“Keep playing with confidence”, my teacher had said. The occasion was an Eighth Grade Clarinet exam and I had a very tricky technical piece to play, which I had not practiced enough. As I performed the song, I appeared calm and sure, moving quickly and confidently from one note to the next until I was done. Honestly, I had probably only played 20% of the right notes at the right time. But I didn’t stop, I didn’t wince, and I didn’t apologise; I continued on, bluffing my way through. Afterwards, the examiner’s notes read: “well played.”
As Presales professionals, we are performers: every time we give a presentation, deliver a demo, or even engage in a conversation we are under the spotlight, and aiming to capture the attention of (and influence) an audience. Whether it is an audience of 1, 5 or 500, I believe the skills that musicians and actors use are extremely relevant to our role. And if you are keen on developing your public speaking skills, then you will be cast into that role of performer even more directly and frequently.
Here are three tips for turning your next presentation into a performance:
- Project
- Practice, Practice, Practice
- Keep Playing
Project
Always stand up to present, even if everyone is seated around a table. Project confidence with your stance and act and speak with energy and enthusiasm. Project your voice so it can be heard clearly from the back of the theatre (or conference room; or headphones).
In person, it is completely valid to move to the front of the room where you can command your audience. It also makes it easier for you to point to the screen and to monitor reactions as you present. This is admittedly harder to do when you must drive a demo or if you are in a virtual meeting. However, even if you are seated or in a conference call, voice projection is still important and in fact it’s good to overdo it slightly when on the phone, to get the right level of energy coming across over the wires and speakers. Some people will stand at their desk even when presenting on a virtual call as it helps them speak with more energy and assurance.
One mistake I have seen people do is they project their voice when looking at the audience, but their volume drops as soon as they look down at their laptop. Keep an eye out for this and make a concsious effort to keep speaking loudly and clearly, or pause talking in those moments while you are interacting with the demo.
To learn how to project your voice, there are plenty of videos and websites available with instructions and tips (those are just two I found from a quick search). For me, I try to make sure I am breathing from my belly (diaphram) and mentally pitching my voice to be clearly heard by those people at the back.
One other preparation tip is to watch Amy Cuddy’s TED Talk video on power poses. I now make a conscious effort to stand, pose with hands on hips, and breathe deeply before starting an important presentation, and I find it calming and helpful.
Practice, Practice, Practice
I was once told by a professional stage actor: “Amateurs practice until they get it right. Professionals practice until they can’t get it wrong.” For Presales, you need to know your content, know your product and know your demo script, and you need to know it backwards. For a major presentation I not only read and review the slides, I stand and practice my delivery out loud in a room, and I do it five or six times. I still do this level of rehearsal for key events, even after many years of presenting.
Personally, I don’t write a script or notes for a presentation. I rely on the slides themselves, my knowledge of the content and my repeated practice to get me through. Each time I do an out-loud run-through I say slightly different things, but what I find is that it helps solidify in my mind the flow and the core messages I want to get across, and it comes across more naturally than memorising or reading from a script. For a demo, I might write down notes to remind me of the planned flow, but I rely on practicing in advance to refresh my deep knowledge and to guide what I say on the day.
Keep Playing
“The audience doesn’t know what the audience doesn’t know.” If something goes wrong, or you miss a step, there is a high chance that no-one else has noticed. So don’t call attention to minor issues or mistakes. Even if something more obvious happens, don’t worry and don’t stop. Stay confident, keep projecting your voice and simply move on to the next step or the next section of your presentation. You can laugh about it with your colleagues later, but the audience doesn’t need to know.
Conclusion
You may not see yourself as an actor or a musician and the idea of performing on a stage may terrify you. But the reality is that Presales professionals are all actors, and we are called on to perform in a multitude of venues, to a variety of audiences (and often at short notice). Developing performance skills can improve your confidence and your effectiveness as a presenter. If you have the opportunity, I recommend getting involved in Community Theatre, Theatre Sports or Improv, or a group such as Toastmasters, as this is a great way to fine tune your skills of projection, thinking quickly and adjusting to a changing situation.
How do you deliver an award-winning performance?
Thoughtful Presales 