At this point in your presentation preparation, you’ve successfully established the connection between you and the audience, and explained why you are there. Now you need to lay-out the logistics of the presentation. Let the audience know what to expect People are busy and most presentations are scheduled, and advertised to attendees, to take place over a specific amount of time. Begin your presentation positively by letting people know how long the presentation is going to...
The introduction is one of the most important parts of any presentation. A good introduction will explain to the audience why you are speaking to them, establish your credibility, and inspire them to listen. The first rule of introductions is- don’t wait until you are in front of the audience to introduce yourself. Arrive at the venue early and engage audience members as they enter the room. There is rarely enough time for more than...
Once you have completed your Macro, Meso, and Micro level research it is time to identify your objectives. When preparing your presentation, you need to be able to answer two important questions: What is your desired outcome? And what is your audience’s desired outcome? Objectives are dependent on many factors including the audience, the type of presentation, and, in the case of a sales presentation, where you are in the sales cycle. For example, if...
For many people, giving presentations is a stressful activity that they try to avoid. I always enjoyed reading in school. One of my earliest memories was my mom taking me to the library to pick out new books. I poured over the racks, and after careful consideration I picked 3-4 books to take home. I loved the smell of the books, especially the ones with plastic book covers The first time I was asked to write...
As a child, you were probably taught at a young age to respect your elders. This family value is prevalent in many cultures. As you aged, you learned life lessons from those who were older. Some of these teachings were life skills; perhaps your grandfather taught you how to bake, or your mother taught you how to fix a flat tire. Other training involved learning by experience. Think back to when you were a young...
Do you telecommute? I often talk to young professionals who want to have a more flexible work schedule. In one recent study, 75% of millennials polled by Deloitte would like to work from home more. There are different reasons workers want to report from a home office. Some people believe they are more productive when working from home. Others desire a more flexible schedule, or to save time and money on their daily commute. While...
Having a relationship with a great mentor is important to your career success. Famous astronaut Buzz Aldrin completed his Ph.D. at Massachusetts Institute of Technology. His thesis, “Line-of-Sight Techniques for Manned Orbital Rendezvous,” lists four reviewers. Although it is not clear that one of them was a true mentor to him, certainly, they contributed to his completing the work that would later be used as part of NASA’s space exploration program, and it is likely...
Never lose sight of your goals A lesson from Buzz Aldrin Did you know that the first time Buzz Aldrin applied to be an astronaut he was rejected? His application boasted such achievements as a B.S. in Military Engineering from Westpoint, a Ph.D. from Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and a distinguished career as a fighter pilot during the Korean Conflict. With these great achievements, he was not accepted into the program because he hadn’t been...
According to a new study by Current Biology, bees who forage on caffeine containing nectar such as that found in Coffea and Citrus species may be adversely affected because they overestimate the quality of their newly found provisions. Read the entire article here
Surround yourself with people who challenge you A Lesson from Legend Buzz Aldrin A few months ago I had the honor of meeting Buzz Aldrin. He was the second man to walk on the moon during Apollo 11’s historic mission. Although most people recognize him as the man behind the visor in the iconic photograph Neil Armstrong snapped, his contributions to science and technology are much more far-reaching. As evidenced by the child who touches...
