Frequently Asked Questions
Answers
I get extremely nervous before and during my
presentations.
Nervousness is a common, even desirable reaction to presentation
situations. Of course, that doesn’t make the discomfort it brings any easier
to experience. Our training offers (1) objective insight into your physical
and vocal reactions to nervousness and (2) specific techniques that will
help you manage—and benefit from—its effects. There are no one-size-fits-all
solutions, but we can help you develop key skills that will work for you.
I’ve been told I gesture too much. What can I
do to control my hands?
We hear this a lot. Your goal should be to gesture at a level that is
comfortable and natural for you. Whether you gesture more or less than
someone else doesn’t matter. Fidgeting, on the other hand, can be a problem.
Do you play with your jewelry, wring your hands or fiddle with your fingers?
Using full gestures can often eliminate these nervous habits.
My presentations are boring. I’ve actually seen
people nodding off while I’m speaking.
It could be your delivery is a little lifeless. Or, maybe you didn’t
take your audience’s perspective adequately into account when you put the
presentation together. Maybe you’re a little long-winded. Dull presentations
can be the result of a lot of things. Turpin Communication can help you
assess the situation and find solutions for the problem. But remember, while
it’s certainly your responsibility to make things interesting, there is
nothing you can do to guarantee success with everyone. Even excellent
speakers seem dull to some people some of the time. Accepting this fact will
help you forget about the guy snoozing in the corner and focus on the rest
of the people in the room.
I am presenting to the executive board
and all they want is the bottom line.
The best thing to do is to give your audience only what they want and
need. Streamline your presentation so that it focuses on information and
recommendations that will help the execs make the decisions they need to
make. Avoid the temptation to treat your presentation as you would a
detailed report. Unfortunately, streamlining won’t feel comfortable. You’ll
feel like you’re only doing half your job, but Turpin can help you get
comfortable with saying less—and your audience will really appreciate it.
I am a technical person delivering
presentations to prospective clients and I present with a sales person. How
do I make the adjustment?
First, carefully define your role with the others involved in the sales
process. What’s your goal? What do you bring to the process? Then adapt the
information you present to meet these goals. No matter how technical or
non-technical your audience, you’ll need to focus on benefits over features.
Most important, you and the sales person need to look like a solid, helpful,
friendly team.
If I could just have enough time to prepare
I know I’d do fine.
Turpin Communication can help you with a fast, effective way to organize
your presentations. Preparation alone, however, can never guarantee success.
Many people prepare and practice their presentations to the point of
paralysis. What’s important is flexibility. Once you’ve built a solid
framework for your presentation, you need to deliver it spontaneously. We
can help you get comfortable with this process.
I need a quick effective way to get my
presentations started.
Turpin communication can provide you with a set of four flexible, effective
organizational strategies that should work for every situation you face.
(Persuasive, Problem Solving, Motivating Interest, Requests for Information)
I spend very little time on preparation and
usually just wing it.
Does it work? If it does, if you’re able to stay on track, be responsive
to your listeners, keep them interested and get the job done, then good for
you. You’re lucky to have developed this skill. On the other hand, if
winging it isn’t working, or if you need to adapt to more formal settings,
Turpin can help you present a more structured presentation without losing
the spontaneity you’re comfortable with.
I know I read from my slides too
much.
This is a common problem and there are conflicting ideas about how to
solve it. Some people say that you should never look at the screen while
you’re speaking. Others recommend looking at the screen on your laptop so
that you never turn your back on your audience. Anther idea is to use a
laser pointer so that you can position yourself away from the screen. At the
risk of adding even more confusion over this issue, we generally reject
these solutions. While these rules might work for some people, they
certainly don’t work for everyone. And they can often make a bad situation
worse. Your job is to direct the audience’s attention toward the visual when
you want them to look at it and away from it when you don’t. It’s as
simple--and as difficult--as that. We’ll help you find techniques to make
the process effective for your audience and comfortable for you.
I know my slides are too detailed, but I
don’t have a choice. I have to use the slides I’m given.
This is a common problem. Your boss, your company’s legal department,
someone with the authority to do so mandates that you have to use slides you
don’t like. Maybe even a whole deck of slides you don’t like. This isn’t a
perfect situation, but there are ways to manage it. The most important thing
you need to do is focus on your message and your audience, not letting the
slides themselves overwhelm you. Then figure out how the slides can be used
to help you make your point. Although you may resent the fact that you have to use
them, we’ve seen a lot of presenters use mandatory slides very well.
I ask people to hold their questions
till the end of my presentation, but they interrupt me anyway. What should I
do?
The short answer to this question is that you should get more
comfortable handling interruptions. If there is a very good reason for you
to go through your presentation without interruption (and “That’s the way I
like to do it” is not good enough), you should explain the reason to your
audience then politely adhere to the no-interruption rule. A better way to
handle a lively audience, however, is to learn to manage the give and take
of interruptions without losing control of the presentation. One technique
that will help is to offer the short answer to the question when it is asked
then tell your audience you’ll provide more detail later on or after the
presentation.
How can I handle really hostile, negative
people?
Listen to them. Before you say anything, before you think about saying
anything, stop and listen. There are a lot of facilitation techniques we
experiment with that will help you manage emotional people, but none of them
works if you haven’t listened well.
Whenever I try to lead a discussion, it goes
nowhere. No one wants to participate.
There are two basic issues involved here. First, make sure that the audience
knows what you’re after. Have you set a goal for the discussion? Do they
know why you’re asking them to participate? What’s the benefit for them?
Second, listen patiently. Do you look and sound like someone who is
genuinely interested in what the group has to say (or are you just fishing
for the “right” response)? There are a lot of other techniques we can
practice, but they all require these two basics.
I often lose control of
discussions.
There are several techniques you can use to manage discussions effectively.
First, be sure you’re not discouraging discussion prematurely (a common
reaction to free-wheeling groups). When you’re sure the discussion has gone
on long enough, take control by summarizing or charting data, finding
connections between various points of view, reminding the group of its goals
and delaying issues that are not directly related to them. Group
facilitation is a subtle skill. Managing it requires insight into your style
and strengths as a presenter and discussion leader.
English is not my native language. What
can I do to make sure American audiences understand me?
Videotaping will build your confidence. Most non-native English speakers
communicate more clearly than they think. A few delivery techniques (volume,
pausing, eye contact, vocal enthusiasm) will help you come across more
effectively. Turpin can also help you organize your presentation for
American audiences. For example, you may find that your recommendations need
to be communicated more directly since Americans are comfortable with
assertive, specific presentations.
I speak to non-native English
speakers. What should I do to adapt to their needs?
You need to be sensitive not only to the language differences between you
and your audience, but the cultural differences as well. Videotaping will
help you develop the delivery skills for the former. To deal successfully
with cultural issues, Turpin can provide insight into specific cultures and
give you practice adapting your presentation to their needs and perspective.
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