One of the most valuable things I do for my clients that I have never explicitly marketed is presentation coaching. Whether presenting to a prospective client trying to win their business or as part of the job interview process, there are specific things you can do that will ensure you do your very best. 

How things turn out after that is out of your control, but you will know that you gave it everything you could if you do these five things. 

Finalize the deck in advance 

Most people poke and pick at their deck until the night before the presentation, and maybe until right before they are scheduled to present. I don’t recommend doing this. It is very hard to proofread your own work, especially when you have been working so closely with it. You will not see small word errors like form and from or your and you’re. And your verb tenses will likely have errors as well. 

Having typos in your deck doesn’t look professional and is something you can easily avoid. Finalize the deck 48 hours in advance and have someone else proofread it for you. 

Pro tip: Keep your slides relatively uncluttered. Do not stuff a lot of text or numbers into your slides. If you have a very dense slide, consider breaking it up into multiple slides that you flip through quickly. At the end, you can present the consolidated information if that makes sense. 

Use colors, pictures, and graphics to illustrate your points as well. Your deck should be visually appealing with clear and concise language. 

Practice out loud 

The things you say in your head will probably sound smart, but the things that come out of your mouth may be very different. You may find that you are tripping over your words, or not finding the right word quickly enough. 

Practicing out loud allows you to hear yourself, which helps cement the content for you. If you lose your place or go blank during your presentation, which happens even to the most experienced presenters, you may be able to hear yourself inside your head and this can help you get back on track. 

Record yourself 

Recording yourself is a key part of doing your best. This will enable you to see your body language and hear your vocal pacing. Are you rushing? Are you giving too much detail in one place and not enough in another? How will your listener react to seeing you? To listening to you? 

Set a timer as well. Make sure you are staying within the time limit at least two times, if not three. 

Walk and talk

Several of my favorite speakers have said that if they are preparing a big talk that needs to be memorized, they need to walk it into their body. You might feel a little uncomfortable walking and talking to yourself at first, but this way of practicing can be incredibly helpful. I did this before my TEDx talk and highly recommend adding it into your preparation process. 

Smile and breathe

When you are presenting, don’t forget to smile and breathe. Smiling will relax your body and your audience. Make eye contact and connect with the people in the room or on the video call. 

Most importantly, remember to breathe! You will likely be amped up before your presentation. That is totally normal and can be a good thing. When you breathe deeply, your body feels safe and relaxes. This will help you to remember things better and you will have time to find just the right word if you need to. 

Also, don’t feel like you have to fill all of the space. It’s fine to take a moment and not talk. 

I hope you found these tips helpful. I have worked with so many clients over the years who have walked out of their presentations and immediately sent me a text saying they totally crushed their presentation. 

Recently, a client said it was the best performance of her career. 

Please reach out if I can help you with your next presentation. 

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