Have you ever dreaded an upcoming presentation, meeting or function because you just knew that the group would be hostile? Maybe you had heard that these people are very critical, even aggressive.
*How can you prepare for such a situation even though you would prefer to disappear into thin air.*
1 Use Adversity To Make You Stronger
Very often we make our greatest breakthroughs in the face of huge challenges. We improve our performance overnight because we absolutely have to so as to avoid dire consequences. It might even be a case of get this result now or lose your job.
Knowing that you will be facing a hostile crowd, why not decide now to prepare for the presentation better than you have ever done before. Decide that you will absolutely take charge of the situation and then devise a plan to make sure you will be awesome when the pressure is on.
Work on the content of your presentation, your delivery, and especially on how you will interact with a difficult audience. Anticipate heckling, negative responses and resistance. Then decide before the event how you will deal with it. Devise answers and responses for stupid questions and boorish behavior.
All too often we do a little preparation before a big event and then just hope that it will all turn out right. If professional sportspeople approached their work like that sport would not even be worth watching. If all those famous singers, dancers and comedians did not constantly work on their skills BEFORE a performance then you would never have heard of them.
Giving a presentation takes very little time, and it is the tip of the iceberg, an iceberg that you sculpt in the days before the event.
Think for a moment about how much time you spend in preparation for a speech, a job interview or a meeting. Now DOUBLE the time you normally invest in yourself. Spend time on becoming excellent instead of just aiming to be good.
Use the force against you to become stronger - turn the threat into an opportunity. The stronger the breeze, the stronger the trees.
2 State Management
To perform well when the crowd is openly hostile it is critical to be able to maintain your composure. You will need to be cool under pressure despite the negativity that you see and hear in front of you. If you need a magic wand then anchoring is the answer.
Anchoring is the single most effective way of taking charge of your emotional state. With an anchor you can change how you feel in an instant, I devote an entire chapter to it in my e-book because it is such an important skill to master.
Consider for a moment - *if you could feel any way you wanted to, how would you like to feel in the face of hostility*
Write down the various answers that come to mind. Maybe you would like to feel confident, powerful, energetic, or even courageous.
Now, refer to my chapter on anchoring if you need a reminder, then set up an anchor for those resourceful feelings that you will need in the heat of the moment when the pressure is on.
Then later on when you are speaking, whenever you need to, you can fire your anchor and instantly go from feeling overwhelmed to feeling confident and strong.
By the way, if you have never used anchoring you are in for a mind blowing experience.
3 Disaster Planning
The final stage is to run through worst case scenarios for your upcoming presentation. Think about what could go wrong, what might go wrong, and even, what is unlikely to happen that would be catastrophic if it did happen.
Then work out a plan to deal as best you can with each scenario. Until you have completed this stage you are not ready to face the crowd.
By the way, you are the best person to devise your strategy because your approach must fit with your personality and presentation style. Make sure you feel happy with your plan before you decide to implement it, otherwise on the big day you could well end up getting stuck. Not knowing what to do, you could just end up feeling confused.
The presentation itself is the tip of the iceberg - be sure you sculpt a fine iceberg that will not melt under the spotlight.
Peter Murphy is a peak performance expert. He recently produced a very popular free report: 10 Simple Steps to Developing Communication Confidence. This report reveals the secret strategies all high achievers use to communicate with charm and impact. Apply now because it is available for a limited time only at: http://www.howtotalkwithconfidence.com/report.htm
Mokena prom limo .. Lockport Chicago limo O’HareYour ability to forgive those who have hurt you in... Read More
Hey gang; Ok it's time to create some good habits.... Read More
I have a 440-page guide on how to simplify my... Read More
Problems, disappointments and trouble; the three skunks that sometimes think... Read More
This week I happened to catch a few minutes of... Read More
I'm lucky.When I was fifteen, I was the sole survivor... Read More
Remember Des'ree? She had a great song out in 1994,... Read More
I heard these words from a client who had been... Read More
Once we understand the difference our attitude makes in our... Read More
One of the most powerful influences on your attitude and... Read More
Humans tend to categorize things by large or small, bright... Read More
Striving to improve our self esteem is on everybody's mind.... Read More
"The other night I ate at a real family restaurant.... Read More
Recently, a dear friend who has been both a coach... Read More
You are the only one that can give confidence to... Read More
The others in the raft didn't seem to share Eddie's... Read More
Satisfaction 100% guaranteed or your money back! That was the... Read More
"If I have the belief that I can do it,... Read More
INNER CRITIC UNVEILED! Part 2: AFFIRMATIONS TO THE RESCUE!"Almost everybody... Read More
When you're feeling "low," or out of the flow, it's... Read More
In talking with a coaching client recently, she made a... Read More
Have you ever thought about you have a lot to... Read More
The way we use language can have a huge impact... Read More
There are many stories of people injuring themselves, and others,... Read More
The milkman knocks at the door of the old lady's... Read More
Mokena Chicago limo O'Hare ..Uncle Liam was very kind to me again. He gave... Read More
The milkman knocks at the door of the old lady's... Read More
The most happy and successful people on earth have a... Read More
A joke is a way of getting people to laugh.... Read More
WhenWhen we have feelings for someone or something, we have... Read More
I woke up this morning feeling sour.No. That's an understatement.... Read More
What's wrong with me? When I'm sick I get grumpy... Read More
The way we use language can have a huge impact... Read More
"At birth, a baby's brain contains 100 billion neurons, roughly... Read More
How would you like to stop feeling like your life... Read More
Barry was on the phone in his office, speaking with... Read More
One of our most active senses is sight. What we... Read More
Year after year I find more and more individuals saying... Read More
Facing a change and want to make it work for... Read More
How many times have you heard someone say, "Hey, cheer... Read More
The way to define your personality is to refine your... Read More
"Work on your career and you'll make a living. Work... Read More
If you think you are a loser, you train or... Read More
With the beginning of a new year, are you happy... Read More
The surge of emotions.During the middle ages, the court jester... Read More
Are you driving under the influence of impaired emotions?Dateline: December... Read More
Self belief is a wonderful thing.I know from my own... Read More
Aging is a matter of the mind.The years may creep... Read More
Each of us has a mind by which we convert... Read More
We hear a lot these days about accepting responsibility for... Read More
Positive Attitude Tips |