Personal Fitness Professional - January/February 2009 - (Page 9)

From Page to Stage The process of preparation to performance is driven by vision and intention. If either is lacking, the result we create will be lacking, too. The process is simple — we just have to ask ourselves the right questions. According to countless audience members I have asked over the years, people associate a great presentation with the audience’s experience being positive — did they connect with the subject and the speaker? Being a knowledgeable presenter with a lot of content does not guarantee that people will be interested. Great content needs to be packaged and delivered as a relevant and engaging experience that is appropriate for the audience. Here are three questions to ask and answer ﬁrst: 1. What is my role as speaker? The expert? Yes, maybe. But more than anything, the moment we step into the spotlight, our role is to guide the experience of everyone in the room. We are the host. The guide. Our time in front of an audience is not about showing everyone how smart we are or how much we deserve to be front-and-center, teaching others. We are in a position of inﬂuence. We have prepared an experience for them and we are there to lead them through it. That is actually good news because it means that our speaking is not really about us, it is about our audience. We are there to serve through leadership. This role and mission give us many more important (and interesting) things to focus on other than “do I look stupid?” If our unconscious intention is to justify our being the speaker or to lower the expectations of the room so people will be less critical, it will come through in what we do. to them. Talking at the audience leaves them out; it is like dancing without a partner. The audience must participate, and connecting with them is essential. Without our audience, we are sharing our message with four walls! 3. How do I stay out of my own way and do my best? (a.k.a. “How do I look like a seasoned pro?”) One crucial element is the willingness to risk looking silly or ineﬀective. That’s right; in order to shine, ➤ 2. What is the purpose and context of my presentation? Are we speaking to educate? Motivate? Encourage new thought? Persuade action to change behavior patterns or lifestyle choices? Our role and mission go to work for us, putting the audience ﬁrst. It’s easy to forget that public speaking is still two-way communication because the audience may not talk much. But they are still a vital part of the conversation; our presentation is not just about what we are bringing JAN-FEB2009 · WWW.FIT-PRO.COM 9 http://www.bbupilates.com http://www.bbupilates.com http://WWW.FIT-PRO.COM

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Personal Fitness Professional - January/February 2009

Personal Fitness Professional - January/February 2009 Contents Letter from the Editor, Writers Ready to Rock the Podium What It Takes to Change Fitness Marketing Makeover Be Better Top Club Building a Base of Special Populations The Balancing Act Take Action! Nutrition Solutions Datebook Journey to Success New on the Market The Four P's Exercising Your Influence No More Pain in the Back!

Personal Fitness Professional - January/February 2009

For optimal viewing of this digital publication, please enable JavaScript and then refresh the page. If you would like to try to load the digital publication without using Flash Player detection, please click here.