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"We worry about whether we're working as hard as we do for the right reasons, for the right company or for the right industry. We were told we could be anything and everything we wanted to be, yet we stress about where we'll end up." |
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Gen Y Blog GOOD PRESENCE
I recently took a presentation class where I learned something that inspired me to share my experience with you: 65 percent of female CEOs attribute the ability to speak publicly as the No. 1 reason they are where they are today. This fact was imparted by Brenda O'Hanley, our dedicated coach and founder of Strategic Training Solutions, who advised seeking opportunities to present whenever possible to demonstrate capability and poise to superiors. But before you seek such opportunities, check out my notes for a few pointers.
Before designing a presentation, think about why you're presenting. It will be for one of the following reasons:
Once you have a clear idea of your purpose, you can best structure your presentation to meet the desired goals.
Though we young professionals handle much of our work on the fly, do not procrastinate presentation prep. You want to go in and out with a bang, remaining the authority on the topic throughout the entire execution, which means you need to familiarize yourself entirely with the material and structure ahead of time.
Another interesting lesson was that the audience's impression of you is made within the first four to eight seconds of your presentation. That's not much time, so use each second to come across as intelligent, confident and professional as possible. Within the next 60 seconds, the audience will validate this first impression – so even if you stumble at the get-go, you have a shot at redemption. A benefit of the positive first impression is that, unless you are outright floundering, your audience will believe in you for the rest of the presentation. Brenda told us research showed that when a positive first impression was created, the audience didn't catch the presenter's mistakes. By contrast, when a negative first impression was made, the audience was much more likely to notice mistakes.
People who are nervous at the start of a presentation might think that saying so earns sympathy from the audience. Not so. Opening with a disclaimer tells the audience they're in for a lousy presentation – even if you deliver wonderfully. Instead, mask your anxiety in a way that works for you in order to appear confident and commanding.
Audience attention will wane as a presentation progresses, so your most convincing, compelling parts should be at the beginning and the end. Eye contact, vocal inflection, volume changes, humor, visual aids and movement are all tools to keep the audience engaged during your time before them. Their interest will resume when they hear the words, "in conclusion," at which point you should summarize the three most brilliant parts of your presentation.
Brenda warned against scripting, as it prohibits you from being able to take questions during your presentation if the occasion arises. You can certainly set the stage for how questions will be handled by stating at the beginning whether you encourage people to interrupt you when an idea strikes or to hold their thoughts until the end. It's best to present without notes, but if you must use them, having index cards that fit neatly into your hand or onto a podium are better than a piece of paper that has the tendency to flap with any hand movement you make, drawing attention to it and away from you.
Always be aware of your stance. It's easy to identify bad posture or lack of self-confidence, but I was surprised to learn how men interpret certain poses women assume. Crossing your legs while standing or leaning back on one of your hips looks "schoolgirlish" to men, who may not take you seriously. Rocking from side to side (the "mom stance") isn't perceived as poorly. The best thing to do is plant your feet firmly beneath you and remain in this authoritative position.
Most importantly, make sure you practice with someone who will critique you. You want someone who will tell you what they don't understand, ask questions that you can expect during the actual presentation and offer suggestions to make your presentation dynamite.
Many of the statistics Brenda uses during her sessions come from David A. People's book, Presenting, Persuading and Winning. She suggests checking it out for more information on building presentation skills.
