Are you running for election? Congratulations to you on your initiative.

As a candidate for political office you need to do your homework and prepare. Learn the issues, take a position and build a network. One more thing – learn how to present your message well. And do it better than the competition.

The mayoral candidates spoke at a community meeting. Four of the five candidates attended. They were each allowed an opening and closing statement. In between they were asked to answer several written questions from the audience. The candidates were allowed up to 90 seconds for each answer.

As a professional speaker and executive speech coach I was under impressed by the candidates. But I was not surprised by the lack of presentation prowess. It would be so easy for political candidates to improve their presentations skills. Why do they neglect such a powerful tool of persuasion and success?

Let’s be clear. The purpose of these community meetings is to demonstrate that the candidates understand the key issues of the audience and that they can do something about it.

Here are my presentation tips for these mayoral candidates in particular and all political hopefuls in general.

Learn How to Use Microphones
The first speaker tested his microphone by blowing on it before he spoke. That is both annoying and unprofessional. The best way to test a microphone is to speak. Don’t say “TEST, TEST” or “Is this thing on?” Just speak normally.

First be Human
Only one speaker (the incumbent) thanked the organizers and complimented the other candidates in the room. That’s a sign of experience, confidence and compassion.

Talk to the Audience, Not your Notes
One speaker seemed to read everything he said – his opening and closing and even the answers to questions. In between he was busily scribbling notes while the other speakers spoke. He clearly was not in the room. He might be a good back room researcher and thinker but not a leader.

Don’t Look Angry
One candidate displayed his anger a few times. He also complained that current council had been divisive. He promised to correct that by forcing them to be more efficient. How? By getting angry at them?

Focus on What’s Relevant
This same angry candidate included a rant about federal politics – on a totally unrelated issue. He went so far as to encourage the audience to contact a local MP about his pet federal issue. What does that have to do with this municipal election? Do you want to be mayor or do you just want to rant?

Conclude
Ninety seconds might sound like a short time to speak but successful politicians need to speak in sound bytes which can be 5 to 30 seconds. For this program they received signals from the timer at 60, 30 and 10 seconds – yet they missed the opportunity to conclude. Most of the time the speakers trailed off and sometimes they ended so meekly that we wondered if they were done speaking. Conclude every mini speech and end strong.

Smile
A smile indicates confidence, warmth and trust. Why didn’t these candidates smile more? Every mini speech should have ended with a smile and steady gaze at the audience. Instead they frowned, looked down and glanced sideways at the MC. No one looked happy with their message. The sound in the room was bad. Just imagine that no one understood the words spoken and saw only the speaker. If you looked up at the speaker at the end of their mini speech you would have felt like it was another disappointing answer.

Make me Laugh
The surest way to connect with anyone is to make them laugh. So why didn’t you make us laugh? There were a couple of weak attempts from two of the candidates during the 90-minute torture session. We don’t expect you to be Seinfeld. However, a chuckle goes a long way.

Repeat or Reframe the Question
By the time we heard from the third speaker the audience might have forgotten the original question. Some questions were long and multipart and some of the speakers went off on tangents. Repeating or reframing the question will remind the audience of the question and help you stay on track.

Be Prepared
Some of the candidates seemed to be winging it at times. It looked as if they had never thought about or considered the questions before. Yet, none of the questions were surprises.

Yes, I know that substance counts as well as style. But when there seems to be little difference in substance we gravitate to style. Unfortunately we don’t ask our political candidates to write an exam. So we need to judge them on style because that’s all we can see.

One of the quickest ways out of stress is to learn how to fully experience the present moment – that’s the one that is happening right now!

Most stress that people feel in their body is generated from a thought about something that has either already happened and is now over, or something that they anticipate will happen in the future, and may also never happen! There is every possibility that when you notice anxious feeling in your body you’ll also be able to recognise that the thing you are having a stressful thought about is not actually happening in that very moment.

The key to dissolving stress is to realise that nothing and no one can make you experience those uncomfortable anxious feelings until you take the information inside and attach a stressful meaning to what is going on in your environment. Your nervous system does not respond to things or events, it responds to the thoughts you have about those things or event. There are many techniques to help you reframe your stressful thoughts into more positive ones, but getting into the practice of letting your thoughts go all together is one of the most mentally liberating experiences you can have.

Here’s an example of what I mean. You get up in the morning and you take a shower. However, mentally you’re not in the shower, you are already at work thinking about that important meeting or pressing deadline. Or maybe you’re replaying that argument you had yesterday. One thing is for sure, you’re not in the shower!

