Presentation Anxiety - Game Plan

Presentations are my thing - I enjoy putting the content together, delivering it in front of an audience and getting an appreciative applause at the end of it with enthusiastic participation in between.
However in a presentation in May 2013, I paired with a colleague where I had to take over the second part of the presentation. I had been fairly quiet throughout the first part of the presentation and when it was my turn to take the presentation forward, I found that I had to draw my energies from a minus to a base level before I could soar forward. When this delay in energy happens then it takes some sheen off the first few minutes which I believe are crucial for a speaker to make an impact and capture the audience's attention for the rest of the presentation.

Image courtesy: www.publicspeakingexpert.co.uk

Luckily there are numerous techniques at the disposal of a speaker which can be used to be manage a presentation delivery and here are a few tips from a ToastMasters Podcast.
For my situation which needed a quick bootup to high energy - a warm up is suggested. Just like a sprinter stretches before a race and a singer practices scales before a song, a speaker too needs to practice. Read your lines out loud as a method of preparation.
Here are some other techniques as heard on the podcast. Each of the following techniques need to be chosen and adapted to what works for you.

To handle blanking out
1) Put a structure around the presentation; for example Problem-Solution-Benefits, so if you were to blank out at the middle of the solution then you know you have delivered the problem, and benefits are yet to come so you are somewhere in the solution part.
2) Back up and recall; this practice enables you to reset and therefore restart. Just like one asks "where was i" when a train of thought derails and a recall of the last thought puts you back on track.

To keep the tempo throughout
1) Chunking; while practicing your presentation, chunk your content and practice in different orders and not in the order of presentation - so that when you actually present you can start fresh when you move through different chunks

To handle anxiety attacks
1) Holding cold water - Before you get start with the presentation, bring your body temperature down similar  to a cold patch bringing a fever down
2) Breathe - Inhale, exhale slowly and deep to bring your heart beat back into control
3) Pushups - or some other physical exercise to enable that nervous energy to find an outlet
4) Toe squeeze - while presenting you could squeeze your toes out of sight from the audience but getting yourself back in control

To handle ém hands
Let your hands relax at the side when you have said something and are waiting for the audience to complete their reaction. Use your hands to add gestures that supplement the content. Keep your hands at the level of your belly button so focus is on your face and hands

As we grow in our careers, making presentations effectively is a necessary skill, so having a game plan to acquire and enhance this skill is imperative. This post is a quick reference for me to build on my presentation skills, I hope you find it useful too. Do share your tried and tested techniques for effective presenting.
Happy Presenting!

Credits: 
ToastMasters Podcast
http://www.nofreakingspeaking.com/
http://www.boldecho.com/
http://www.toastmasters.org/MattAbrahamsHandout

Parable of Sufficiency

A parable that I heard on the PersonalMBA by Josh Kaufman goes something like this: 

An executive was on a holiday and one morning he was standing at the pier in a fishing village when he watched a fisherman dock his boat and haul his catch for the day - one large fish - to the market. He spoke to the fisherman and asked him if that was his catch for the day; to which the fisherman replied in  the positive. Ok, said the executive and continued to ask the fisherman why he didn’t get more fish. The fisherman replied that this catch brought him enough resources to take care of his loved ones. Oh! Exclaimed the executive, so what do you do for the rest of the day asked the executive to the fisherman. To which the fisherman replied, I go home play with my kids, have a siesta with my wife, go to the town in the evening, meet my friends and play on my guitar. The executive was obviously uncomfortable with the fisherman's response. The executive continued - let me help you he said - I am a Harvard grad and a successful executive in a promising firm. As a fisherman you could increase your earnings by spending more time out at sea, and hauling in a bigger catch to fetch more money. And what then, asked the fisherman and the executive replied - why you can invest in a bigger boat, probably hire some hands and bring in more fish to make more money and grow to be a very rich man. And what then asked the fisherman - well after that said the executive, you can go home and play with your kids, have a siesta with your wife, go to the town in the evening, meet your friends and play on your guitar. As the executive completed his sentence he saw the puzzled look on the fisherman's face.

