So… what’s YOUR Problem with Presenting?

Presentation = Opportunity

A presentation is an opportunity to share your grand idea. It’s a (relatively) brief moment in time to shine the spotlight on your vision, and to get the support and recognition that you deserve.

Perhaps your idea involves:

Proving return on investment for an upcoming purchase
Sharing the results of a recent project
Enlisting coworkers’ support for a new direction in your department

Whatever the reason, your ‘golden moment’ should be special. Presentation opportunities don’t come along that often. And when they do, you want to make sure that your idea doesn’t get fumbled.

Three Reasons Presentations Fail

Many of us are called upon to give presentations, but our effectiveness can be limited by a number of factors. A recent survey of energy management professionals suggested that there were three primary barriers to delivering an awesome presentation:

Inexperience
Fear
Lack of Preparation

Inexperience: This barrier is understandable because you probably didn’t become a [insert your job title here!] so you could give presentations. Your work probably includes many tasks that have nothing to do with presentations. Your formal education probably did not include a significant focus on developing presentation skills.

Fear: Most of us can recall a formative experience of ‘nerves’ standing in front of a group of people. A recent study from Chapman University revealed that one of the top five fears of Americans is public speaking. That would put it ahead of heights, snakes, and even zombies. So if you’re afraid of public speaking, remember—you are not alone.

Lack of preparation: Since your primary responsibility is probably NOT giving presentations, it is not surprising that preparation time would be a concern. After all, how are you supposed to prepare when so many other tasks are competing for your attention? And here is more bad news. Proper presentations take time to create. Presentation expert and consultant Nancy Duarte says that for every hour of presentation, you should prepare for 40 hours—a full work week. Can you imagine the response you’d get if you asked your boss to give you 40 hours away from your normal job tasks to prepare for a one-hour presentation? You may not think you have the time or knowhow to prepare, but remember this: high stakes presentations require high stakes preparations.

Common Questions

In addition to these common barriers, there are important questions that, if unanswered, can keep you from presenting effectively:

How do I narrow down my message so I can say what I really want to say?
How do I connect with my audience?
How can I keep things interesting?

A new eBook by Chris Heinz, EnergyCAP’s Vice President of Marketing, addresses these questions, and provides a path to overcoming the common barriers to powerful presentations. Why not download your copy today? Your next great idea is worth it.