Katie was excited. She’d just received a promotion. And, for the very first time ever, she was asked to do a presentation to a client who was in for an all day meeting on Monday.
She’d be doing her part right up front. 10 minutes. That’s all she had on the schedule. But she wanted to make a good impression – on both her colleagues and the client.
On Sunday night, she went to the office to run through her brief presentation in the room where they’d be meeting. After going through it a couple of times, she set up her cell phone to video herself.
When she watched it, she was appalled. Her discomfort with the content showed. She couldn’t remember everything that needed to be covered. She used lots of fillers. And, her transitions to the next slides were sloppy.
She had no idea how her client would see her until she actually took a serious look at herself. She kept practicing, then videotaped again. It was much better, but still lacked the professionalism she’d hoped to convey. So she practiced again until she was satisfied.
Katie sent me 3 different versions of her presentations. The difference was palpable. By the final one, it was clear she was ready for prime time. And, the truth is, she was. The next day she aced it.
When was the last time you did something like that? Has it been awhile? If so, you may not be as good as you think. Give it a shot!
