enhance your skills and become an excellent presenter?
Key No.1 Your Emotional State
Emotional state simply means how you feel in any given moment. Just think about it. The quality of your presentation depends on how your words, tonality and body language gets portrayed to the audience. And how you project depends on how you feel inside. Makes sense, doesn’t it?
It is kind of like reverse engineering what needs to happen before you take the stage for your presentation. Stand straight with your chest up, take slow, deep breaths and visualize yourself being able to cover all the main points and doing an amazing presentation. Do this for at least 2-3 minutes until you feel you are in the zone to go up there and start your presentation.
This simple yet powerful activity will help you to master the ability to take control of your state so that you can turn on your confidence and the feeling of being unstoppable at will!
Key No.2 Your Internal Conversation
Have you noticed that there is a voice inside you that keeps telling you what you can and cannot do? This is called the inner voice and that is the no. 1 trigger that determines your emotional state. If the internal conversation is positive, then you feel positive and when it is negative, you feel anxious, stressed or worried.
This inner chatter is a result of all the events, people and situations that were challenging in the past and due to this reason, it is not easy to deal with it. But, there is a proven technique that will enable you to tackle this negative inner voice and that is to simply remember all those times in your life where you did something courageous and achieved something significant.
Every time you hear that negative voice inside your head, simply close your eyes, go back to those positive, empowering experiences you have had in your past and tell yourself ‒ “I am worthy”, “I can do this!” and “All I need is within me right now”.
Key No.3 The 4-Mat System of Presenting
Once you fully understand and implement Keys no. 1 and 2 it is time to pick a strategy or strategies that are proven and simple to execute. One of my favorite techniques is the 4-Mat System of Presenting. Here is how it works:
Stage 1: Story
You start off your presentation by sharing a story that helps you to set the scene and for your audience to understand the context. It doesn’t have to be very long, it can be just 2-3 minutes.
Stage 2: Why
This is where you explain why what you are about to share is important for your audience to pay attention to. When you clearly describe the reasons for listening to you, the more attention you get from everyone present in front of you.
Stage 3: What
Here, you showcase the main content, reports, research data, proposed solutions to the challenges at hand etc. This is the meat of your presentation.
Stage 4: How
This is where you show the overarching strategy and the step-by-step process on how to implement what you have shared in ‘stage 3: what” so that the board members / your colleagues/team members all have a very clear idea on how to go about executing the plan and achieve the results in the quickest and most efficient manner.
To find out more strategies on how to improve your presentation skills at the workplace, I would love to invite you to book a discovery call with me to discuss how I can help.
If you like this article and would like to learn more about how I could help you overcome your challenges and shape the life you love, follow me on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, or visit my website for more info!
Anna Frummerin, Executive Contributor Brainz Magazine
Anna Frummerin is a Leadership & Mindset Coach with a core focus on helping her clients achieve results by enhancing their mindset and improving their communication. As a 4-time cancer survivor, she has discovered through her own life experience what it takes to win in life no matter what the challenges are. She is a Certified NLP Leadership Coach, ICF Certified Executive, Life Coach, and Action Learning Team Coach and has dedicated her life to helping others become the best version of them. She is the founder of A New Approach (ANA) – An online coaching and training company serving clients across the globe. Her mission: Discover the "Hidden Champion" inside and win big at The Game of Life.
