This week I'm working with students at an entrepreneurship camp. The week of brainstorming, idea development, and teamwork will culminate in a 7-minute pitch on Friday afternoon. Several participants have noted that when they speak in front of a large group of people they notice that they have trouble remembering what they said and did once it's over. I call that the hurricane in the brain.
What causes this inability to recall details or their presentation experience? I have a theory about this. Presenting is like juggling and the hurricane occurs when the speaker tries to juggle too many things at once. Think about all the things a public speaker needs to pay attention to: time management, body language, speaking speed and volume, working with technology, and then add presenting in a second or third language (the running chainsaw)! Add in trying to recite a memorized script in these stressful conditions and the brain can't handle all those things at once.
What can presenters do about this? One suggestion is to try to work more on understanding what your audience needs to know and then using your slides to help you deliver the content in manageable chunks. Each slide is its own chapter of your story. Also, remember that you (should) know more about your topic than your audience and your mission is to inform and/or persuade them. Focus on helping them understand your content. Concentrate on communicating clearly and efficiently with them (focusing outward) and stop thinking about all the mistakes you might make (focusing inward). Think positively before you start speaking. The audience wants you to succeed. Nobody goes to a presentation hoping the presenter will get confused and lose their confidence.
Better preparation will help reduce the disorientation that many public speakers experience. Approach your presentation will a "service mentality". You have a gift to give. If that gift is useful to the audience then you should feel good about giving it. Your presentation is an opportunity as much as you might consider it a threat. It's all about the way you choose to approach it.
What causes this inability to recall details or their presentation experience? I have a theory about this. Presenting is like juggling and the hurricane occurs when the speaker tries to juggle too many things at once. Think about all the things a public speaker needs to pay attention to: time management, body language, speaking speed and volume, working with technology, and then add presenting in a second or third language (the running chainsaw)! Add in trying to recite a memorized script in these stressful conditions and the brain can't handle all those things at once.
What can presenters do about this? One suggestion is to try to work more on understanding what your audience needs to know and then using your slides to help you deliver the content in manageable chunks. Each slide is its own chapter of your story. Also, remember that you (should) know more about your topic than your audience and your mission is to inform and/or persuade them. Focus on helping them understand your content. Concentrate on communicating clearly and efficiently with them (focusing outward) and stop thinking about all the mistakes you might make (focusing inward). Think positively before you start speaking. The audience wants you to succeed. Nobody goes to a presentation hoping the presenter will get confused and lose their confidence.
Better preparation will help reduce the disorientation that many public speakers experience. Approach your presentation will a "service mentality". You have a gift to give. If that gift is useful to the audience then you should feel good about giving it. Your presentation is an opportunity as much as you might consider it a threat. It's all about the way you choose to approach it.
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