"There are always three speeches,

for every one you actually gave.

The one you practiced,

the one you gave,

and the one you wish you gave." 

- Dale Carnegie

Mujeres y Allies,
 
One of the elements of Executive Presence is how we communicate with others—both verbal and nonverbal.  It’s not just about what gets said but how it’s said. Leaders need to be effective in their one-to-one conversations and when making presentations to a team or larger audience.  Of course, this topic often reveals that public speaking remains a big source of anxiety for many of us! Getting up in front of a group to lead a presentation or give a talk can send us into a real panic!  This is a fear that can hold us back and we often recommend joining a local Toastmaster’s Club where you can practice public speaking, get coached and receive guidance on how to be an effective speaker.  Toastmasters is an international organization over 100 years old and some clubs are now actually formed at major employers and meet regularly at work. If you cannot join a club, you may want to browse their excellent video library.  This week’s #3LVCareerHacks is all about doing your best as a public speaker---even if you just need to speak with your own team.

Uno, dos, y tres. Let’s do this con ganas!

Effective presenters deliver a clear message that answers key questions:  Why is this issue or topic important? What does it mean for the audience?  What is there to know or understand? Take a moment to review your presentation outline and make sure you are answering these questions with key facts and examples. Nothing can be more disastrous for your executive presence than rambling about different unrelated themes or going off topic or failing to get to the point.  Sometimes our anxiety and nervousness can also lead us to rush through a presentation just to get done or we focus on topics that are easier to address—telling unrelated stories—and both of these undermine our credibility. Get to the point!

If you are presenting to your own team—it may be quite clear what you need to say because you are most familiar with their interests, skills or needs.  If you are giving a presentation at a conference where a cross-section of professionals may be attending, do some homework about the participants and room set up.  Is your topic going to be completely new to them? Is the size of the group or set up of the room going to allow you to engage your audience with questions? Will you be able to walk around the room or are you standing at a podium?  Speakers have the power to make a presentation meaningful to the audience when they research the audience and the setting to plan accordingly.

We have all been to presentations where every slide on the Powerpoint presentation is crowded with 20 bullet points in small fonts.  We’ve seen speakers who run out of their allotted time to present their material. Or we’ve listened to presenters who keep telling more examples or stories that all get to the same point.  Effective presenters cover the main issues and often leave you wanting more because they were that inspirational or informative or both. You cannot cover the topic in 30 minutes if you have 60 minutes of material.  Manage your own expectations of the message you need to give in the time you have and accept that there is only so much you’ll be able to say.

That’s it. #3LVCareerHacks on planning to make a great presentation.  

If you’ve made one of the #3LVCareerHack tips work for you, we would like to feature you in the next LatinaVIDA360 Career Power Hacks Podcast! Let us hear from you.

Give us a shout at @SavvyLatinaInfo @LatinaVIDA360 or on our Facebook Group. We’d love to hear from you!

Live Your VIDA with Intention!

--Abrazos,

Your LV Familia!

P. S. Remember, here are the other LatinaVIDA resources for you:

• Evernote Notebook of Curated Work-Life Resources, Readings and Tips

• Join our Private Facebook Group

• LatinaVIDA360 Podcast Latina Leaders in Conversation and NEW Career Power Hacks

• Our #Slack Community to Share Experiences with LatinaVIDA Circle Guide

• Past #3LVCareerHacks Newsletters (please share with friends and family)

• Latina Cubicle Confidential: A Personal Blog from our Co-Founders

RESOURCES