Presentation stamina

Last friday I did a big presentation.  A full-on two hour barnstormer…

….twice!

Now any professionals amongst you will know that breaks one of the rules – it’s just physically too demanding to do something like that and expect to be able to perform as well on the second gig as on the first.. but it was important to the client and the subject matter was going to be really helpful to the people who came along… so what the heck!

It dawned on me that, as I used all the tricks I’d learned, it might be useful to share them. No doubt some of them will be painfully obvious to you but others might be new.

• Get a good night’s sleep – not just on the night before but the night before that, too!  It’s worth paying for a better-than-budget hotel or something… so that you’re sure of a comfy bed and a good how shower. Take it from me, there’s very little a shave and a shower can’t improve!
• Be fit – seriously fit.  We’re not talking about Olympic level decatathlete levels here but you do need to be physically able to walk and bounce around for a long time.  Personally I find skipping and swimming to be great exercises. I was performing for four hours.. …that takes a lot of energy!
• 

  Snickers - presentation energy

  Take a Snickers Bar – your choice of snack is up to you, but these babies are calorie-loaded for a quick boost!

• Have a flask handy – I’m sure you know how silly it is to drink during presentations but you’ll need to refresh yourself as soon as you can afterwards. I find a flask of hot chocolate to drink is an really handy treat.  Of course that won’t work if you don’t like hot chocolate… but if you’re that odd I can’t help you! :)
• Use anything you can to improve your audience’s sightlines. In particular, if you can raise yourself just a little it helps hugely in terms of keeping your head in the right position to protect your throat. Tipping your head back, as you might be tempted to do on a flat floor with a couple of hundred people (does that sound like experience?!) is a sure-fire way to get a sore throat.
• Take as much time between sessions to rest as you can. I know it’s obvious, but it means you should consider things like bringing your own packed lunch so that you don’t have to spend half an hour looking for a place to eat… getting off your feet is useful!
• Bring a change of socks! – other than a shower, very little makes you feel better than a quick change of socks (and shirt too, perhaps). Personally I find it useful to take a pair of training shoes to wear between performances too, to give me feet a rest from ‘proper’ shoes. :)
• Pace yourself – how mind-bogglingly obvious is that… but it’s a rookie mistake to go flat out in your first performance and have nothing left to give your second performance. Two performances at 90% are better than one at 100% and one at 70%! You don’t need to pull back much, just enough to be able to make it to the end of the day.
• Don’t let it show – seriously. No one paid to see you looking like you’re knackered. They paid to see you give your best material. If it looks like you’re working hard, you’re not working hard enough!  I’ve got no sympathy for presenters who standing their panting and trying to show how good they are by showing how much effort it takes to deliver it.
• Consider some backup – not to deliver your presentation but to look after the other stuff. Knowing that all you’ve got to think about is your own performance is a lot handier than worrying about the video camera and the drive home afterwards!