Bryan Patrice The Three WORST Pieces of Advice Given to Presenters (and How Best to Ignore Them)
Bryan Patrice Ever hear the one about picturing your audience naked to overcome your fear of presenting to them? How about the one about practicing in front of a mirror? Anyone who has ever tried either of those well-meaning tropes knows how futile they are. Deluding ourselves that we can calm fears by laughing at our audience, or that we can convince them of anything by faking authenticity, is worse than a waste of time. It prevents us from using our greatest power as presenters: our true selves. Try ignoring the "worst advice" and substituting powerful communication instead. Worst Advice : Memorize Your Presentation Now this one sounds reasonable enough on the surface. After all, much of our fear about presenting is wrapped up in our fear of looking foolish in front of others. Some of that comes from our fear of drawing a blank when all eyes are on us. If we memorize our presentation, that won't happen, right? Perhaps , but what will certainly happen is that we