I saw her presentation videos. The first ones were explanatory, focusing mostly on the content. But then, you could clearly see in the later ones - she had changed her mindset.
It shifted from how to say it towards transmitting her passion, focusing entirely on the listener's needs.
And guess what - her gestures and body posture became much more natural too. Did she focus directly on those visible aspects? I don't think so. She wasn’t more self-aware - that would have just made her even more nervous.
Instead, she became more comfortable with the topic she was speaking about. She focused on the urgency of her message, understanding the struggles her audience faced. She was there for them. She forgot about herself - about her performance - for a while. And that made all the difference.
Notice:
Her confidence shifted — from ME to IT and THEM.
Yes, you could even "neglect" best practices and still deliver successfully - because you care.
And people feel that. They sense it. You would, wouldn't you?
People often crave to experience something different. And I believe you are different from many others, aren't you? So don't see that as your disadvantage anymore — it's actually your strength. The strength of your authentic self presenting the topic. Others might present differently. But would they care as much as you do?
I've seen many presentations where the care was only partial:
- Great knowledge of the topic, but not of the (bored) audience.
- Passionate delivery, but with no real content.
But the worst were the ones where, at the end, I didn't even know:
- What was it all for?
- Where did the presenter want to lead me?
So if you ever feel stuck between what you want to say and how to say it -
start with your mindset first:
- Why does it matter?
- Who do you want to speak to?
- What do you want to say to help better explain the why?
Not in detail yet - just an awareness that these parts are interconnected. As easy as that, and you will do well. The details - including the how - will come later.
To summarize:
Prepare yourself - your own mindset - before preparing anything else. That is the behind-the-scenes secret weapon of all great presenters. You may not know exactly what they did to prepare - but you can feel the results when it's their time on stage.
