preparing for a presentation

Dressing Appropriately
Making the right first impression may be vital to the success of your presentation so it is important that you decide on the image that you want to convey and dress appropriately. Even before you begin to speak, members of your audience are likely to have formed opinions about you based on the way you are dressed, your personal grooming, posture and body language. If you surprise them in some way, they will be distracted and this will lessen the impact of what you’re saying.

For most corporate presentations a low key approach to dress is usually best, as this projects a professional image and does not cause a distraction. For men, this often means a well tailored but conservative suit in a basic color such as navy, gray or black. Shirts can be used to add color and individuality and you will need to judge how far to take this. For women the choice of appropriate dress can be more complicated but normally it is advisable to follow the basic rule that your clothing shouldn’t draw attention to itself and the colors should make it easy to focus on your face. Any accessories that are worn may jingle, catch the light and otherwise cause an unwanted distraction; consequently a good rule when wearing accessories is to keep them small, plain and non-reflective.

Business casual is an increasingly common trend in the corporate environment and it can be more challenging to dress appropriately under this code. Once again the best advice is to make choices that match the norm; but also consider whether or not you want to dress slightly more formally than your audience - especially if you are speaking to them from a position of authority or expertise.

Dietary Considerations
Many people encounter a low point in their energy level at around 10am and again at 3pm. Therefore if your presentation will occur at these times of day think carefully about your diet - perhaps eat a light but high energy snack an hour or so before. These low energy levels are also likely to be present in your audience so it may be worth providing a snack or buffet ahead of the presentation. Thinking carefully about when and what to eat prior to a presentation may also give you an edge. The best advice is to eat a light meal about an hour before your presentation - you should then have plenty of energy but should not feel lethargic. Avoid eating a full meal within 2 hours of presenting or you are likely to perform below your best as your body copes with digesting your food.

Try not to change your normal eating habits dramatically on the day of your presentation; if you do you will just add another level of complication. If you normally eat breakfast, then don’t skip it - even though you may be feeling nervous. However, there are a number of foodstuffs that you should think carefully about ahead of a presentation. These include any foods that are spicy, highly aromatic, or difficult to digest as well as carbonated drinks or those containing caffeine or alcohol.

Reducing Tension on the Day
There are a few simple exercises that can help to eliminate the tension that you are likely to feel in the hours preceding a major presentation. Muscles naturally tense in response to nervousness in order to prepare the body for a fight or flight response.

Body language is an important facet of your presentation and tension can create some undesirable effects on your posture.

You may feel tension in your neck and shoulders - and this may cause you to appear hunched. It may also cause a tightening in your larynx - producing the breathless quivering voice associated with nervousness. Tension is also tiring and consequently it may have a detrimental effect on your overall performance.

To ease stress in the neck place your cupped hands at the base of your skull and press your head firmly back into them, holding the push for about 10 seconds before releasing and repeating. During this exercise keep your elbows back and try closing your eyes.

Further Exercises for Reducing Tension
There are three further exercises that are particularly effective at relieving tension and stress in the face, neck, back and legs:

A good way to relieve stress in the lower back, is to stand with your feet shoulder width apart and reach for the sky. Point your fingers straight up as you stretch your arms above your head and keep stretching them as you feel the pressure on your back ease. Keeping you feet firmly on the ground, push your pelvis forward gently and hold yourself in this position for just a few seconds before gently relaxing back to your start position. This exercise helps to ease the muscles in the neck, back and hamstrings. Make sure that you are sitting on a sturdy and stable chair, sit facing forwards and pull your right knee towards your chest - supporting it with your hands crossed over the shin. Lower your head until your forehead and knee meet; then hold the pose for about 10 seconds before relaxing gently to the start position. Repeat three times with each leg.

A good last minute exercise to relax your face muscles is to close your eyes and squeeze your face tightly into a ball, hold this position for 30 seconds, relax and then opening your mouth and eyes as widely as you can stretch your face muscles by making your face as large as you can, again holding the position for 30 seconds. By repeating this exercise three or four times your face and jaw will become more relaxed, enabling you to articulate better and reducing the chance of becoming tongue-tied.

Immediately before the presentation you may find it useful to use a stress ball. These are surprisingly effective and are easy to use almost anywhere. By squeezing and releasing a small rubber ball repeatedly you exercise some of the major muscles in the arm and shoulder - relieving tension in them. At the other extreme you could have a professional massage and a sauna the night before your presentation - but don’t try this on the morning before, or you may feel too relaxed and also appear to be hot and flustered.

Careful Planning to Ensure Early Arrival
If you are presenting in a familiar setting, for example within your own organization the room and its layout will be familiar. However, you may be presenting at a location that you have never seen before - the boardroom of a host organization, a hotel suite or an exhibition. Where this is the case it is important to plan your arrival at the venue well ahead of time.

There are logistics involved when traveling to a remote location; organizing any travel tickets and accommodation, any specialist equipment and props, and packing the clothing and other belongings that you require, will need careful thought and planning. The best advice is to build in a significant safety factor - to allow for any unforeseen travel or accommodation problems. When you are presenting at an external location you should try to pre-arrange access to the room in which you will be presenting. Even if it is being used immediately before your slot you could try and gain access to this event - as it is important to familiarize yourself with the surroundings. If you are unable to get there early, then you should contact the venue in advance and request a copy of the floor-plan and any seating arrangement options they offer.

Check out the Venue
The venue will set the mood for your presentation. An informal gathering in a small cheerful office will create a very different mood to a large conference room in an hotel. Where possible try to assess as many aspects of the room as you can - its size, coloring, layout, lighting, position of power points, doorways, work surfaces and any refreshment facilities. Pay particular attention to the position that you, the presenter, will occupy and the location of any support equipment. Stand in the position that you will occupy when presenting and check the line of sight to your audience. Are there any barriers to them seeing you clearly, such as columns or projection equipment? If so, can you alter the position of these obstacles or the seating arrangement? Practice speaking from the podium or stage to familiarize yourself with the surroundings and see how your voice carries.

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