So many presentations, so little time – to prepare! Sometimes it feels like that, doesn’t it? You just run out of time. Or, you are so experienced at your specialty or topic that you don’t feel the need to prepare. You could speak about it in your sleep. The former speaks to no preparation at all. The later speaks to being so confident that there is no preparation at all. The common thread? No preparation at all. You just wing it!
Here’s why neither one of those approaches makes sense. It’s not all about you. It’s all about your audience.
In real estate the mantra is: location, location, location. In speaking, the mantra is: preparation, preparation, preparation. Preparation prevents you from rambling, repeating yourself and getting the timing wrong. It prevents you from leaving out key points. Preparation helps you connect with your audience which will boost your confidence and credibility factor with the audience. Thorough preparation is always good for your reputation and your career and the possibility of being asked back to speak again.
From the audience’s standpoint, here’s why you will score high each and every time you keep them in mind:
- You stick to the topic. Without structure or a framework for the points you will cover, you either over instruct, forget or confuse the audience with what you do present.
- Clear message content: You know exactly from what frame of reference you will discuss the topic. This allows the audience to easily follow you through your presentation. No confusion.
- Quality presentation: An audience can tell if you have done your homework. And if you haven’t they assume you are either incompetent or can’t be bothered.
- Audience-centric presentation: You have researched the crowd to know what matters most to them concerning your topic; not what matters most to you about your topic.
- It’s an Olympic Gold Medal moment: With a prepared talk, you score high with the audience and they get want they want from you. You score high with glowing feedback and a possibility of securing additional business from them about a topic that has interest and momentum with them wanting more.
For a bird in flight, “just wing it” makes perfect sense. For a speaker who is well grounded in his/her audience, a little structure with a lot of preparation makes better sense, and for a better talk.
