Presentation Skills - Speak Hungry
Do you give presentations? Or do one-on-one sales? Then listen up!
What’s speak hungry? Let me explain by way of a story.
An executive whom I love to coach recently gave a presentation to a group in Orlando, FL. He’s very confident in front of an audience and had done this same presentation before, leaving the audience wowed.
I wasn’t in Orlando to hear his presentation, but I spoke with one of his colleagues who was in the audience that day, and who had seen him give that same presentation before. I asked him how my student had done.
“Well,” he said, “it was okay. I’ve seen him do much better.”
I was shocked! What????? He was off? What could have caused this?
I wracked my brain trying to figure out what could have gone wrong. What had I forgotten to go over with him? Did he change his opening? Was he sick? It drove me crazy until I could talk to him.
Once I did speak with him we went over everything. And I mean everything. Nothing seemed to be a red flag. He did the same thing he always does.
I decided to investigate further and so I went back to his colleague again. I found out he had picked the speaker up at the airport and brought him to the speech. I asked him to tell me exactly what they did before they got to the meeting room.
“Nothing really. He was hungry and we had a little time. So we stopped and got Chinese,” the colleague said.
“WHAT! You mean he ate just before he spoke?”
BINGO! That was it. Now I’ll take responsibility for that one. Apparently, I never emphasized to him that people should always present hungry.
When the body is digesting food it requires a great deal of energy to do so. Therefore, you do not have all the necessary energy available to you when you are on the platform.
Here’s my rule of thumb: I will eat a full meal only if it is an hour-and-a-half before I take the stage. If it is a half-hour to an hour, and I feel hungry, then I will have only a salad or a piece of fruit.
The morning of my world championship competition I ate only an apple. Why an apple? I will only eat whole foods: those simple and easier for the body to digest. Processed food takes a lot more energy to digest.
Speaking hungry also helps me psychologically. I always do what is best for the audience, even if it means I go without, or don’t get to do what I would prefer. I am there for them. I do not want that little voice inside my head telling me I was selfish.
After a presentation, it’s a different story. Then it’s about my reward…and I usually pig out! In my method of presentation I use up a great deal of energy. When I’m done, I need calories! If I’m speaking at a convention I almost always ask someone from the wait staff to put a meal aside for me when I’ve finished.
If eating too much can effect a seasoned, confident speaker who is giving a presentation he is comfortable with, what effect do you think it will have on you?
So whether you are giving a keynote to a thousand people, or speaking to six people in a board room, or giving a one-on-one sales presentation, eating just before you present will not allow you to be at your best. Resolve to keep this in mind every time you present. I mean every time.
Out of 25,000 contestants from 14 countries, Darren LaCroix was crowned the World Champion of Public Speaking. Not bad for a guy who dreamed of being a comedian but wasn’t funny and had severe stage fright. He now teaches others how he went from CHUMP TO CHAMP. Darren is the co-creator of the Humor Boot Camp. He is a professional speaker, presentation coach and also the author of “Laugh and Get Rich”. To learn more visit http://www.humor411.com/starter_pack.html
Tags: audience, preperation, presentation skills, speaking, speech
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Friday, March 14th, 2008 at 10:23 am under
