Craig Eardley, Director at Peak Presenting, shares his expert advice on how you can showcase your best when presenting and communicating.

“With the recent Paris Olympic and now Paralympic Games are here it is inspiring to see people striving to be the best they can be – to be performing at their peak. We can learn a lot from an athlete’s approach,” said Craig.

Here are some lessons from Olympians and Paralympians to apply when presenting at your peak. Whether that’s a workplace or external presentation, a meeting with a stakeholder group, or a crucial conversation with a colleague.

 Lesson 1: Preparation

 You don’t win gold or achieve a personal best by just turning up. Elite athletes train extensively but don’t over train. They follow a plan which has a clear objective and goals.

Effective presenters know there is a correlation between preparation and performance.

 Know your objective. Why are you doing the presentation or having the meeting? Is it to inform, persuade, entertain or encourage people to act? If you are presenting for a business or organisation, what corporate objective is your presentation helping to achieve?

• Have key messages. Your goal should be for your audience to understand some key points. Ideally no more than three because there’s only so much detail people can take in at one time. Your objective and key messages help you to structure your presentation and remove unnecessary content.
• Don’t wing it! Whether you have five minutes, five hours or five days to prepare, take time to get in the right mindset and clear on your key points and what success looks like. You’ll be more effective.

Lesson 2: Engagement

Professional athletes know they are also in the entertainment business. Having the crowd behind you can help improve performance. A profile and followers help attract sponsors and funding.

 To be effective, a presentation needs to engage the audience. This increases the chance of people understanding your key messages and you achieving your objective. So, you need to make it about them, rather than how much you know about a topic.

 Know your audience. What does your audience already know? What do they want to know and how will they best receive your information?

• People process information differently. People learn and absorb information differently. Some like to see, some like to hear, and some like to do.
• Structure and deliver around your audience. Decide the best way, place and time to deliver your presentation. Consider if a video, handouts or audience activity will enhance your delivery.

Lesson 3: Awareness

 Natural ability and skills are important but having the correct headspace and being confident is often what gives an athlete a podium finish. Athletes also take time to know their competitors and are aware of potential eventualities. They also get nervous but understand, embrace and manage those nerves.

 Have a good mindset. If you go into a presentation saying you won’t do a good job that is what will likely happen. Instead, view presenting as a stretch opportunity. Remember, you know a lot about the subject – usually more than your audience.

• Prepare for likely questions. It is classic risk management. Think about potential questions your audience may have. Address the positive ones in your presentation and have prepared responses to tricky questions you could be asked.
• Relax and put yourself in control. Put other distractions out of your mind and focus. Some deep breaths prior to presenting increases oxygen to your lungs and takes you into a more relaxed state. This helps calm nerves and can stop you sounding breathy or high pitched. It allows you to think better on your feet, confidently remember your key points, and remain in control.

Lesson 4: Knowing your style

While Olympians and Paralympians think about competitors and their tactics, at the end of the day they run their own race. Effective presenters do the same.

• Be authentic. Be you. Don’t try to look or sound like someone else by delivering rehearsed sound bites. If you gesture when you speak then do that, so long as it doesn’t distract your audience from taking in your message. 
• Have a conversation. Don’t read a presentation or let PowerPoint be the presenter rather than you. Approaching presenting as a conversation with your audience can reduce nerves. Your audience is more likely to engage with you and take in your key messages too.
• Not just ‘what’ you say but ‘how’ you say it. The content of a presentation is important but the way you deliver will have more impact. Adjust your tone of voice, consider your body language, and don’t be afraid to pause to reinforce key points.

By applying the principles of preparation, engagement, awareness, and knowing your style – the PEAK of effective presenting – you can elevate your communication skills to Olympic or Paralympic heights. Whether you’re addressing a boardroom, a team meeting, or a broad audience, these tips and techniques will empower you to deliver impactful presentations that captivate, inform, and inspire. Remember, like an athlete, every presentation is an opportunity to achieve your peak performance.

IMAGE | Credit: Brian A Jackson