CAPS Book Review (From Nervous to Nailed it)

Recently, I finished reading Suzannah Baum’s From Nervous to Nailed it - FIND Your Voice, PRESENT With Impact & UNLEASH Your Ultimate Speaking Potential.

Her book was full of insightful information that would be useful for anyone who needs to improve their ability to deliver presentations. The information is just as relevant for people who are just starting to deliver presentations, as it is for seasoned professional speakers. It is certainly a book that I would have loved to have access to when I first started giving presentations.

There were a multitude of great takeaways. Some of the takeaways were new to me, while the other ones will serve as highly useful reminders for future presentations.

Below, I have listed five of the many great insights that can be found in the book.

Do Extensive research- Although doing research prior to a presentation doesn’t always sound like the most exhilarating part of delivering an excellent presentation, it can be instrumental when it comes to accurately crafting the message for the people in your audience. ??

As Suzannah states in her book: “When you are listening to a presentation, don’t you love being captivated by the speaker and knowing that they have worked hard to make their presentation interesting, valuable, and relevant to you?...

[Conversely] Aren’t you disappointed when you feel like the speaker couldn’t be bothered to do even the bare amount of research to make the presentation relevant to you? And now you’ve given up precious time from your life that you can never get back.”

Your presentation should be “audience-centric”, and it should focus on what value you provide.

Confidence/Mindset- One strategy Suzannah wrote about was a useful mindset trick. Since we often get focused on how nervous we are, it can be helpful to shift the focus away from ourselves and our own physiology and focus on the people we are presenting to. “Stop focusing on how you are feeling - the nerves, the anxiety, the worries – and turn your attention to what your audience needs. Ask yourself:

·???????Who will be in the room?

·???????Why is this message important for them to hear?

·???????How can I make it more relevant and meaningful for them to hear?”

Be Very Detailed Oriented – From her two and a half decades as a Presentation Skills Specialist, Suzannah puts emphasis on the need to be detailed oriented. This is something that I assertively agree with! Although sweating the small stuff can sometimes have a negative connotation, the importance of being detailed oriented prior to a presentation - cannot not be overstated. Personally, I have a presentation check list that contains what to do and what to bring. My checklist is a before, during and after presentation checklist. I will keep From Nervous to Nailed It beside the desk in my office, and I will certainly add a couple of additional items from her book to my own presentation list.

Speech Structure is A Must– If you want to deliver an impactful presentation, you need to have a well thought out and coherent structure. “Whether you’re new to speaking or you’re a seasoned professional, your presentations need the same fundamental ingredient- Structure.” There is the overall structure of a presentation and then smaller structures that are put in place. Structure is what allows your audiences to enjoy your presentation. Even comics use structure, and many people have heard of the “rule of three,” when telling a joke. If your speech does not have structure, it will be extremely difficult for your audience to follow.

Collect Timeless Quotes – The book also had numerous great quotes from other speakers that she has collected during her career. ?(Quotes can be useful for writing books and delivering speeches).

Below, are my three favorite quotes from her book.

“It’s not how strongly you feel about your topic, it’s how strongly they feel about your topic after you speak” (Tim Salladay. p.95).

“The human brain starts working the moment you are born and never stops until you stand up to speak in public” (George Jessel. p.23).

“The success of your presentation will be judged not by the knowledge you send, but by what the listener receives” (Lilly Walters, p. 45).

______

If you are looking to vastly improve your ability to deliver presentations in your personal or professional life, I would highly encourage you to read From Nervous to Nailed it.

Thank you for reading my review,

Chris

PS- I am planning to write monthly book reviews for CAPS members and people affiliated with CAPS throughout 2023. (Canadian Association of Professional Speakers)

https://suzannahbaum.com/

https://www.canadianspeakers.org/