Before any important interaction with individuals or groups of people, you must avoid launching yourself into the situation without being totally prepared. This preparation involves doing your research into the subject matter and getting into the right mindset.
First you need to ask yourself if you’re totally conversant with the messages that you want to give and whether you have made the necessary preparation. It’s vital that you come across as being confident and informed, as more people will believe you and listen to what you have to say. But you can only do this when you’ve done your homework.
Second, you must spend time mentally preparing for meetings, presentations and interactions that are important to your success. A mindset that is not focused on delivering a successful presentation or meeting will at best produce a satisfactory performance. You need to take time to tailor your thinking to the event. This means getting into the right mindset for what you’re about to do.
The more you practice becoming mentally prepared, the better at it you will be. Combining this with thorough research into your subject will mean you won’t need to impose any limits on what you want to achieve and will prevent fear from holding you back from making important connections. Soon you will have mastered the art of communicating effectively at different levels, from one-to-one interactions through to small and large groups. Having a firm grip on your material and then getting into the zone will help to give you the ability to engage effectively with anyone. The more you practise the more competent you become.
Blog written by Winning Pitch, who are a lead delivery partner for the Excelerator Consortium that manages the Business Wales Accelerated Growth Programme.
Details of the Programme can be found on the Accelerated Growth Programme website.