Have you ever been at a meeting that was absolutely painful to sit through? I just experienced that, and I could hardly wait until it was over. But, with a few guidelines, no meeting need be pain-provoking!
Tip: These guidelines work, too, for any presentation.
Ia��m Only Giving My Reporta��I Dona��t Have to Have any Presentation Skillsa��.
Why should you read this? You arena��t a professional speaker. You dona��t even do presentations. You just give reports. You dona��t need any public speaking skills. Thata��s what you think! A�There are presentation strategies for giving reports, and, when you dona��t know them or use them, the example is a painful experience for the attendees. So, whether youa��re an agent, a manager, an assistant, it doesna��t matter. When you get up in front of peoplea��even for a reporta��you owe it to your audience to be professional.
Why Prepare to Make a Report?
As with many meetings, this painful meeting consisted of reports from 8 different people. Now, I know most people regard giving a report as getting up and reading the 3-10 items on their report. Not! You need to prepare for that meetinga��whether or not you are a professional speaker.
The 3 Deadly Sins in Giving those Reportsa��and the Remedies
1.A�A�A�A�A� 1. A deadly start
In this meeting, two of the 5 reporters started with a�?soa��. In fact, I counted 25 a�?sosa�� in one of the reports! A�One of the reporters kept saying that she was not prepared because she didna��t know she didna��t have another meeting to lead after this one. Who cares?
The remedies:
Start your report without the a�?soa��, the a�?uha��, or any of the filler words. Practice your first few words. Make sure they lay out what youa��re going to report in a concise, friendly manner.
Stop the excuses; the audience doesna��t care! Avoid a�?we got a lot to covera��, a�?I havena��t much timea��, or a�?Ia��m not prepareda��.
2.A�A�A�A� 2.A� Taking too much time
The remedy:
Practice your report and a�?timea�� it. Then, add A? more time. Why? Because you have to get set up and ready, you may have audience questions or interruptions, etc. No one ever shot the speaker for finishing earlya��..
3.A�A�A�A�A� 3. Wandering around in a vast wasteland of information
The remedy:
Write out your major points. There should be no more than 3-5. Practice not wandering off your point. Speak in concise sentences, with commas, not periods! A�
Ask yourself: What do you want the audience to remember? Make these points memorable. Leave out the rest!
If you have more to say and no more time, make a handout with all the information.
Train Everyone to Make Better Reports
If youa��re in management or in charge of any meeting of any time, your attendees will love you a lot more if you coaching your meeting participants in the 3 areas above. Youa��ll get better attendance, a more attentive audience, and will create a much more pleasurable meeting!
What are your pet peeves in meetings?
