I know a fellow who speaks to various groups across the country in a way similar to what I do. We hooked up for a conversation recently and he told me something that I was unaware of regarding how he approaches each upcoming engagement. A week before he is to speak to another group, he begins bracing for what could be wrong with the room set-up, whether the microphone will work properly, whether the background color scheme he has chosen for his slide presentation will show up well and whether he will be up to answering attendee questions and knows the material well enough. He’s been doing this for 15 years – continuously. I know him very well so I commented that I was sorry to hear that he has been placing all of this self-imposed pressure on himself.
No matter the venture, there is such a thing as caring too much, practicing to the point of exhaustion and rehearsing for anything and everything that could possibly go wrong. Even worse is that all the angst, hand-wringing and contemplating about what could go wrong doesn’t deliver a jackpot payoff because the extent of the possible calamity we’ve built up in our heads rarely happens.
So how much preparation is enough? Prepare to the point such that your endeavor has a flow to it. No more, but no less. If you’re delivering a speech, practice to achieve making a smooth transition from one point to another; if you are engaging your boss to ask for a promotion, strive to provide clear examples of your accomplishments in such a way that they anticipate her questions and have you sound believable.
When you have to perform but are stiff as a board, believe me people notice. And they notice quickly. And you dramatically decrease your chances for success because your spontaneity and influence are hovering around “magnetic south.”
So: prepare to the point where you have a smooth flow, get up, show up, breathe – then connect and make a difference.
