A perfect presentation is only as good as its presenter. That’s you! The most important piece of any presentation is authenticity. If you aren’t convinced your presentation is flawless, your audience will notice. The success of your pitch hinges on the ability to let you come through! Studying successful speakers is a good practice and can certainly help give you pointers, but ultimately the audience will be able to read if your pitch isn’t “you.” Don’t use phrases that won’t come out naturally. Don’t speak in a style of narrative completely foreign to you. DO dig deep, discovering what makes you, you.
Look at Your Enneagram
A good place to start is by taking the Enneagram test. The better you know your strengths and weaknesses, the more control you have over them. You may remember our post on this back in September. Take some time to digest the differences in personality types and how that can affect your presentation. In order to let you come through, you must do the research. Your enneagram type will bring some clarity to what may come natural to you and what you should try to stay away from.
Phone a Friend
If you’re still having a hard time honing-in on what makes you unique, try asking someone else. This could be a friend, colleague or family member. See if they can tell you any specific phrasing you use that could enhance your speaking style. If there is something charming, funny, engaging, or interesting about your natural conversation style, capitalize on that! It is often difficult to identify these traits in ourselves. Doing research by enlisting friends to help can open up a new level of comfortability. The more comfortable you are, the more comfortable your audience will be.
Tell a Personal Story
People like to know that you are invested. While it is important to be mindful not to make the entire presentation about you, let your audience get a little backstage view in to why you are presenting in the first place. Everyone loves a good recommendation. In fact, according to Nielsen, 92% of consumers trust recommendations from friends and family over any other form of marketing. How can you turn your audience in to friends and family and your pitch into a recommendation? Let you come through! Help your audience get to know the real you, and they will be more heavily invested in what you have to say.
I strongly encourage you to take some time this week to discover your authentic voice. Talk to a few different people and get some good opinions. Invest in yourself, and the rest will fall into place. Need a mentor to take your presentation to the next level? Ethos3 is here to help! Contact us today for a free quote.
