Present for Success (St Training Solutions Success Skills Series)

177 Pages·2009·1.12 MB·English

by  Alison Lester

ST Training Solutions
Success Skills Series
ALISON LESTER
PRESENT
for SUCCESS
A POWERFUL APPROACH
TO BUILDING CONFIDENCE, DEVELOPING IMPACT
AND TRANSFORMING YOUR PRESENTATIONS
*present for success cover.indd 1 4/15/09 3:42:38 PM
PRESENT
for SUCCESS
A POWERFUL APPROACH
TO BUILDING CONFIDENCE, DEVELOPING IMPACT
AND TRANSFORMING YOUR PRESENTATIONS
present for success p1-176 17.03.2009.indd i 3/25/09 3:38:29 PM
present for success p1-176 17.03.2009.indd ii 3/25/09 3:38:29 PM
ST Training Solutions
Success Skills Series
ALISON LESTER
PRESENT
for SUCCESS
A POWERFUL APPROACH
TO BUILDING CONFIDENCE, DEVELOPING IMPACT
AND TRANSFORMING YOUR PRESENTATIONS
present for success p1-176 17.03.2009.indd iii 3/25/09 3:38:29 PM
© 2009 Marshall Cavendish International (Asia) Private Limited
© text Alison Lester
© series title Shirley Taylor
Illustrations by Edwin Ng
Cover art by Opal Works Co. Limited
Published by Marshall Cavendish Business
An imprint of Marshall Cavendish International
1 New Industrial Road, Singapore 536196
All rights reserved
No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted,
in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise,
without the prior permission of the copyright owner. Request for permission should
be addressed to the Publisher, Marshall Cavendish International (Asia) Private Limited,
1 New Industrial Road, Singapore 536196. Tel: [phone], Fax: [phone].
E-mail: [email protected]. Website: www.marshallcavendish.com/genref
The publisher makes no representation or warranties with respect to the contents of this
book, and specifi cally disclaims any implied warranties or merchantability or fi tness for
any particular purpose, and shall in no event be liable for any loss of profi t or any other
commercial damage, including but not limited to special, incidental, consequential, or
other damages.
Other Marshall Cavendish Offi ces
Marshall Cavendish Ltd. 5th Floor 32–38 Saffron Hill, London EC1N 8FH • Marshall Cavendish
Corporation. 99 White Plains Road, Tarrytown NY 10591-9001, USA • Marshall Cavendish
International (Thailand) Co Ltd. 253 Asoke, 12th Flr, Sukhumvit 21 Road, Klongtoey Nua,
Wattana, Bangkok 10110, Thailand • Marshall Cavendish (Malaysia) Sdn Bhd, Times
Subang, Lot 46, Subang Hi-Tech Industrial Park, Batu Tiga, 40000 Shah Alam, Selangor
Darul Ehsan, Malaysia
Marshall Cavendish is a trademark of Times Publishing Limited
National Library Board Singapore Cataloguing in Publication Data
Lester, Alison Jean.
Present for success : a powerful approach to building c onfi dence, developing impact
and transforming your presentations / by Alison Lester. – Singapore : Marshall
Cavendish Business, c2009.
p. cm. – (Success skills series)
ISBN-13 : 978-981-261-674-6 (pbk.)
ISBN-10 : 981-261-674-8 (pbk.)
1. Business presentations. 2. Public speaking. I. Title. II. Series: Success skills series
(ST Training Solutions)
HF5718.22
658.452 — dc22 OCN311703214
Printed in Singapore by Times Graphics Pte Ltd
present for success p1-176 17.03.2009.indd iv 3/25/09 3:38:29 PM
present for success p1-176 17.03.2009.indd v 3/25/09 3:38:30 PM
PREFACE
Congratulations on picking up this copy of Present for Success by Alison
Lester. I’m very proud that this is one of the first books in the ST Training
Solutions Success Skills series. This series includes several short, practical
books on a range of topics that will help you develop your skills and
enhance your success at work and in your personal life.
The Success Skills series was originally created to meet the needs of
participants of ST Training Solutions public workshops. After attending
our workshops, many participants expressed a real desire to continue
learning, to find out more about the topic, and to take it to another level.
They were hungry for knowledge; just the effect I had hoped for when I
set up ST Training Solutions Pte Ltd in 2007. With the Success Skills series
of books, the experience and expertise of our trainers can be enjoyed by
many more people.
As series editor, I’ve enjoyed working with the authors to make sure the
books are easy-to-read, highly practical, and written in straightforward,
simple l anguage. Every book is packed with essential tools and strategies
that will make you more effective and successful. We’ve included
