There’s Something About
September. As soon as the temperature starts to change, seemingly overnight (hey, it’s New England here), everything starts to feel different. You know that adrenalin-inducing, off-to-the-races sensation after Labor Day, with the grown-ups back at work and the kids back at school? Yikes, it never changes.

Are You Overwhelmed Yet?
I know how rapidly your calendar is filling up. There’s a largesse of possibility in the air. We can buckle down to work and refocus after all that giddy summer sunshine. With sneakers laced up, we’re poised at the metaphorical starting line, ready to run the Fourth Quarter sprint.

On The Other Hand
Slow and steady wins the race, as the Tortoise said to the Hare in one of Aesop’s ancient Greek fables. So here’s my suggestion. As best you can, start slower than you might want to. Pace yourself. Maybe don’t dive in headfirst (mixing metaphors here), but rather ease in.

A Gentler Start
Often after coaching sessions, clients want to make Big Changes in their presentation style. They have a list of new ideas and techniques and can’t wait to try them all. But human behavior being what it is (and isn’t), that doesn’t usually work over the long haul. A better tactic is to commit to small incremental steps, and then actually take them.

Low Hanging Fruit
Here are three easily-started, low point-of-entry presentation tips that pay great dividends. They will make a difference to the power of your communications and how you are perceived. Why not choose one and give it a go.

1) Avoid Preamble
Think of preamble as everything you say before you say what you really want to say. For example, here’s a phrase you might choose never to use again, and no one would miss it: What I am here today to talk to you about is… Instead, simply start with whatever words come next. Make it a headline.

2) Lose The Agenda
Unless your environment specifically requires you to articulate the structured agenda, my take is that nobody really cares (and they’ve already read it faster than you can speak it). Instead, tell your listeners what to expect through action verbs.
By the time our meeting is finished in an hour, we’ll have reviewed the results of our recent study, discussed the pre-read suggestions and decided on our next best step.

3) Scratch Minimizer Words
I’d just like to quickly walk you through…
These words sneak into our presentations as well as our emails! Toss them out; they minimize the value of what you’re saying before you even say it. Just, quickly, think, kinda, sort of, walk you through… are words that do you no favors.

And Keep Breathing
For sure, it’s going to be an action-packed couple of months ahead of us. Please remember self-care, however that looks for you. Be good to yourself. What’s the very best part of any presentation? YOU, the Presenter!

You can do this…

Be the happy recipient of more great tips and techniques, along with intelligent musings on the state of communications, by signing up for Diane Ripstein’s regular NewsNotes right here.