And so it follows that the executive went back, resigned his job, and opted for a better lifestyle - i suppose.

The PersonalMBA uses this parable to discuss setting revenue targets for a firm. 

However this parable resonates with me as I rush through the day, moving from task to task, accomplishing my work demands and reserving little energy for pursuits of the soul. I'm definitely not for staying away from contributing to the GDP - I derive great pleasure and fulfillment from my job, but this parable makes me think about how much of my limited time and energy do I invest into my professional growth so that I can go home to have fun with my family, friends, and hobbies; or simply sit back and relax with a cup of tea. The balancing act continues.

Decorative Carpets

Special occasions call for special deco, and I love working with the following materials to create floor carpets.

• Flower carpets - give a lush look, but sometimes I dont feel so good about wasting all that flower! 
• Grain carpets have fewer colors and if used on a clean surface can be reused if you take care to keep the grains separate while removing the carpet. 
• I love salt carpets best - because they are inexpensive, disposing means just dissolving the salt, and you can add rangoli colors to make vibrant carpets. A word of caution  though - salt tends to water so your fingers get dark and sticky while working with them. Also ensure that you make your salt carpet on polythene, else the color seeps into the floor and takes some scrubbing to clean all that color.

Introduced to this art by my aunt, I have made several carpets over the years and continue to enjoy making them - hoping to locate the pictures and share some inspiration.

Made from peppercorns, rice, toor dal, channa dal, ragi, and green gram.
Design courtesy: Needle n Thread magazine

Paper crafts

Origami

The Japanese art of paper folding is another rare indulgence that oscillates between frustrating, when the folds don't work and fulfilling, when the pattern miraculously emerges. My maternal aunt gifted me an origami instruction book when I was in school and I managed to complete patterns from that beginners paperback. Since then it has been a distant wish to fold more complicated patterns. However so far I have managed only a few easy to medium difficulty origami. 

Writing this I am reminded of the origami cranes that make a brief appearance in the beautiful Hindi pop number Pari hoon Main by Sunita Rao. You can see the red crane that I folded in the picture. 

There is the other memory of origami animals that are clues in an episode of X-Files, one of my favorite shows. Origami of this level are not yet in the ambit of my skills. Perhaps with more time and practice.

Check this site for some mind-blowing origami.

Sandpaper Art

I had fun creating an art project with my son last month.  Taking time out of chores and errands was well rewarded with his look of glee and achievement as the art took shape.

Idea Courtesy: http://www.thecraftycrow.net/2012/03/crayon-sandpaper-art.html

The project was to create sandpaper art by:

1. Getting a small piece of sandpaper

2. Drawing a butterfly with pencil

3. Drawing along the pencil lines with black crayon

4. Coloring the butterfly using his choice of colors

5. Creating a theme around the butterfly so the entire sandpaper is covered in crayon color

6. Placing a piece of white cloth over the sandpaper and ironing on the cloth at minimum temperature

and Voila, the art is done!

The picture was transferred to the cloth and the sandpaper had a homogeneous fusion of pastel shades from the melted wax. 

Tips:

• Apply some pressure while coloring on sandpaper, else there will be uneven transfer of color 
• Use plain white cloth while ironing if you like the impression better 

This art project was simple and quick - qualities essential to keep a child interested and motivated.

For me, it was quality time!

GMITE 7, IIMB - Impressions

This post is the first of an intended series to share my campus experience and insights on GMITE - 7  (General Management Program for IT Executives) at Indian Institute of Management, Bangalore. 

And so it began GMITE-7, at IIMB on 7 Jan 2013 in a class of 90 with the lighting of the traditional lamp.

The first thing that jumped out at me was the IIMB Branding.
Being among the best management institutes in the world, IIMB is a brand to be reckoned with. Among the first things that catches one's attention is the IIMB branding on campus. The ubiquitous logo is displayed from the salt shaker to the place tags.

Next impression is the pace of the program. In phase 1, the subjects taught are Financial Accounting, Macro Economics, Managing Multicultural Teams, and Being an Effective Learner. Class lectures are supported by scenario discussions, pointers to additional reading, and assessed by tests and assignments. Being a working professional, it is quite demanding balancing work-study-personal life.

