For years, I worked with a team of presenters that spoke weekly to audiences of all sizes. I was judged on their performances and my critique was based on how well their audiences engaged. What I quickly learned was that simply providing information was not enough. It was my job to coach these presenters and help them elevate their game in a way that made the entire team look great.
Maybe you have found yourself in a similar situation – you manage a team of presenters and rather than being judged on your presentation skills, the focus has been turned to your ability to coach your presenters.
If so, we have put together a few tactics that will help you coach your team to presentation greatness.
Get to know your team.
When it comes to presentations, one size does not fit all. Each member of your team will have a different personality and different experience. That is why it is vital as a coach to get to know them individually. There are three specific areas you must learn about each of your presenters:
What are their strengths?
What are their weaknesses?
What do audiences think of them?
When you understand these three areas, you will have a clear jumping off point for your coaching. Be sure to focus on the last question as it does not matter what you think but rather what the audience thinks.
Quick Tip: The Ethos3 Badge Assessment is a powerful tool for understanding your presenters. Take the assessment today and then contact us to have one of our Badge coaches translate the results.
Create a culture of unique critique.
Feedback and critique is a valuable tool for any presenter. However, as a coach, you are only one set of eyes and your feedback will always be from your perspective. That is why we recommend that you have your presenters deliver their presentation in front of different, unique audiences. After they have practiced with the audience, allow them to critique the presentation. By using different team members, leaders, and even target audience members, you give your presenter a chance to hear different perspectives.
Allow your audience the opportunity to answer these three questions:
Was this information informative and why?
Was the presentation engaging and why?
How likely would you be to take a next step after this presentation and why?
Critique can be difficult to hear for some presenters, so be sure that it is done in a safe and comfortable environment where the presenter knows you have their best interest at heart. This will ensure that they grow from the experience rather than lose confidence in the process.
Cheer your presenters on.
One of the best feelings in the world is the support of a supervisor. When a leader looks you in the eye and tells you that you nailed that project or presentation, you’re probably dancing on cloud nine. As a coach, it is crucial that you cheer on your presenters. In an effort to improve their skills, it is easy for a coach to be perceived as negative and condescending. However, a simple celebration can negate all of these feelings.
For maximum effectiveness in this area, be sure that your celebrations are…
Public
Heartfelt
Impactful
Simply saying good job will not balance the hours of critique, so be sure to celebrate your team and let them know how much you appreciate all of their hard work.
Presentations are a daunting task, and not everyone loves to deliver them. As a coach, it is your job to equip your presenters to deliver the best content they can with as minimal stress as possible. This will ensure that they succeed not just on presentation day but long after, and in turn, elevate your status within the community.
Coaching may seem difficult but by employing these three tactics, you will find that your team is not just better equipped to deliver knockout presentations but they’ll be more excited to succeed and not just for themselves, but for you as well.
Looking to learn more about powerful presentations? Contact our team today to talk with one of our presentation coaches.
