Excerpt from the Chapter “Stop Performing”

The lure of the performance approach is control. Presenters use it because they assume success comes from planning exactly what they are going to say and how they will say it in advance of the presentation.

Business presenters who apply a performance approach fall into three categories.

The Dutiful Student

Many presenters simply crave the simplicity and comfort of rules… But, it’s never a good idea to begin with a rule. If you do, you’re focusing on the appearance of good delivery and not the effect of it.

The Entertainer

The Entertainer’s need to add excitement to the process is an attempt to make the presentation palatable for the audience. Instead of focusing on making what they say relevant and useful, they focus on delivering it perfectly. It’s a little like spending more energy wrapping a gift than making sure the gift is something the receiver actually wants.

The Nervous Perfectionist

Nervous Perfectionists relax not only when they engage their listeners in a conversation, but because they have done so. The best thing they can do to manage their nervousness is to focus on the audience and lose their faith in rehearsal.