You don’t always have to aim for the stars…

I’ve been thinking for a while now about taking up golf. I have played in the past but not with much success, in fact, I spent more time trying to get out of that sand thingy than I did on the lush fairways. I’m not bothered about being brilliant or fantastic, I just want be able to hit the ball off the tee and get round in a reasonable score. To help improve my skills it would be pointless me going out and buying a Rory Mcllroy advanced golfing skills DVD (not even sure that actually exists). This is too technical and I would be setting myself up for a fall. Instead I may go out and buy a ‘Teach yourself golfing basics’ DVD. That way I could build up my confidence, enjoy my successes (if any), learn by my mistakes, experiment with some new techniques and most of all enjoy it.

Of course there’s nothing wrong with being ambitious, but setting the bar too high and potentially failing would no doubt mean that I would lose confidence – that’s the clubs back in the garage then.

Presenting in public is pretty much the same in many ways. If you are new to presenting, or have dabbled and have been mentally scarred by a past experience then it may be that you are setting the bar of expectation on yourself too high. When the word “presentation” is spoken, most people mentally fast forward to the presentation day itself. They see themselves standing there in total control, a great opening and a brilliant end, the audience in the palm of their hands – and then the panic sets in – “I’m never going to get through this and still be alive at the end” and “there is no way I can stand there and do that”. They heap pressure on themselves by thinking that they must be like the outstanding presenter who they work alongside, the one who they think everyone will compare them to.

If you are a newby to the world of presenting then just remember to start with the basics, you don’t have to be the all singing all dancing presenter. When starting out don’t take any risks, just play safe and get through it, experiment and build up your confidence, learn by your mistakes, hone your own style and identify ways of controlling and managing your nerves. It doesn’t matter how long this takes as long as you reach your goal of becoming the type of presenter that you want to be.

I don’t want to be fantastic like Rory Mcllroy, I just want to be able to play a round of golf and get to the end without my Dad looking at me with that disappointed look he used to give me when I was 12 and most of all I want to enjoy it.

If you are new to presenting and you have got a presentation on the horizon then maybe its time to take a step back, relax and remember to not aim for the stars too soon.

Do you need a hand developing your presenting skills? Why not get in touch to see how our presentation skills courses can help.