“You didn’t know your content well enough and I couldn’t let you stand on stage in front of hundreds of people and waste their time,” said my mentor, whom I’ll call Olivia. I closed my eyes and pictured her shaking her head in disappointment, standing up, and quickly gesturing for me to take a seat off stage.
Even though I was experienced at presenting to large audiences and rarely got nervous, this time was different. I had a physical looseleaf binder filled with material. I wrote meticulous notes and organized charts to show under a document camera. But I didn’t plan the flow of the presentation, and I didn’t think about how to connect with an audience. As a result, I was stopped cold in front of hundreds of teachers and ushered off stage halfway through my portion of the presentation.
“Be confident,” Olivia added. “Practice will help your confidence, not perfect notes,” she continued as her voice began to change to the loving friend and mentor I appreciated. Confidence matters and we have the power to control it.
Educators all over the country plan to attend professional development this summer, and many of you will be leading the presentations. Some will be in-person and some will be virtual. Whether you are walking across a stage with a microphone and clicker in your hand or talking to boxes on a Zoom screen, I recommend three steps to build your confidence as a presenter:
Preparation does not mean more content. We often think of preparing for presentations as an opportunity to organize content. You might be a person who writes out your content or types notes or designs elaborate slide decks. If so, good for you, but keep something in mind. Organizing content this way is only one part of preparing and you need to consider others to ensure you present yourself to your audience in a confident way.
Aileen Pincus, author, recommends researching your audience in order to determine how to convey information to them. Some audiences might need persuading, while others might need motivating or even a mixture of styles. Learn as much as possible about the intended audience and the best way to engage with them. A little work ahead of your presentation will pay off in the long run because the audience will feel like you are speaking to their specific strengths and concerns.
Early in my career as a staff developer, I focused a lot on the content and I did not consider the audience and how they would or would not connect with the content. (Hence, my disastrous time on stage.) In years since, I’ve come to discover preparing is a lot more intricate than typing a bunch of notes on note cards or designing a slide deck. Preparing is also about taking a step back from yourself and imagining the needs of the audience and the best way they learn.
Find mentors. Lots of them. Those of us who instruct writing often teach students to find mentor texts or models of published writing worth emulating. We encourage students to gather these texts and read them closely, each time naming what they see and what they might want to try on their own. It is equally powerful to find mentor presenters, whether they are teachers speaking at faculty conferences, administrators presenting to school board members or CEOs leading TedTalks on YouTube. Once you settle on a speaker to study, pay attention to the following:
Style
- How does the presenter structure the presentation?
- How are you drawn in and kept interested as a learner?
- How does the speaker use visuals? How do the visuals enhance your experience as an audience member?
Tone
- How does the speaker convey complicated concepts?
- How does the speaker react to difficult questions?
- If there are activities as part of the presentation, how are they introduced and monitored for the audience?
Consider dividing your notes into two sections when studying a mentor: one dedicated to new learning and the other for notes to capture the style and tone of the presentation. Once you develop a habit of studying a mentor, don’t stop. Find others! You might enjoy the style of one presenter, the tone of another and the humorous personality of someone else. You can take all their best qualities and use them to cultivate your own personal image.
Know Your ***. That’s right. Once you learn about your audience’s needs and develop your own image based on mentors who came before you, practice. You might practice in your head as you are driving home from work or in front of the mirror locked in your bedroom as your family knocks on the door wanting to know if you are in there. (It happens, possibly to me.) Words on a page sound very different when read aloud and you are bound to catch parts that don’t flow or words that trip you up. You will only realize the quirks in your presentation when you carve out time to rehearse.
Carmine Gallo, author, columnist and keynote speaker, encourages people to rehearse a presentation until it feels effortless. If it feels effortless your anxiety will decrease and it will lead to greater confidence.
My experience with Olivia was painful. Heck, it was grueling. But, I am grateful for the reflection I did to ensure my next presentation and the hundreds after that were more polished and portrayed a sense of confidence. I wish you confidence in your next presentation and may you never get ushered off a stage.
Thanks for this post–really practical tips!
Powerful words of wisdom— such a good reminder of what strong planning needs to be like!❤️
Brooke, I adored this post and took copious notes. Thanks for the nibble!
Such important tips! And so timely too, as I prepare for this week!
Great advice! My first “presenter mentor” was Corey Gillette when she led my first-year writing institute, and since then, Kathleen Tolan, you and Brene Brown. I’m sure there are more I’m missing….I plan to use your questions to see even more. Thank you for starting this site!
Thank you, Brooke!
So grateful for your support, my friend.
These past few weeks I’ve done a lot of reflecting and thought about lessons learned and the year ahead. Your leadership nibble was food for my ‘teacher/leader’s’ soul. Thank you for sharing your story with us and being willing to be vulnerable. When I look at amazing leaders like you and get a glimpse into your journey, and some of the challenges you faced, it gives me the strength and confidence that I need to pursue my goals, and tackle new challenges. Thank you 🙂
Brooke! I’m all in for your nibbles! This is so helpful, especially as we look ahead to re-presenting in person. I lost my in-person muscle memory because of this year+ of Zoom sessions and screen and seat-based presenting. At first I was worried that I got rusty, but now I’m looking at this time as an opportunity to reimagine the work – this post was really helpful and hit the spot, just like a good nibble would. XO
Brooke, so many gems! As we get back to more consistent in-person presenting (and teaching) you’ve provided some practical and inspirational tips. Thank you!
Brooke, so many gems! As we get back to more consistent in-person presenting (and teaching) you’ve provided some practical and inspirational tips. Thank you!
I absolutely love the idea of using presentation mentors! So smart to connect the best work we do in workshops and bring it to the leadership quadrant. Brilliant! I wish I was still in a position to use it, but I even took away a nibble or two I can apply when preparing for tutoring. Thanks for another way to learn from you!
This is fantastic. Thanks for the nibbles, and for being a great mentor!
This is fantastic, thanks for the nibble and for being a great mentor!
Thank you for this, Brooke! I think I had similar experiences with Olivia. 🙂
You’re right. You can have amazing content, but the audience won’t connect with you, it’s one of those, “The-surgery-was-successful-but-the-patient-died” experiences.
Can’t wait for more nibbles!
Thanks, Brooke! Much to think about in this post. Can’t wait to read more.
Hi Brooke, Thank you for launching your blog site. This post truly resonates with me as I often find myself in presentation mode and YOU have been a wonderful model of the structures you’ve outlined here! In your post you cite “researching your audience in order to determine how to convey information to them.” One of the things I’ve noticed from the first time I saw you present is that the time you spend preparing and researching your audience really pays off. I will take this “nibble” with me going forward.
I am looking forward to your weekly posts 🙂
Hi Brooke, Thank you for launching your blog site. This post truly resonates with me as I often find myself in presentation mode and YOU have been a wonderful model of the structures you’ve outlined here! In your post you cite “researching your audience in order to determine how to convey information to them.” One of the things I’ve noticed from the first time I saw you present is that the time you spend preparing and researching your audience really pays off. I will take this “nibble” with me going forward.
I am looking forward to your weekly posts 🙂