Month: October 2019

Nervous About Nerves…

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Business Team Training Listening Meeting Concept

I know that there's a lot of you reading this now that will shudder at the following three words...

Giving A Presentation.

It's okay. I'm not asking you to give one. Take a few deep breaths and have a drink of water - you're fine. 

But if you're in business - especially your own business - then you'll probably have to give one at some point. Not now, though. It's okay....

So - how do you deal with that feeling of nervousness; that tightening of the stomach as you picture the whole room looking at you as you stand there, dry-mouthed?

Run away? Pay everyone in the room to forget all about it? Emigrate to Cuba?

All good suggestions, but let's put them in the Plan B box, shall we?

I guarantee you that all of your nerves can be addressed and, to a greater or lesser extent, dealt with.

Here's the most popular reasons I hear for people being nervous when they give a presentation:

  • I'm going to forget what I'm going to say
  • People won't like me, or what I'm saying
  • The audience won't understand me
  • The equipment won't work
  • I'll tell a joke and no-one will laugh

Let me deal with them all in turn:

  • I'm going to forget what I'm going to say - There's an easy way around this. Rehearse. Practise. You should have delivered your presentation - out loud, stood up - at least THREE times before you actually deliver it. If you do that, you can't forget it. It's in there, just waiting to to be shared.
  • People won't like me, or what I'm saying - In all honesty, there's only so much you can control when you give a presentation. You can't control what mood people are in when they come into the room. So, focus on what you can control - what you're going to say, how you're going to say it and how people are going to feel when you've said it. Work on the assumption that there will be people in the room who aren't in a good mood - but it's not you, it's them.
  • The audience won't understand me - This can be a real concern if you have a strong accent, whether it's regional or global. So, you have to work on how do you soften the hard edges of your accent. If you don't have an accent, but you're worried that you mumble, or speak too quietly, look back at the first point. Rehearse. Practise. Work on the things that you know to be a weakness in your presenting
  • The equipment won't work - Again, there's a pretty simply solution to this; remove equipment from the equation. Ask yourself whether or not your really need all of those slides for your presentation. Do you need the microphone, or is the room small enough that just projecting your voice will be enough?
  • I'll tell a joke and no-one will laugh - I'm always amazed at this one. Somdeone who ism't a natural joke-teller decides that the best way to start their presentation, is with a joke. DO NOT DO THIS! Having a joke fall flat is a surefire way to adversely affect your presentation, so why put yourself through it?

One more thing to help your nerves - breathe. A minute or so before you go on, have a little time to yourself, and take several deep breaths. Full breath in, full breath out. This will help to calm you down and mentally prepare yourself to deliver your well-rehearsed presentation.

Have a question? Want to know how to become a better presenter? 

Let's talk. You can get in touch here 


The Prince & The Press

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Watch the below clip from ITV's documentary with Prince Harry talking about his relationship with Prince William

So this interview came about after press speculation about the relationship with his brother, Prince William.

In some ways, you can view this in the same way as the media training we did a couple of weeks ago, with the press statement from the head of Thomas Cook. You can see and read about that here.

With this interview, Harry has agreed to it. He's put himself forward for it - there's no 'holding to account' aspect to it - but he knows that there are things being said about him, his wife, his brother; and he wants to address them.

He pitches it so well. He's dressed casually, he smiles on occasion - and, most importantly, he confronts the rumour mill head-on. He doesn't shy away from admitting that things aren't always perfect in his family, without giving details.

It's very well-worded. He couches the admission in declarations of love for his brother in language that is still pretty ambivalent - "stuff happens" - but knowing that we can work out what he's trying to say.

It would become a much bigger story if he said "Yes, William and I aren't getting on at the moment. It's a bit trying, and Megan and I are pretty upset". I don't know if that *is* the situation, but by avoiding saying anything specific, he's answered the rumours, but not given away any family secrets.

The thought that has gone into his answers are incredible, down to the right language to employ too.

His wariness and suspicion of the press must be huge, but he's decided to engage - on his terms, in his own way.

It's a good example of an engaging, revealing interview - from someone that doesn't want to engage with the press, and give away nothing of real substance.

Also, at the same time, he's talking in relatable terms. We all have family 'issues', we all love our siblings, but clash with them - that connects us with the Royal Family.

When you're being interviewed, these are the things that you need to think about - how will my answers be processed? Will they be taken at face value? Can they be misconstrued?

Don't ever go into an interview unprepared.

If you want to talk about how media training could help you or your company, click here

Yes. No. Maybe. *Shrug*

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In this article, I want to look at Robert De Niro's appearance on the Graham Norton Show on Friday 11th October, 2019.

Watch the clip below...

I'll be honest, this two minute clip is the most animated that Robert De Niro was throughout the entire show.

There's many possible reasons for this; he could just be a shy person who wants to let his acting speak for him, he might not like chat shows in general, or feel that he shouldn't have to have a 'funny story' for every question he's asked.

As great as he is at acting, he's not a great interviewee. At all. Certainly not for the kind of show that Graham does so well.

And it's Graham's innate interviewing skill that makes Robert de Niro's appearance a little less awkward.

He reads the guest well and, sensing that he is not the kind of person who is particularly verbose, he keeps the questions to the point and doesn't press his guest for more than the short answers he gives.

Obviously, this wouldn't work if this was a politician being interviewed on Sky News or for The Telegraph newspaper - but it works well enough here.

Graham and his production team know that they have enough guests to fill any time that Robert De Niro may leave them