This is an iHeart Podcast.
This is Laura.
Welcome to the Before Breakfast podcast.
Today's tip is that, when you are presenting your work, start by identifying what you are excited about, so you can get your audience excited too.
Today's tip comes from the book Broken Rung when the career ladder breaks for women and how they can succeed in spite of it.
Authors Coylan Ellingrid, Lorena Yee and Maria Delmar Martinez draw on their experiences at Senior Partners at McKinsey to offer strategies for women in particular, but really for everyone, to thrive in their careers.
They recount the story of an associate brand manager who was about to present her annual plan to the president of her company.
The president said before you dive in, always explain why someone should be excited about your plan.
This employee took the advice to heart.
Ever since, they say, she never starts a presentation with the deck.
Instead, she opens with these are the things you're going to hear about that I'm most excited about.
They continued, it allows her to intentionally position any conversation.
This seems like smart advice when you are getting ready to give a presentation.
Get clear on why you are excited so you can get others excited too.
You want to sound conversational when you say why you are excited, but I would still be inclined to plan what you are going to say and rehearse it.
You want to be sure that whatever you are excited about comes through clearly.
You don't want there to be a disconnect between what you are excited about and what you spend most of your time talking about.
For some presentations, it will be easy to articulate what you are excited about.
And for others, it may be a little harder.
But there is probably still something.
If you are presenting on a new set of options for health insurance, you may be excited about how a new plan will give your employees the same level of care while saving your company money.
In a presentation about a marketing plan, You might be excited that you've identified an emerging market of customers and a strategy for reaching them before your competitors do.
Maybe you are excited about your role in executing whatever plan you're presenting.
It might be a chance to use new skills you've gained.
You could mention that too.
You want to be strategic in choosing what you say you are excited about.
I mean, it should be something you are genuinely excited about, but also something that will be relevant and meaningful to your audience too.
So do some thinking.
Nobody likes a dull presentation.
You don't want to give one and your audience really doesn't want to sit through one.
When you convey your excitement as a prelude to your presentation, you liven things up.
You connect with your listeners and get them excited, so they will be engaged and invested in you and in what you present.
You show you care so they care.
And that is as important as however fancy you have made your slides.
In the meantime, this is Laura.
Thanks for listening.
And here's to making the most of our time.
Thanks for listening to Before Breakfast.
If you've got questions, ideas, or feedback, you can reach me at Laura at LauraVanderkam.com.
Before Breakfast is a production of iHeart Media.
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