I'm nervous...

Daysleeper40

Daysleeper40

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Got to do a presentation on thursday in front of all the other managers in my department... just been practicing and I've got to the point where I can't seem to say anything properly :bang:
 
All I can advise if what I do.

If you know you have your presentation sorted, and it works leave it now until Thursday and don't look at it again.

Personally I find the more I look at mine and try and word it, the more it confuzzles me!
 
wibbly said:
All I can advise if what I do.

If you know you have your presentation sorted, and it works leave it now until Thursday and don't look at it again.

Personally I find the more I look at mine and try and word it, the more it confuzzles me!
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You're probably right - I'd do better by just winging it at this rate!
 
How are you presenting? powerpoint/handsouts or verbally alone?
 
Do as Jimmy Carr said imagine they are all sat there naked. Just don't tell them it could be awkward when you are looking at there parts with your hands in your pockets. :)
 
Samphire said:
How are you presenting? powerpoint/handsouts or verbally alone?
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Powerpoint presentation plus 1 handout. I speak for about 1/2 hour and then my colleague takes over for the last 15 min or so. Come to think of it, why the hell did I end up with the longer, more complicated bit?!

whatdoesthisbutt said:
Dont stress, but check any technology you are planning to use at least half an hour before you are due to present so you can get it sorted if it fails.
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Checked it all today as the PP show has to be saved to a shared drive. Will make sure it's all up and running tomorrow morning though.

kapawayna said:
Do as Jimmy Carr said imagine they are all sat there naked. Just don't tell them it could be awkward when you are looking at there parts with your hands in your pockets. :)
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TBH I've never understood the "imagine them all naked" idea... I can't think of anything more off-putting! :gag:
 
Add prompts to your power point to assist you and go with the flow :) good luck, adrenaline will get you though.
 
Daysleeper40 said:
TBH I've never understood the "imagine them all naked" idea... I can't think of anything more off-putting! :gag:
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:lol: Ditto.


:) Just relax and you'll be fine.

My best advice (and what works for me) is to forget about calling it a "presentation". That one little word can strike fear into anyone.:eek:

You probably go to lots of meetings don't you? . . . and have to explain things to people and get your point across?
Sometimes, I bet you might even stand up and illustrate a point on a flipchart etc.
And do those situations make you nervous? Probably not. Or at least nowhere near as nervous as you are about doing your presentation.

Look on it as just another meeting.
Prepare for it as you would any other meeting. Make sure that you know your subject and don't script it too much.
You have to be a bit more organised because you're taking the lead and you have some Powerpoint slides to keep you on track and give your points some structure . . . but that's all it is . . . just another meeting :)

It works for me.
Incidentally, I adopt the same mindset for interviews too.
I'm just going along to meet some people, learn a bit about them and tell them a bit about myself . . . just as I would if I was meeting a new supplier etc
 
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SarahLee said:
:lol: Ditto.


:) Just relax and you'll be fine.

My best advice (and what works for me) is to forget about calling it a "presentation". That one little word can strike fear into anyone.:eek:

You probably go to lots of meetings don't you? . . . and have to explain things to people and get your point across?
Sometimes, I bet you might even stand up and illustrate a point on a flipchart etc.
And do those situations make you nervous? Probably not. Or at least nowhere near as nervous as you are about doing your presentation.

Look on it as just another meeting.
Prepare for it as you would any other meeting. Make sure that you know your subject and don't script it too much.
You have to be a bit more organised because you're taking the lead and you have some Powerpoint slides to keep you on track and give your points some structure . . . but that's all it is . . . just another meeting :)

It works for me.
Incidentally, I adopt the same mindset for interviews too.
I'm just going along to meet some people, learn a bit about them and tell them a bit about myself . . . just as I would if I was meeting a new supplier etc
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Thanks Sarah - that's good advice. I was actually thinking the same thing myself earlier. It's about a project that I have been working on for a year so I'm confident that I know my subject... I just need to make sure nerves don't get the better of me (rescue remedy is on standby!). I'm trying to just think of it as talking... with some of the words I'm saying appearing on a screen behind me!

I talk all the time in meetings - only difference is I'm usually sitting down.
 
Samphire said:
Add prompts to your power point to assist you and go with the flow :) good luck, adrenaline will get you though.
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Adrenaline will also make me shake - which is mighty embarrassing when you think "I'll just pause for a drink of water" and your hand blatantly shakes as you reach for the cup...

Thankyou for the luck ;)
 
Daysleeper40 said:
Checked it all today as the PP show has to be saved to a shared drive. Will make sure it's all up and running tomorrow morning though.
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Take a backup on a memory stick. I was doing a presentation a couple of weeks ago to one of our customers' senior managers. The presentation had to be submitted a few days before and we were to be working off a shared drive. Someone forgot to upload it :bang:

Memory stick saved the day :)
 
i can offer no more but my best wishes and good luck :clap: , let us know how you get on :thumbs:
 
dod said:
Take a backup on a memory stick. I was doing a presentation a couple of weeks ago to one of our customers' senior managers. The presentation had to be submitted a few days before and we were to be working off a shared drive. Someone forgot to upload it :bang:

Memory stick saved the day :)
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Good point - well made :thumbs:

paulyoung666 said:
i can offer no more but my best wishes and good luck :clap: , let us know how you get on :thumbs:
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Thankyou - will do ;)
 
I have done a lot of presentations and used to be very nervous when I started. In fact I used to talk too much and the presentation went on a lot longer than they should have done. I always encourage questions which seems to make thing go a bit quicker.

The point of a presentation is to get information accross to the audience so just remember the basic rules. Firstly you tell them what you are going to talk about. Secondly talk about it in your presentation. Then finally sum up again the main points of the presentation. You have then told them three times and they will remember what you said.
 
Daysleeper40 said:
Thanks Sarah - that's good advice. I was actually thinking the same thing myself earlier. It's about a project that I have been working on for a year so I'm confident that I know my subject... I just need to make sure nerves don't get the better of me (rescue remedy is on standby!). I'm trying to just think of it as talking... with some of the words I'm saying appearing on a screen behind me!

I talk all the time in meetings - only difference is I'm usually sitting down.
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Good luck for tomorrow.

I'm in the same situation as you next week. I've been working on a project for the last 3 months and we've just reached one of the milestones - I've got a few presentations to give updating people on where we're up to.

I think I'm going to be printing my reply to you and reading it back to myself before I go into them :lol: :lol: :lol:
 
Thanks for the good luck messages - I think it helped!

No IT disasters and I made it through without making a total tit of myself so am about to reward myself with fish n chips and a nice big glass of wine. Feel absolutely knackered though... I've been a bit wired up the last few days and I think I'm about to crash now...
 
If you're a sweater, make sure you're using antiperspirant. Nothing worse than the presenter lifting their arm to point at something on the screen and you get to see sweaty armpits! :gag:

EDIT: Oh, you're done - well done! :thumbs:
 
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Enjoy your dinner and wine, nothing like the come-down to make you feel exhuasted but satisfied. Well done :)
 
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