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Corporate Coaching!
A Presentation is a Performance!
If that statement just gave you performance anxiety you are not alone, but you cannot inspire people to action from behind your keyboard, so learning to give an effective presentation is a skillset you are going to need. As a Juilliard trained actor with 25 years of experience, in theater, film and television, I’ve had a long career of creating effective performances. Allow me to share with you what I’ve learned, so that you can take a positive leap from dreading a presentation to loving it.
So what are the elements of performance that translate into an effective presentation? |
Know the Story You Want to Tell
Every presentation has a goal; you are trying to inspire your audience into taking a specific action. In order to do that, you have to know the elements of your story, and the structure of its drama. You need to identify the desired action you want from your listeners. Which means not only the literal story, but the emotional story as well.
I am a storyteller by profession, and there is a concrete method for how to build a story so you attain the desired result. This has to do with how you organize your content and most importantly how you personalize it. |
Research shows that only 40% of communication is verbal. What you communicate with that other 60% is how your message is perceived. No matter how great your “speech” is, if it’s not presented in a way that demands attention, you will not achieve your desired action. My 4 years of training at Juilliard were centered on the skills that are essential for exciting storytelling and connecting it to an audience.
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Skills to help connect to an audience include:
· Mental Preparation · Vocal and Physical Preparation · Material Sequenced to Lead to the Desired Action · Finding the Emotional Connection |
Rehearsal
Any actor will tell you that one of the major keys to a great performance is: “Rehearse, rehearse, rehearse!” Remember how to get to Carnegie Hall? “Practice!” There is freedom in structure. So build your structure, incorporate all the elements that you have been preparing and then rehearse it until you can do it in your sleep. The French word for rehearsal is "repetition." French artists believe that rehearsing means repeating the performance until it feels natural. This is how you move from dreading a presentation to being excited to share your ideas.
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Performance: Having a Game Plan
Performance day is all about making sure that what you have rehearsed comes fully alive in the room. To achieve this you need to create a game plan. You have written a great story, you have prepared your instrument to deliver that story in the most effective way and you have rehearsed it until it feels second nature, but without a game plan all your hard work can still be derailed.
The Game Plan includes: · How to Achieve Relaxation · Focus · Intention · Preparing for the Curve Ball |
A good game plan allows you to stay in the story but to improvise in the event of the unexpected. We all know we can be faced, at any moment, with the unexpected. The prepared and rehearsed speaker can be confident, charming, entertaining and facile…if they’ve the skill set.
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TESTIMONIAL:
Kathleen brings magic and method to her work with clients. Through dialogue and observation, she figured out our natural, authentic style. Then she made it come alive, become more vibrant. It was a joy to work with her.
Lois Tamir, Ph.D. and Laura Finfer, Ph.D. LEADERSHIP EXCELLENCE CONSULTING
Kathleen ran a session with us which included several of our top leaders and it was tremendous. For starters, Kathleen put in a lot of time on pre-work shaping a remarkably engaging and impactful session which was tailored to our leadership team -- it was crazy impressive the insights Kathleen was able to quickly deduct from interactions with people, then driving different thinking, changing energy in the room, driving interaction and sharing communication strategies, while being both extremely entertaining and educational.
Alan Satterlee AXA Advisors - Head of Retail Development Initiatives
Kathleen and I have collaborated on many projects together and I find her to be an amazing teacher and a true innovator but her genius lies in the ability to empower others to be their best.
Preston Bailey PRESTON BAILEY Design
See More from Kathleen McNenny
Kathleen brings magic and method to her work with clients. Through dialogue and observation, she figured out our natural, authentic style. Then she made it come alive, become more vibrant. It was a joy to work with her.
Lois Tamir, Ph.D. and Laura Finfer, Ph.D. LEADERSHIP EXCELLENCE CONSULTING
Kathleen ran a session with us which included several of our top leaders and it was tremendous. For starters, Kathleen put in a lot of time on pre-work shaping a remarkably engaging and impactful session which was tailored to our leadership team -- it was crazy impressive the insights Kathleen was able to quickly deduct from interactions with people, then driving different thinking, changing energy in the room, driving interaction and sharing communication strategies, while being both extremely entertaining and educational.
Alan Satterlee AXA Advisors - Head of Retail Development Initiatives
Kathleen and I have collaborated on many projects together and I find her to be an amazing teacher and a true innovator but her genius lies in the ability to empower others to be their best.
Preston Bailey PRESTON BAILEY Design
See More from Kathleen McNenny