The food at IIMB is impressive. It's precision organization from a schedule, menu, arrangement, and logistics point of view. The risk we run is that of overeating and dozing off in class!

The collective experience of the class is sure to leave a lasting impression. This is why a classroom session is that much more enlightening than the convenience of eLearning.

From talking with my GMITE cohort, I learned that most participants seem to be making this investment from their personal resources. There seems to be little organization support so quite a few students are taking loss of pay days, using up leaves, and working post class to accommodate this program. I believe that the commitment to the program and application of the lessons learned will pay off in the long run; from evaluating a company to learning to get along with people for greater professional and personal success.


Continuing on the value thread, the query - how does the GMITE impact one's career - keeps coming up in conversations now and again. Although at the start of the program, it's too early to comment on the impact, the reasons for joining the GMITE range across low opportunity cost, brand value of IIMB, accomplished Profs, alumni association, stimulating discussions, and the toolkit of techniques, theories, and practices that one could takeaway to employ when back on the job. Besides, we live in a world of infinite possibilities and the knowledge gained can take one places if leveraged optimally.

----to be contd

Crochet

One of the needle crafts that I enjoy is crochet. I learned crochet from my grandmom during summer vacations, a coveted period in student life. Swatches were crocheted as my grandmom patiently took us through various patterns. Come school the projects were suspended to be picked up again in the holidays. This practice continued till work and my own family took priority and the crochet needle was forgotten altogether.
In 2012, after a long hiatus, I wanted to revive my skills and so with a visit to the craft store and armed with a beginner's guide to crochet I got started.
Two crochet projects later - I am thrilled to have invested my time in a hobby. I love the way the mind remembers what I thought it had forgotten. Besides, its fulfilling to get into flow as you focus on getting the pattern right. And finally the sense of accomplishment when the project completes is worth the time spent on crocheting.

Here they are: 

With yarn, a cap with a little flower for style

With thread, a doily

Howie the Penguin, design from www.freshstitches.com

Amigurumi is the Japanese art of crocheting or knitting stuffed animals. This art seems all the rage in the crochet world and many blogs have sprung up offering instructions, design, some free others paid. This form of crochet appeals to me because of  3 reasons: simplicity - basic easy stitches, quick - ideal for a project that can be done over a weekend, and endless possibilities.


Useful links:
http://www.freshstitches.com/beginneramigurumi/
http://allaboutami.tumblr.com/post/8476868368/amigurumiforbeginners
http://freeamigurumipatterns.blogspot.in
Some history and collective knowledge about crochet
Crochet resources that I subscribed to

Grit - from 9 Things Successful People Do Differently

Image courtesy: Amazon.com

Getting Gritty - to persist in the face of discouragement and failure, is my #1 lesson from the 9 Things Successful People Do Differently by Heidi Halvorson.

Many a time, I find that had I persisted a little longer, I may have got what I was striving for. This trait is a difficult one to build - how would you know that what you want is just a little further away. It calls for faith in one's abilities and perseverance.

Sometimes there comes along a friend who or an article that rubbishes the value of the pursuit that you have been engaged in. Self-doubt then seeps in and it takes conviction to look beyond a subjective opinion. To find facts that support the value in your pursuit and carry on.

Then there is downright failure or even worse is the fear of failure. What then? Lord Krishna's advice from the Gita - To do your duty to your very best without expecting rewards, should keep you focused on working towards your goal. And if you have failed - then get up and move on, failure is a stepping stone to success, don't give up just yet.

I finished the book as an Audible, it a quick listen - all completed in a day's commute. I would recommend you read this one.

See the author's post here. http://blogs.hbr.org/cs/2011/02/nine_things_successful_people.html

The 9 Things from the Blog:


1. Get specific.

2. Seize the moment to act on your goals.

3. Know exactly how far you have left to go.

4. Be a realistic optimist.

5. Focus on getting better, rather than being good.

6. Have grit.

7. Build your willpower muscle.

8. Don't tempt fate.

9. Focus on what you will do, not what you won't do.