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Be True to Yourself

As a teen, peer pressure

was taking control and your

mother had to tell you:

“Be True to Yourself”

Failure to be authentic is the kiss of death to any presentation you make to anybody.

Be True to Yourself

Don’t EMULATE

I have seen so many people fall into the following traps.

You:

 Observe a leader in your field

 See and hear an amazing presentation that generated incredible results

 Identify elements of the presentation that “clicked”

 Incorporate those elements into your own presentation

 Fail to deliver a powerful presentation and you generate worse results than your original presentation

 Have a feeling of failure since those elements worked for them and not for you

The issue is NOT that you are a poor presenter; it is that you were NOT following the single most important rule in presenting:

Be True to Yourself!

When you are not authentic “they” will sense it. They may not know what they are sensing, but they know something is not right.

You can’t hide it, because it’s true; you are not being true to yourself. Those amazing elements you saw didn’t work because they aren’t yours. They don’t fit your personality, style, and message.

I am not suggesting that you avoid watching top performers in your field . . . in fact I recommend you watch as many as you possibly can. HOWEVER, it is important to watch and evaluate other presentations, and then implement changes in the proper manner.

Power Tip

When observing a master of

your craft, watch for those

strategic elements that generate

success.

As you observe a leader watch for strategic elements that:

 Create a strong connection to the audience

 Establish a story within the story

 Trigger an emotional response from the audience

 Illustrate a need or benefit to THEM

 Move the audience toward action

 Assist the audience in taking responsibility

 Help the audience say YES

For each element you identify, ask:

 What was the intent of the element?

 How did this particular element relate to other elements already presented?

 What specific wording was used that was effective?

 Is there a place in my presentation where I need to create the same effect or impact?

 How can I create the same effect IN MY OWN WAY based on what I saw?

These questions help you identify the strategic elements and the strategic placement of those elements in your own presentation.

Notice that the objective is to FIND YOUR OWN WAY, to create the effect using the example of what you saw, not replicating the exact style you saw.

Having fallen into this trap myself a number of times I know how easily and quickly it happens. It has happened to almost every client I have worked with. Be aware of the issue and always work on

“Finding your OWN voice!”

Always be authentic

Be True to Yourself!