Offered great opportunity but not sure I can accept

LegacyUser · 30-07-2012 09:27PM #1

My problem is relatively small and simple but I don't know what to do. I have asked friends and family who all think I should go for it but something is telling me not to.

Basically a huge pitch has come up in my company and I have been asked by senior management to do the presentation. I can turn it down of course but apart from that not looking good I am hesitant because doing the pitch would be a personal challenge and is one of the things in life I have avoided doing- apart from college presentations, etc. and I would love to nail it.

I have zero public speaking skills and I am a recovered stammerer, well as recovered as one can be, It only comes back when I'm really nervous or ill at ease and in those times it is never out and out serious but it does affect overall impression you make of course. I can do it but I am afraid I will wholly screw up and this is a biggie, if I screwed up it would really impact on the success of the pitch which is critical to the company.

What should I do? I have less than a month to prepare for it.

Lorna123 · 31-07-2012 08:22AM

Discuss your worries with your boss and see what he says. I believe you could nail this if you stopped worrying about it but that is easier said than done and if you feel in your heart that this is too much for you then just say it.

iusedtoknow · 31-07-2012 11:15AM

i hate making pitches as well but have learnt the formula that works within my company, and one that works for me.

The best thing you could do is perhaps ask your boss if you could work with or be mentored through it with someone more experienced in presentations but stressing you want to take the lead, but have some help with the task.
I did this one my first presentation, and probably got more help and support than I needed, however it was great to have someone in the room who had worked with me on the presentation and knew it as well I did.

Of course, this changes in different company cultures, but the very fact that you were chosen proves that they know you have it in you to do the task - there is no great shame in being nervous about it.

LegacyUser · 31-07-2012 12:20PM

Thanks for the responses guys. I have downplayed somewhat what this pitch involves and how important it is as I can't give too much away. I've decided to give it a lot of thought and make my decision by the end of the week. Taking in feedback from everyone that knows me, it's just I'm afraid there won't be honest answers as people are naturally reluctant to say don't do it.

Sleepy · 31-07-2012 12:57PM

Until 2 years ago I'd made the grand total of one presentation and I'd made a complete and utter hames of it. Now I can do them quite easily.

What changed? I got chucked in at the deep end where I had to give lots of sales pitches and I got better and better at them.

The best help for your first one is preparation. Develop your pitch and present it to an empty boardroom (and any colleagues you can get to give feedback) as many times as you can until you're comfortable with it.

iusedtoknow's advice is good: ask a colleague who's strong at presenting to give you some support in the way of incremental feedback as you hone your pitch.

Don't try to write a script and stick rigidly to it: know what you want to say, write down your bullet points and the script will write itself as you talk. The more times you present it, the better it'll get.

mikemac1 · 31-07-2012 01:07PM

It gets easier every time OP

One of the best things I did in college was they forced us to do them
After a while you nearly enjoy it

Ask your boss for help and consider heading along to Toastmasters, good crew there and everyone wants to help along each other

You have one month to prepare so practice and practice some more.
Good tip above about asking for help from someone who is strong at this, there are small simple things you can do to do it better

LegacyUser · 31-07-2012 01:34PM

Hi OP,

I used to have a stutter too, and I was also terrified of public speaking/presentations. The one thing that made me get over it is prepare, prepare, prepare. Some of the best speakers in the world say this is by far the most important thing to do.

If you know what you have to say, and at what stage, you're never going to be put in an awkward sitution. Write it out, proof read it...then practice, practice, practice. I had to do a presentation about a month ago, I was bricking it! however, I used the advice above and I sailed through it.

Also, pretending you're more confidant than you are also helps. It can feel a bit uncomfortable at the start, but plough through it.

I've always seen presentations like a radio host, dead air is bad air. Making sure you always have something to say to fill in any blanks is a godsend.

Good luck!

Wind and Wave · 31-07-2012 03:59PM

Ok, I was in a very similar situation. From what I see your in an impossible situation. Your damed if you do and damed if you dont. What I did in a similar situation was explained the situation to my boss and asked for a personal course on presentation skills. Given the importance of the pitch and that your company probably has a training budget I bet they will be delighted to your committment. Good presentation skilss comes from a hell of a lot of preperation and practising which will give you confidence

2Scoops · 31-07-2012 04:06PM

OP, I would encourage you to at least try. Explain the situation to your boss. A good way to find out early if you're too nervous would be an in-house presentation in front of say 10 work colleagues. I should be enough to gauge your response to pressure, but in a safe consequence-free way. If you buckle, maybe bow out then, knowing you at least tried.

