Have you ever gone into a situation under-prepared and been caught? That’s a bad feeling.
Being prepared puts you at ease. When prepared, you can relax and pay attention to both the verbal and non-verbal cues that are in play. It’s actually a terrific stress reducer.
Since no one can argue that being prepared is a bad idea, the discussion lies in the margin as to how to optimally prepare. This relates back to reviewing the objective of the interaction. If you are a key presenter and you’re at a critical impasse, then more preparation is called for. Obviously slides have to be readied in advance. But also prepare your questions in advance, or FOR SURE, you will forget some. Have the things with you that you need.
Murphy’s Law lurks around every corner, meaning, “what can go wrong, will go wrong”.
Showing up prepared is both smart and respectful. Since time is our scarcest resource, we need to spend it wisely.
Next week: Secret Number Five.
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