Presentation Sword Play

Just a bit of advise from the home inspection trenches or should I say podium. Never, ever, step up to the podium without an outline and sufficient practice time for your intended message. I thought I knew what I was going to say, and I thought I had a good speech ready, but I wasn’t prepared for the coffee blurts.

A mere three cups of coffee down the gullet while waiting for my time in the spotlight. That's all it took to vaporize my train of thought and heighten my nerves as I took the stage. A five-minute talk came out in two minutes at a pace that took even me, by surprise.

Not having an outline for reference was a big mistake. Confronted with a combination of brain freeze and the need to keep talking, a few key elements of my talk were passed over. This had the effect of making what came out of my mouth sound a bit like a run on sentence that’s not sure where its going.

I’m sure most of the realtors were impressed with my lung capacity, but not my message. Any speech or presentation is like a two edge sword; it can cut you a path, or just cut you. No doubt about it, my shirt was stained red by the time I was through.

Write your outline even if you don’t think you need it, take at least 5 runs at it in the privacy of your own home, and for heavens sake stay away from the coffee before a presentation, unless of course, you enjoy bleeding like a stuck pig, in public.

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