In the past few weeks, several clients shared stories of gaffes that occurred when they made important presentations. The stories had different types of audiences: one was a speech at an industry meeting, another was a board presentation, and the third was a sales presentation to a prospective client.

All these people are experienced professionals. In each case, though, too much was left to chance. Simply put, they weren’t prepared.

Because they knew their material cold, they fell into the trap of over-confidence and under-preparation.

One person improvised his opening story in the minutes that preceded his presentation. He went completely blank, and of course, was flustered as he scrambled to recover. Another person was distracted by a client problem and as a result, she missed delivering some important information.

The best professionals prepare. Period. They don’t leave things to chance.

What interested me was that each person was genuinely upset about what happened. They were painfully aware of what went wrong and were embarrassed. They knew that they had control over their delivery and that the mistakes could have been avoided.

Leaders present material all of the time. It could be as simple as a conversation with your management team, an announcement to the staff, or a voice mail to an important client. When you’re clear on what you want to say, your influence expands.

Top performers know the value of being prepared. Aside from giving you the professional edge, it reinforces your confidence. Put this into practice and see what a difference it makes.

“The most effective way to do it, is to do it.”
– Amelia Earhart

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