Jay de la Cruz is SVP of Media at Underscore Marketing with over 25 years of experience delivering strategic media solutions.
I’m a performer at heart. I performed in musicals throughout high school and college, and my love of theater continued into adulthood. Although I never wound up on Broadway (other than hailing a taxi), the skills I learned in the theater have served me throughout my career. That’s because the success of the final performance is the product of endless preparations, many of which you never see.
Every presentation—from pitches to reports to Zoom meetings—is a performance. When you embrace that mindset, you can borrow your strategy from the best directors in the business and deliver top-notch performances every time.
Know Your Script
At the heart of every great performance is the script. Each cast member is responsible for delivering a few critical messages at the right time. But top performers don’t just memorize their lines; they study the entire story.
There are three key benefits to this. First, they know the deeper nuances of the story: what the characters are feeling, why the setting is important and their unique role in it all. Second, they can be more flexible if something goes off the rails. If someone misses a cue or forgets a line, they can jump in and keep the story moving in the right direction. Lastly, by knowing the entire story, actors can build on and riff off each other’s performance.
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This principle applies in presentations and pitches, too. Make sure you know what your client is looking for, the angle your team is aiming for and exactly what you’re contributing to the process. If something goes wrong, you can play an active role in righting the ship. You can strengthen the narrative further by connecting the thread of what your colleague is presenting to your portion of the presentation.
Don’t Neglect Your Tech
Your technology is just as important as the actors. The audience may not see much of the tech crew, but they play a massive role in the outcome of the performance. Without the tech crew, there’d be no lights, sound or set—and not much of an experience.
Don’t neglect your technology, especially when giving a virtual pitch or presentation. It doesn’t make a good impression if no one knows how to share their screen or run the slides. Be prepared to let an expert take over. If you do encounter a technical hiccup, the best thing to do is surrender control to someone who can fix it quickly. You may be more comfortable with Zoom, but what happens if the client sends a Teams invitation? Make sure you test-drive everything before a presentation.
Be Ready To Improvise
Recently, my team was in the middle of a pitch when we realized our presenter had missed a cue and accidentally skipped three slides. The person running the slides panicked, so I figured out a solution. It took a little bouncing around, but we found a way to get through all the material.
This sort of thing is inevitable in business and theater. Someone can skip a line or an entire scene at any time. The entire ensemble needs a flexible mindset to improvise and get back on track. It also speaks to the importance of the leader. If I had not been paying attention, I would not have been able to jump in and salvage the situation. Make sure you’re aware of what’s going on.
Overcome Your Stage Fright
It’s normal to feel nervous before a big performance, whether a play or a pitch. But nerves can become crippling if you’re hyper-focused on everything that might go wrong. The desire to prevent every possible mishap and control every second of a production can cause more problems than it prevents.
The truth is that something almost always goes wrong—and that’s okay. The best way to deal with this is to accept it. When you let go of trying to prevent every unpredictable thing, you can meet every mishap with a calm, clear head and adapt accordingly. Nerves can be a great driver for a great performance. Channel it into fuel for the performance.
Don’t Skip The Post-Mortem
“Post-mortem” is just an elevated term for a post-show rehash. I love post-mortems. I love them in the theater, and I love them in business. They are fantastic opportunities to compare notes on what worked, what didn’t and what we learned. Everyone has a chance to identify what we can do better next time—leading to better performances on stage and on Zoom.
Remember That The Show Must Go On
Mishaps are normal. No matter how much you rehearse and prepare, you’ll almost always encounter something unexpected. Don’t let it ruin your performance. Trust that your preparations will keep you moving forward. Know your audience, environment and story, and ensure that everything is in place—tech, costumes, script, understudies—so you can keep everything moving, no matter what. Believe in the strength of your narrative and always fall back on that.
Perform For Your Fans
It’s not a performance without an audience. And your audience can be an incredible source of support—especially if you expand your definition of “audience.”
Our company hired a trainer a few years ago to help improve our team’s presentation skills. I confessed to her that seeing an unhappy client in the audience can throw me off during a pitch. She asked me how I dealt with the pain of seeing a grumpy face in the seats during a theater performance. I told her what I’d tell any young performer: I find the people smiling and enjoying the performance, and I perform for them instead.
She said, “Well, how is a pitch any different? Your colleagues are in the room, and they’re supporting you. Why not focus on that?” Her response completely changed my perspective. As long as you’re on a good team, you always have a fan in the audience. If all else fails, put on your best show, and remember, your team is always there to cheer you on. Play to the positive energy in the audience.
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Author: Jay de la Cruz, Forbes Councils Member