Don't make this common mistake when you begin a presentation, workshop or meeting. 🛑
You probably know I’m passionate about education. I love learning and teaching, which is why I coach and facilitate. It’s such a powerful way to help people.
You might also know that I’m on a mission to help 1,000 people this year. Not ‘feed the world’ kind of help, but feed people great questions and ideas that help them learn and grow.
One of the things I love teaching is how to present and facilitate well. A lot of this comes down to engagement, so this share is about what not to do. Let’s get into it.
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Don't make this common mistake when you begin a presentation, workshop or meeting.
"Hi, how are you today?
Ummm, thank you for being here.
My name’s errr, Dan, and….. I like cats! Here’s all my credentials…"
Don’t do this! ‼️
Why?
When is your audience most cynical? At the beginning of a presentation or workshop or the end? 🤨
When are you the most nervous? At the beginning of the presentation or the end? 😰
In both cases, the answer is at the beginning. The first five minutes of anything can often be the most difficult and most nerve-racking until we get into flow. It’s also when the cowboys have got their boots up, with their arms crossed, wondering if they’ve wasted their time. 🤠
What’s the solution?
It has nothing to do with cats :) 🐈
Firstly, to handle the nervousness, you need to have scripted the introductory section. Don’t wing it until you know it so well you can throw it away.
The second part is to engage your audience as quickly as possible. When I say audience, this does not mean that it doesn’t apply to your team. We know that meetings are killing productivity, and people are sick of them. They’re checking out, impatient, and probably playing with their phones. Gen Z have even less patience for meetings—they want to know what to do and get the opportunity to do it. You have to make it worth their while to attend the meeting, presentation, workshop, etc.
The best way to engage them is to ask two enrolling questions. 🙋🏼♂️ If you’ve worked with me, you’ll know all about this.
It must be at least two so that you can engage 100% of your audience.
What are two questions that you could ask in your situation to engage 100% of your audience?
The next thing that the cynics and cowboys are wondering is why they should be listening to you.
It’s your job to demonstrate why. There is a process for this. Start by asking yourself how you would like it be done if you were in the audience.
Email me what your process would be, and I’ll send you some ideas.
Learn how to handle all this!
Learn how to handle all this in my workshop The Art of Facilitation: How to Master Your Presentations & Workshops.
June 12, Adelaide.
**nothing against cats 😊 🐈
You could talk about them if it's relevant, but not at the intro stage.
Topics I’m passionate about:
