How to Run Seminars and Workshops, 4th Edition

Chapter 15Inside the Mind of a Professional SpeakerHow to Present Your Best Self

Few jobs can match the role of presenter in the number of skills that must be displayed publicly by one individual. Presenting is one of those rare professions that is nearly impossible to understand unless you have actually done it yourself. As I mentioned before, there are no real simulations for firsthand action under fire in the pit. The ultimate irony in most training departments, unfortunately, is that these departments typically are managed by individuals who have never conducted a day of training themselves. Empathizing with the feelings a presenter is experiencing is difficult, to say the least. It is my intent to take a stab at giving you a tour inside the mind of a presenter to help you better understand some of the unique aspects of professional speaking.

Always Present a Positive and Enthusiastic Attitude

Let's start with a presenter's attitude for the programs he or she delivers. To illustrate a point, I will be more than happy to tell you my attitude toward conducting a Presentation Skills program. Usually the anticipation starts on about the Wednesday before the week I am to teach the course. It is only a little stir, but it counts. Thursday morning that little stir becomes more of an anxious hum anticipating next week's fantastic class. For some reason on Friday, I walk around with a kind of silly grin. It looks as if I just pulled off a practical joke on my coworkers when, in ...