Executive Studio Presentation Tip #2: Talk to Your Best Friend in the Back Row

Every time we rehearse a speaker, we hear the same little confessions. “I’m really nervous about my presentation!” Or, “I can’t do this because I’m going to be sick to my stomach.” Sometimes, “I feel very alone on that stage” And very often, “I’m not comfortable in a room full of strangers.”

For most of you, however, your best friend doesn’t come to work with you every day. He/she is not “on call” to attend all your presentations, go with you into the executive conference room or meeting with a client. Not in a pitch meeting. Not in the Board room. Not in an interview.
But that doesn’t mean you can’t put your best friend to work for you anyway!

How so?
One of the best techniques you can use to keep yourself calm, focused, and personally connected to every person in your audience (big group or small) is to keep an image in your mind of your best friend sitting in the back row, smiling and cheering you on. This sounds so simple. Is it silly? No! In fact, keeping that mental picture of your “best bud” back there as your one-man or one-woman cheering section does work!

This works everywhere…..whether you are in a small room, around a board table, in a classroom, or on the stage in a large auditorium. Keep that friendly face with you.
Why?
It helps you feel anchored. Supported. As if you’re talking to someone you trust. And they trust you. And better yet, it will automatically bring out the warmth and friendliness in your voice.

There’s an added benefit to this technique. It actually allows you to “focus” your voice.
We see it all the time. When you talk to your best friend, your voice is neither shrill, nor forced, nor artificially loud. You don’t accidentally shout. If you practice, you’ll see that you can comfortably “share” information with the friend you care deeply about in that back row.

Try it! Talk to your friend….don’t shout. Create the thread of connection all the way to that back wall, no matter the size of the room. The mental focus on your friend creates a “vocal focus” that allows you to be heard across a larger distance. No microphone needed!

True communication is always about personal contact.
Now that’s what friends are for!!

Check out video #2 from our “10 Commandments of a Great Presentation” for more on this technique, and let us know how it’s working for you.

Click Here for Presentation Tip #3!