I’m a Navigator. In case that statement sounds foreign to you, I am talking about my presentation persona. After taking the Badge assessment, I received results indicating the level of strength I had in 4 distinct areas of presenting: Exploration, Sharing, Response, and Durability. According to my Navigator profile, I am proficient in Exploration, which means I am adept at presentation research and rehearse. It just so happens that this is the task many presenters tend to procrastinate on completing. If you’ve taken our proprietary assessment and scored as one of the following presentation personas, this article may be especially useful to you:
Solider
Performer
Befriender
Activator
Director
Advocator
Creator
Captivator
Don’t be discouraged if you scored low in the Exploration quadrant. Included below are a few methods you can use to beat presentation procrastination.
1. Eliminate all distractions
Get rid of physical and mental distractions. The biggest source of distraction is your phone, so make sure it is powered down and/or set aside. Remove unnecessary items from your desk space. Change the positioning of your desk calendar. Do everything in your power to eliminate the physical and mental roadblocks to achieving your presentation goals.
2. Make it manageable
As a runner and triathlete, I workout for hours on end. It becomes essential to find a way to make the pain more bearable. I have found that the best way to do this is to approach a workout in chunks. If I’m biking 50 miles on a Saturday morning, I try to focus on 10 miles at a time. This mental tactic makes the bike ride manageable, instead of a daunting task like it was when I was driving to my starting point.
3. Set weekly responsibilities
Instead of setting a daily goal, establish a weekly goal. It can be difficult to accomplish all of the tasks we want to in one day. To avoid beating yourself up after missing a daily deadline, consider setting weekly deadlines. This way, you’ll maintain the urgency of the assignment, without priming yourself for failure.
Procrastination is an evil temptress and a demanding beast, but if you use the tips outlined above, you’ll stand a better chance at warding off her advances. For more presentation procrastination methods and tricks, review the resources below.
The Art of Committing to Presentation Practice
How to Create Presentation Resolutions for 2017
Procrastinating On Your Presentation? Here’s How to Get Motivated.
