Have you ever seen this one? Have you ever done this yourself? I see it a lot, and it is my second Top Presentation Killer.

Too Much Information.

Here's my favorite scenario for this one: You are invited to speak at a conference and are one of seveal speakers at an event. They told you that you will have 45 minutes, and you have prepared 45 minutes of material. You have planned to deliver many slides; many facinating…

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This is a series of posts about the things I see in my coaching practice that most frequently derail presentations from political speeches to supply chain management reports. 

If I were to make an America's Most Wanted Presentation Killers poster this one would top the list:

Giving your attention to Powerpoint when you should be giving it to the audience.

You are speaking. You are staring at your…

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1. Good Morning

If you start by saying good morning, then you should really mean good morning. Don’t absently gloss over the words. Greet your listeners, sincerely, deliberately, and directly. Most likely they will respond, if only non-verbally. Congratulations, you just got your audience's attention.



2. Don't worry. It's about them.

Rather than imagining that you are “on the spot” as you speak, frame the occasion as a chance for you to find out… Continue

Tip One: What are you doing?

Next time you have to speak, rather than starting with the question “what am I going to say” start with the question “what am I going to do?” We can always think of things to say, but people are often fuzzy about what their purpose is in speaking. You are speaking in order to do something. What is it that you are doing?



Tip Two: Be Yourself

The time to change all those things about yourself that you don’t like: how you stand, how… Continue

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