illustrations that reinforce some key points, because I believe we learn
more if we add some fun and humour. You’ll also notice some key features
that highlight important learning points:
Myth Buster Here you will find a statement that is not true,
with notes on the true facts of the matter.
Fast Fact
Useful snippets of information or special points to
remember.
present for success p1-176 17.03.2009.indd vi 3/25/09 3:38:30 PM
Aha! Moment This is a ‘light bulb’ moment, when we note something
you may be able to conclude from a discussion. Don’t
forget to note your own ‘Aha! Moments’ perhaps when
you receive some extra insight that clarifies an
important point.
Try This Here you’ll find a suggestion for how you can put a
special point into practice, either at home or at
work.
Danger Zone You’ll find some words of warning here, such as things to
avoid or precautions to take.
Star Tip At the end of each chapter you’ll find a list of Star Tips —
important notes to remind you about the key points.
By picking up this book you have already shown a desire to learn more.
The solid advice and practical guidelines provided in this book will show
you how you can really go from good to great!
Good luck!
Shirley Taylor
Series Editor
CEO, ST Training Solutions Pte Ltd
www.shirleytaylortraining.com
www.shirleytaylor.com
present for success p1-176 17.03.2009.indd vii 3/25/09 3:38:30 PM
CONTENTS
INTRODUCTION
ASSESS YOURSELF
1. NERVES 1
Managing s tage fright so it doesn’t manage you 2
The physiology of fear 2
The power of adrenalin 3
Changing fear to fun, mentally and physically 6
Star Tips for managing presentation nerves 13
2. DEVELOPING YOUR CONTENT, DEVELOPING YOUR STRUCTURE 15
The first step 16
Getting your ideas to flow 16
Plugging into the World Wide Web 19
Who’s listening? 19
Putting it all together 21
The many ways to give life to your s tructure 22
The keys to being memorable 24
Star Tips for developing and organising your content 27
3. TOOLS FOR DELIVERY — YOUR WORDS 29
Managing a udience attention 30
Keep it simple, with impact 30
Jargon as a foreign language 36
What you don’t say can be just as important 36
A picture paints a thousand words 38
How else do we remember? 45
Star Tips for using the words that will work best for you 47
4. TOOLS FOR DELIVERY — YOUR VOICE 49
Your presentation toolbox 50
Imitate your way to success 50
Expanding your comfort zone 51
But my material is so dry! 53
Speed 55
Star Tips for making the most of your voice 59
5. TOOLS FOR DELIVERY — YOUR FACE 61
Face facts 62
Smile, and the world smiles with you 63
Closing and opening your face 64
High brow, low brow 67
The eyes have it 68
Eye contact 70
Mouthing your way to success 72
Star Tips for adding meaning and impact with your face 73
present for success p1-176 17.03.2009.indd viii 3/25/09 3:38:30 PM
6. TOOLS FOR DELIVERY — YOUR BODY 75
Do you speak body language? 76
Putting the body puzzle together 76
How many words are there in your b ody language vocabulary? 82
The complete message 84
Star Tips for making effective physical choices 85
7. VISUAL AIDS THAT HELP RATHER THAN HURT 87
What’s the point? 88
The slippery nature of slides 88
Slides to open with, slides to close with 90
Trends in presentation slides 95
Slide do’s and don’ts 95
The good, the bad, and the ugly 96
Handouts 98
Remote control 104
Laser pointers 105
Flipcharts and w hiteboards 106
Fun and games 108
Visual aids for you 110
Star Tips for making sure your visual aids work for you 114
8. TECHNICAL PRESENTATION CHALLENGES 117
How technical presentations are different… and the same 118
Charts and graphs 118
Slides vs. take-home documents 121
Star Tips for enhancing the clarity of your technical presentations 123
9. MANAGING THE ENVIRONMENT 125
Arranging the furniture 126
Arranging your mind 132
Time killers 132
Musical accompaniment 132
Let the walls speak for you 133
Meet and greet 134
Some like it hot… and others don’t 135
Bang, bang! You’re dead 135
It’s never too late to make changes 136
Time management 137
Star Tips for creating the right speaking environment 139
10. TROUBLESHOOTING 141
It depends on how you see it 142
What to do if… 142
Handling difficult questions 145
Managing your thoughts 150
Avoid ending on a sour note 152
Star Tips for managing unexpected or unwelcome events 153
INDEX
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
present for success p1-176 17.03.2009.indd ix 3/25/09 3:38:30 PM