Valerie Wencis is media relations officer for the Massachusetts General Hospital. To comment on this blog, e-mail blog@pinkmagazine.com and enter "Gen Y" in the subject line. . . . . . . . . . . WHY GEN Y? How many of you can relate to the following scenario? It's 7 p.m. You're starving, but you don't want to leave the office because you only have a "few" more e-mails you need to send out and a [insert document here – for me, it's a press release] to draft, because it must be distributed early the next morning. You subsist on whatever's in the office candy jar as "only a few more minutes" quickly turns into two more hours. You send out the last e-mail and print the document because no, it's not finished. But you can't bear to stare at your screen one second longer, so you tell yourself you'll edit it during your commute home or over your take-out dinner at 9:45p.m. As you leave the office, you guiltily eye your gym bag, which sits untouched on the ground where you dropped it three days ago, and hope you'll make it to your neighborhood's sushi restaurant before it closes. Surely, you work harder than anyone you know. As you collapse on the couch and dig into your dinner, your best friend calls, telling you she's just leaving work. As she babbles about how tired she is, you wonder what exactly you're doing with your life. If you work as hard as you do, it should be for something that will point you in the right direction – on to the path of your dreams where you'll end up in the corner office someday … right? As young professional women today, we feel a little lost at times. We've got solid educations and ambition, and we bring a lot to the table – whether in the boardroom or out to dinner with friends. We're creative, effective and reflective, meaning that we not only get the job done but also eliminate the unnecessary steps and implement the tactics to do our jobs better, if not best. Growing up with the technological advances my generation has been privy to has instilled efficiency in us since childhood. But with this creative intelligence comes a certain amount of anxiety. We worry about whether we're working as hard as we do for the right reasons, for the right company or for the right industry. We were told we could be anything and everything we wanted to be, yet we stress about where we'll end up. We may second-guess ourselves, agonizing over a plethora of issues – finances, health, continuing education, balancing activities and relationships with work – while trying to figure out our next steps in the world and wondering if we're on the "right" track. The reality is, we're prepared to build ourselves beautiful careers within beautiful lives – we just need a little guidance. I discovered PINK a few years ago during a Forté Foundation MBA workshop, after having returned from teaching English in France and started a job in Boston. Thanks to years of internships in both public relations and broadcast journalism, I had landed a position in the public affairs office at the Massachusetts General Hospital and embraced my life as a young urban professional. I welcomed the career advice PINK offered, yet while I fell in love with the publication, I felt it was lacking just one thing: a perspective relating to those of us just starting to make an impact on the workforce. The more I thought about it, the more I saw the value in sharing issues and concerns among my peers. I couldn't be the only one debating if and when I should go to graduate school, whether to ask for a raise or how to diplomatically handle discrepancies with higher-ups. I know most of my career-driven girlfriends have the same internal debates, and we always feel better after dishing and helping each other come to a resolution. If this sharing helps me and my friends, couldn't it help the other young professionals out there? So, as a good friend and I like to say to each other about once a month, "Let's have a career chat." Let's delve into subjects that need to be addressed, whether it's dealing with a "boys' club" or talking to your boss about getting evaluated on a regular basis (I have a friend who recently confided that she's never had a review!). I hope this monthly perspective of Gen Y in the workforce will act as a sounding board for issues and concerns that affect all of us young professionals finding our way, offering some advice in the process. As I write about the experiences and issues my Gen Y girlfriends and I face, I welcome any agreements or disagreements among my peers – and advice from those generations who have gone before us. Valerie Wencis is media relations officer for the Massachusetts General Hospital. To comment on this blog, e-mail blog@pinkmagazine.com and enter "Gen Y" in the subject line. COMMENTS Hi Valerie,
Thanks so much for including me on this! I had no idea there was anything like PINK out there, and I think it will be a useful resource for me once I leave Tufts (which is coming up much sooner than I can handle).
Your blog post is great! Not that I'm a professional yet, but I can imagine a lot of your questions will be crossing my mind as well. I'll try to keep up with your blog as best I can! Also, that's a great picture of you on the website!
I hope all is well!
Nikki
The blog is awesome....and can I just note how good you look on the picture? A true urbanite professional! Please hire me 10 years down the road when you have the corner office :-)
I think your heading in the right direction with the blog and I think that you'll help a lot of women searching for some direction. I do think that there needs to be a better balance not just as a woman but as a man... I think one of the things you have to look into is how many people think that working your butt off will be fruitful in the long run (lots!). However, there has to be balance... I was forced into that frame of mind with Meghan. You have to have a life... I bet you there is a large number of people that work as hard you do, but then burn out because they don't love what they do... Asking the quintessential question thirty years down the road...how many people can truly say "I wished I could have worked more". I've seen lots of professionals in the IVF blogs Meghan goes to...they were so focused on careers that they forgot to start a family. Yes, they have a corner office, but they are going through a lot of anguish in their personal lives trying to conceive. Yes, sometimes it all works great, but life never comes out exactly how you planned it - it's either better or worse...but never exact. Bottom line, you have to have balance, sacrifice now doesn't necessarily mean success later (thought it gives you a good chance). You have to never loose sight of your long term goal but never loose sight on your integrity.
Big Hug! Michael
val, what an awesome first blog and what a cool opportunity! so much of what you say is right on, and i completely agree w you-- it's inspiring to hear middle aged women with great jobs talk abt them, but when they talk about how they got there it seems to be a lot of "well i stumbled onto this opportunity" or "i ran into this old friend who..." and it's hard to take solid advice from that. it'll be good to hear more about making one's way up. i am so impressed! Jennifer
Hi Val, Wow- I just read your blog. It's incredible. Fantastic job! I can totally relate to the anxiety that comes with our work. I'm sending the link to several of my co-workers and friends. I honestly have to say I can't wait to read next month's blog. Again, great job.
Meghan
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