Get the Life You Really Want by James Caan

Author:James Caan
Language: eng
Format: mobi, epub
ISBN: 9780241958797
Publisher: Penguin Books Ltd
Published: 2012-02-01T14:00:00+00:00

7

Reveal Your Best

Presenting with confidence

You’ve just heard you’ve got a first interview for a new job. Or maybe you are going along to see a business adviser at the bank because you’d like them to give you a loan to start up a café in the local park. Or you are about to stand up in front of the local residents’ association and propose yourself as chairperson.

In all of those potentially life-changing situations you want to be able to present well. And the confidence to present well comes from one thing. That is preparation, preparation, and some more preparation. The next meeting, the next interview, could transform your life. Why risk losing that opportunity by not thinking about the impression you make?

First of all, I always say don’t take any risks with your personal presentation. People seem to think this is a rather old school approach. I actually disagree. If you look good, if you are smart, you immediately come across well. There is nothing to distract.

For an interview or an important meeting, I suggest a short checklist. Go through every aspect. Think about your clothes, hair, fingernails and shoes. What briefcase or bag are you going to take? It’s all in the detail.

Make sure you are in tune with the people you are going to see. If it’s a job at Google or Virgin you probably don’t want the pin-stripes. If you are visiting the bank, a smart suit is always the best bet.

Do the basics well. Give the person you are meeting a good, straight handshake. Make sure it’s not too bone-creaking, limp or sweaty! Make eye contact. Sit up. Sometimes people get over-concerned about the business plan or the job spec and forget the simple niceties.

Look for a way of connecting with them on a personal level. There might be a picture on their desk you can talk about. Maybe it’s a photo of them finishing a ten-kilometre run. Ask them how it went. Perhaps there’s an award for Employee of the Month on the wall. Again ask them what they did that caught the company’s attention.

Try something a little bit left-field. Imagine I am a bank manager. You’ve come along to see me and pitch me a proposal. ‘Oh, by the way, James,’ you say. ‘It’s ten o’clock. I wasn’t sure if you’d had breakfast so I’ve brought a brownie along for you.’ Somebody actually did that to me once, and I was quite impressed. And I ate the brownie!

Something so basic changes the dynamic. It breaks the ice, and relaxes the atmosphere. You will shine more strongly when you are less tense. If you have done your research you will be confident in the conversation. You don’t want to dazzle the other person with knowledge. You want to have the knowledge at your fingertips, ready for when you need it.

I always find it helps to get in with an early question. If it’s a job interview, ask what they think the key elements of the job are.

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