A quality that no businessperson can afford to ignore.

A quality that no businessperson can afford to ignore.

The issue is that most people avoid giving presentations throughout their lives, whether in school, college, or work. Unwise move! Why? Because you never acquire the practice and experience necessary to increase your skill and self-assurance. I was among the fortunate ones. Since I was five years old, I was encouraged to stand in front of audiences and give speeches because I had always received attention from others.

Why? Because we share a twin! However, it is never too late for anyone to acquire new abilities. Yes, I recognize how disappointing that is, especially when you detest speaking in front of others. But in any business, you need to be able to confidently and skillfully pitch for business, speak at seminars and conferences, and make videos for web and social media content, to name just a few examples.

“Hmm, am I really required to?” I hear your thoughts. The answer is emphatically “YES!” Take a moment to think about the business opportunities you’ll miss out on if you don’t attend important presentations or, worse, if you screw them up. How detrimental is that to the expansion of your company? Make a commitment to improving your confidence and skill. Over the course of more than two decades in which I have taught people presentation skills, one of the most significant challenges I have encountered is the question, “What if I freeze and dry up?”

“What will I say next?” “All of them will be staring at me!” The thoughts never stop. Replace every negative thought with a series of positive ones, such as “I am really going to enjoy this presentation.” Make a list of all of your negative thoughts. Make a note of the predominant positive thought that stands in for the negative and cross them out. Now, read them aloud to yourself frequently leading up to and immediately following your presentation.

Give it a shot and see how well it performs. One of the most important aspects is preparation, both mentally and practically. Not only do you need to be familiar with your “stuff,” but you also need: three to five key points, depending on the length of your presentation; a strong beginning; a logical flow; a sound conclusion that leaves the audience remembering your key points or a call to action; and a strong beginning.

Your business has a chance of becoming what you want it to be if you focus on the horizon, even though there will be obstacles along the way. However, you won’t know where your company is going if you concentrate on the cones. Are you just trying to avoid the cones or are you driving your business “down the road”?