Bringing your attention back to the here and now means you are free to experience the peacefulness of this very moment. Stress does not exist in the ‘now’.

If you’re in the shower, BE in the shower. Become absorbed in the sensation of the warm water raining over your body. Watch the steam billowing around you. Notice the relaxing feeling of the water’s pressure massaging your skin, and that sound of the splashing against the walls and floor. Just be with it, be curious about it, and enjoy it.

To be fully present with your experience of the current moment is to let go of your thoughts and to just be. Doing this requires your thinking mind to become still and take on the role of a silent observer.

This is an important skill to practice. If you can master being totally tuned into the ‘now’ without your usual thoughts or stories about what ‘now’ means, you can begin to experience a more stress free life, even in those situations that used to bother you.

As with any skill I encourage you to start small. Being present in an already peaceful environment, such as being out in nature or listening to music, is a great training ground. As you get more and more used to being completely aware of a moment you’ll notice that it becomes easier to return to the ‘now’ in more normal situations such as being at work, driving, having a conversation, and later, to things that used to be stressful.

A question you may have is, “How can I let go of my thoughts and experience the peacefulness of the present moment while I’m having a conversation, or doing something that requires my attention?”

You can still be present while you are talking with someone else by getting to know that part of you that is always just observing what is going on. For instance, when you say something to somebody, or even to yourself, there is another part of your consciousness just noticing that you are having a conversation. It is entirely possible for you to hold a normal conversation while that part of you just observes the stream of words and sentences that are being unconsciously spoken, without any assistance from your thinking mind. As I am typing this I don’t need to think about what the next word is going to be, it just appears. You can easily talk to another person while at the same time being aware of the sensation of the words leaving your mouth. You can hear, and understand, what is being said to you whilst also distinguishing between the words and tonal qualities of the voice says them.

That’s being present. Fully noticing the experience of having a conversation, while you are having it, actually means you are more engaged with the other person. How often do you find yourself not really listening to what someone else is saying because you are already thinking about what YOU are going to say next? Surely that’s more stressful than just letting the conversation naturally flow.

Who would you be in this very moment without your thinking mind? Just a person standing, sitting or lying, and enjoying the peace of the ‘now’.

Here is a guide to help you practice being present. Read though the steps first before trying it out on your own.

STEP ONE – Take a few slow deep breaths and get your body into a nice relaxed state.

STEP TWO – Look straight a head of you and take in as much of the vision as you can. Let yourself even begin to notice the small details about your environment that you do not normally pay attention to. What can you see in your peripheral vision? Stretch your focus so that you can still see what is to the side of you, above and below, while you also see what’s in front.

STEP THREE – Keeping your attention on what you see, also begin to notice what you hear. Besides the main, obvious noises, what else can you hear that you were not aware of before? See what you see and hear what you hear in fine detail. Be curious about it.

STEP FOUR – Now add into the mix the physical sensations you are experiencing. If you are standing notice your body weight that’s being supported by your feet. If you are sitting, feel the sensation of your body resting in the chair. Notice the touch of your clothes against you; your feeling of your feet inside your shoes; the temperature of the air against your skin; the natural rise and fall of your chest as you breathe. Continue to acknowledge each new sensation as it presents itself to your awareness.

STEP FIVE – Let any internal dialogue drift away as you just exist in this moment. Let the silence of your mind become a part of that overall experience. Just see what you see, hear what you hear and feel the physical sensations. Nothing has a label; it is what it is, just be with it.

It’s that time again…the monthly meeting. You break out in
a cold sweat just thinking about it. Whether you present to
your managers or your employees you are saying to
yourself:

What if I mess up?

What if I repeat myself?

What if the audience doesn’t like what I say?

What if I forget a part of my speech?

What if I look nervous?

It’s okay! You’re not the only one feeling this way. The
Book of Lists states that the #1 fear is speaking in public.
This fear is greater than the fear of death.

Well, I have the answers to your fears and can help you
become an outstanding presenter. These 10 tips will help
you become more confident making presentations that
achieve results.

1. Start with an End in Mind

Ask yourself, “Why am I speaking?” “What do I want the
audience to do after listening to my speech?” This will help
you focus on the message you want to share with your
audience. It will help you focus on who is your audience,
the key points, and what you want your audience to do after
listening to you.

2. Keep It Simple

Keep your presentation simple by learning to “speak to
express instead of speaking to impress.” What I mean by
speaking to impress is when you see speakers using $5
words for $2 situations during speeches and they look
uncomfortable doing it. Another example of this is when
presenters overuse PowerPoint. Your audience will soon
lose interest in what you are saying.

