Present confidently: How to reach your audience [9 times checklist]
// BySimone Janson

The idea of ​​having to speak freely before others drives the beads of sweat on many people's faces. What if suddenly I can not think of anything? Or if I know no answer to questions? But the successful presentation of one's own abilities is today an important career component in many occupations, which you too should use to get ahead.

This is how you turn uncertainties and knowledge gaps into strengths

If you are a perfectionist and want to do everything well, you put yourself under unnecessary pressure and there is a high risk that something will go wrong. You are human and not perfect. On the contrary:

Small mistakes make people sympathetic, perfection seems fast unapproachable. Better: reduce your fears - even if the presentation is not one hundred percent, that's probably not the end of your career. Prepare yourself well, but be aware that you just can not answer all the questions. And do some relaxation exercises.

Do not be scared

The goal of a successful presentation is to convey your own content and positions and in such a way that the listeners accept them. Ms. M. commits a common mistake: she tries to guess what the audience wants to know and to prepare for all questions and objections so that she stands in good light.

Unfortunately she will not be able to do that because she is not a clairvoyant. Your attitude has nothing to do with an optimal preparation, much more speaks of fear of criticism. But that puts her in a defensive position right from the start - not a good prerequisite for a confident demeanor.

What do you want to say?

Always peel the core out! When preparing a presentation, first make clear which content you want to convey - for example:"Our company is the best."

Think about what is the core message of your presentation and make it the guiding principle that keeps coming back in the course of the presentation. Then clarify why you are actually holding the presentation. Make yourself a list of your motives - depending on what you want to achieve, align your presentation form later. You want to:

Sovereign occur thanks to expertise

The facts for what you think are important to be said, you should really have ready. Then, when the presentation itself turns out to be something that your audience has been expecting from you, you can handle criticism much more confidently:

After all, you have prepared optimally and implemented exactly what you imagined in the topic.

What kind of occasion does your presentation have?

Make sure in advance what sense and purpose your presentation pursues.

• Information…
• do you want to support others
• or convince?
• inform others - then your presentation should focus factually and neutrally on facts
• to draw attention to yourself and your ideas - then your presentation should be convincing
• To promote support - then your presentation should be emotional
• motivating or supporting others - then your presentation requires psychological empathy
• Entertain your audience - then your presentation should be easy and funny

Checklist: Clothes make people

Your outfit is one of the first things that people perceive in you - not the doctoral degree, expertise, or communication skills. Thirty seconds are enough. And there is no second chance for this first impression.

• Choose your wardrobe with the utmost care - listeners will notice stains, tears and wrinkles one hundred percent. Pay special attention to places that you think you can not really see - such as your shoes and socks.
• Stick to the motto:"Tell me what you are wearing and I will tell you who you are". Choose your style consciously according to the occasion, but in such a way that the clothing also underlines your personality. Because you put the audience in this drawer.
• Pay attention to the occasion according to color: Dark, saturated colors signal rather authority / seriousness, bright colors have a dominant effect. But especially with tall people, they are sometimes too dominant and intimidating.
• Create a contrast between light and dark colors. The higher the contrast, the more competent you will be.
• Pay attention to quality: High-quality fabrics always look nobler, more successful and more competent than cheap ones. And who looks like that, you also trust something accordingly.
• Avoid anything that might distract you: Clinking Bangles, Excessive Jewelery, Silver and Gold Mixed Jewelry, Fat Watches, Rustling Fabrics, Flashy Patterns, Exuberant Outfits, Patterned Stockings, Flashy Shoes, Strong Perfumes. If special accessories are part of your personality, use them sparingly as a personal touch.
• Underline your face, which is in the foreground of the presentation, with a chic hairstyle, a beautiful, not too flashy glasses and - in women - discreet make-up.
• In general, bewitch your audience with facts, not with a flashy but inappropriate outfit.

Even if things are different ...

Of course, your audience can be very different than expected, for example, you have counted with professionals and find lay people. Maybe it's also an open lecture and the group is completely mixed. Or people are just different than you thought - unfortunately you can not plan something like that. However, you can avoid some pitfalls by informing and thinking about the audience in advance. For example, do not host an entertainment show if you have announced a serious lecture. Your listeners are not undefinable masses.

And of course you must not forget your audience during the preparation. Because you do not keep your presentation in front of a wall, but want to evoke an echo. And to make sure that this is as positive as possible, you should first find out who your audience is, because it makes a difference whether you speak in front of an expert audience or lay people, before boys or old people.

Checklist: Stay always confident in presentations

You can do that if you include the au