LegacyUser · 31-07-2012 06:40PM

Really great advice there. I'm going to set up my camera once I'm home and see how I come across doing a draft of the pitch. I'm my own worst (or best) critic so I'll know straight off if it's coming off well or not. It's a hard decision for sure, I'd love to go for it and if it weren't for the fear of my stammer coming back on the day I'd grab it with both hands, and get over the fear.

I know it's still a tough endeavour for lots of people who have never suffered from a speech problem but trust me it has to be way worse for anyone who has. There's a certain art to it as well, or just a natural presence that good speakers have.

Mighty_Mouse · 31-07-2012 09:46PM

It doesn't sound like off the cuff is the way for you to go.

Practice practice practice................
Know what you are going to stay better than your own name.
Know it so well that you will eventually begin to sound unscripted.
You will not "know straight away". It takes hours!!

Speak in the language you use everyday about a subject in which your are familiar. Draft in support speakers for specialist topics or questions afterwards

Short & sweet is the way to go 99/100

Tell them what you are going to tell them, tell them & tell them what you told them.

Slides - less words more images the better.
Slides are not a substitute for what you intend to say.

31-07-2012 09:59PM

unsure1000 wrote: »

My problem is relatively small and simple but I don't know what to do. I have asked friends and family who all think I should go for it but something is telling me not to.

Basically a huge pitch has come up in my company and I have been asked by senior management to do the presentation. I can turn it down of course but apart from that not looking good I am hesitant because doing the pitch would be a personal challenge and is one of the things in life I have avoided doing- apart from college presentations, etc. and I would love to nail it.

I have zero public speaking skills and I am a recovered stammerer, well as recovered as one can be, It only comes back when I'm really nervous or ill at ease and in those times it is never out and out serious but it does affect overall impression you make of course. I can do it but I am afraid I will wholly screw up and this is a biggie, if I screwed up it would really impact on the success of the pitch which is critical to the company.

What should I do? I have less than a month to prepare for it.

Go for it OP.

It sounds like you have two issues; one your stammer and two your content.

Depending on your style, either have a series or points that you need to make written out and practice linking them in a speech (to aids normally), or else practice them ad lib. You'll know what works for you. Recording yourself and playing it back is a great way to improve your technique.

Regarding your stammer, if you've overcome it before, just rely on the techniques that you used before. If you can practice talking to a group before hand, then go for it!

I often address my stammer at the start of the talk, make a joke about and try to put the room at ease. That allows me to relax somewhat and also to make sure I'm in charge of the situation. I've seen this work for other people but you'll know best whether it will work for you.

Best of luck! Keep asking here if you need more advice.
No excuse not to go for it, you'll be glad you did.

LegacyUser · 03-08-2012 11:36AM

Deleted User wrote: »

Go for it OP.

It sounds like you have two issues; one your stammer and two your content.

Depending on your style, either have a series or points that you need to make written out and practice linking them in a speech (to aids normally), or else practice them ad lib. You'll know what works for you. Recording yourself and playing it back is a great way to improve your technique.

Regarding your stammer, if you've overcome it before, just rely on the techniques that you used before. If you can practice talking to a group before hand, then go for it!

I often address my stammer at the start of the talk, make a joke about and try to put the room at ease. That allows me to relax somewhat and also to make sure I'm in charge of the situation. I've seen this work for other people but you'll know best whether it will work for you.

Best of luck! Keep asking here if you need more advice.
No excuse not to go for it, you'll be glad you did.

thanks for all the advice. Just regarding 'techniques' to control a stammer. That's not how it worked for me. It's down to your state of mind and I thankfully got over my problem, mostly, but not with techniques such as breathing differently, etc. none of that would have worked for me, I just came up with a different state of mind and that is what worked. I do lapse occasionally like I said when the pressure is intense, and when that does happen the only thing you can do is have a good attitude towards it and also to relax, if you can. Easier said than done!

I'm going to give this my best shot, taking the advice here, I'm going to learn about how I look and come across, and practice my presentation til I know it off by heart, things you all have advised me to do!

So, big thank you to everyone for taking the time to respond xxx

Offered great opportunity but not sure I can accept

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