Also keep it simple with the structure of your speech. An
opening, body with tree major points, and a closing will help
you connect with your audience.
Just be sincere, concise, and simple in your presentation and
you will always connect with your audience.

3. Practice, Practice, Practice

Master your presentation by practicing. Here’s the secret to
practicing…first read your speech to yourself 2-3 times. This
allows you to work out the majority of the rough spots in
your presentation before you start rehearsing.

Then rehearse in front of a mirror or even better a video
camera or tape player. Also try to rehearse in front of
someone whose opinion you value.

Then practice as close as possible to your speaking
environment as possible. For example, if you will be
speaking behind a lectern, practice with your notes on an
ironing board.

4. Visualize Success

Before going to sleep the night before a presentation I take
time to visualize the success of the presentation. The key to
making visualization work for you is involving as many
senses (sound, touch, sight, smell, etc.) as possible in your
visualization. Have you ever had a dream where it seemed so
real you awoke in a cold sweat (You don’t need to tell me
what the dream was)? It was because you used all your
senses and that dream became so real to you that you
needed to escape from it.

Visualize yourself giving a successful presentation where
you see yourself as a confident presenter, hear yourself
handling questions, etc. Visualize successful presentations
so that it becomes real.

5. Eat the Elephant

I ask the timeless question, “How do you eat an elephant?”
Piece by piece. The same answer applies to presenting to a
group. How do you present to a group? Person to person.
Break the group into individuals.

“How do I present to a large group?” is one of the biggest
questions people have when giving presentations. Get
personal. Whenever possible, I will make sure I arrive early
to the room I’m presenting in and plant myself by the
entrance. I will then greet as many people as possible that
walk through the door. I will shake their hands and let them
know I am glad they came. Here’s a tip for guaranteeing a
positive audience:

* As you greet, look for pleasant, upbeat people. Then say
something like, “I’m especially glad you made it today. As a
matter of fact there’s a sit in the front row with your name on
it. Please enjoy!”

The audience member will usually chuckle and you started
the personalization process. Also this allows you to stack all
the friendly audience members in the front rows. It’s always
nice to see friendly faces in the front row.

Remember, when giving a presentation, it’s not about your
needs or concerns. It’s about the audience’s needs or
concerns. Make it personal and eat the elephant!

6. Nail Your Opening

It’s the first words your audience hears. Know your opening
like the back of your hand. Know exactly what you are going
to say. Once you get started and gain some momentum you
will start to gain confidence for the rest of your speech.

It helps to pause for 3-5 seconds before you are about to
start your presentation so that can focus on what you are
about to say.

7. Nail Your Ending

It’s the last words your audience hears and reminder about
you. You can have a great opening and body and have a
bad ending and your audience your always remember how
you ended.

Ask your audience to take action, think about an idea, etc. so
that they understand why they are there.

8. Backup if You Forget

If you forget what you are about to say or lose your place in
the presentation do the following:

* Stop speaking. Take two steps backward. Then take a deep breath. Collect your thoughts. Smile. Take two steps forward and proceed with your presentation.

* Go back and repeat the last sentence. That will help trigger what comes next in your presentation.

* If you really go blank, ask an audience member what was the last sentence you said. Also, if they have handouts of your speech, you can ask the audience what is the next subject we will discuss. You will be surprised how many people will volunteer this information to help you. This will give you time to collect your thoughts, involve the audience, and go forward with your presentation.

Note: If you forget a piece of information, collect yourself,
and then go forward. Never say, “I’m sorry.” Unless the
audience has a copy of every single word of your speech
they will never know you forgot something.

9. Realize Nervousness is the Tool of Great Presenters
Believe it or not, all presenters, whether professional or
occasional, are nervous when presenting. The difference is
the best presenters use nervousness to their advantage by
turning nervousness into positive energy. Here are some
tips to control nervousness:

* Whenever possible walk from the back of the room to burn some of the nervous energy.

* Slow your breathing

* Stretch

10. Get Excited

Get excited so that the audience is excited about hearing
your presentation.

Some of the ways you can become excited is:

* Remember what you say is important and can make a difference for your audience.

* Every opportunity to present is a chance for you to succeed.

* Every time you speak you become better than the last time.

* Presenting will expose me to countless opportunities I wouldn’t have by not presenting.

So the next time you have the opportunity to present apply
the above techniques. You will have fun while presenting on
a whole new level.