All great advice...I am the world's worst about speaking in front of a group so I was terrified when I became President. Like the others, I was very prepared--had the agenda in front of me and was VERY prepared if the meeting got hijacked (it never did but I witnessed it once the year before). I kept the meeting moving at a good clip, eliminated too much cross-talk and prayed for it to be over fast! It was a smooth year...
Good luck!
SHC
Excellent advice onaroll! highlandmom, that first meeting is a tough one to get under your belt but you can do it. The good news is that it all gets a whole lot easier from there.
Go ahead and stumble and stutter a bit. Folks will see that you're human just like them. They're not paying to see Tony Robbins, they're coming out to support the PTO - and YOU!
My tips:
*Jot down main points on index cards
*Have your VP next to you (or very near by) for support
*Have a script handy with how you'd like to call the meeting to order, ask for motions, seconds, all in favor/against, and so on. If your mind goes blank just take a peek at it and then keep going.
*Wear comfortable clothes (seriously) Maybe a spirit wear shirt and khakis.
We're all throwing our support your way. You can do this. We'll all be anxiously awaiting your post meeting message about how excited you are, how well the meeting went, what a great year it's going to be!
Some people come into our lives and quickly go. Some stay for awhile and leave footprints on our hearts. And we are never, ever the same."
"The ultimate aim of karate lies not in victory or defeat but in the true perfection of one's character."
I was in the same situation last year and told my friend / co-chair on the way to the meeting that I was going to throw-up at just the thought of speaking in front of about 30 people. About 50 showed!! Well...I had planned ahead and used this trick I'd heard of...I had asked a couple other of my other friends to please come to the meeting and sit towards the back of the room where I could see them as a "focal point".
I had an outline written out to follow but I'm still TERRIBLE at public speaking and tend to let my voice drop down and fall over my words too! She would give me cues (hands pushing down=slow down; a smile and a wink=doing good!) It did the trick. The extra-familiar faces to see helped me a lot and several people came up afterwards and said they thought it was a good, to-the-point, informative meeting!
It's an idea to give a try if you'd like. Good luck!
"Life moves pretty fast. If you don't stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it" - Ferris Bueller
Help I'm a new President and I'm scared to death to have my first meeting. I love every other aspect of this job but the thought of having this meeting makes me want to call in sick. I just want to get off on the right foot and I know that I fumble and stutter my way through public speaking. I 'm great with small groups but 20-35 people just seems to overwhelming. If you have any advice it would be very much apprectiated. Thanks
