59. The Free Throw: A Presentation Lesson from Basketball

“It takes me a couple of minutes to settle down” is one of the most common utterances presenters make, and they make it in reference to the jolt of adrenaline that every presenter—novice or veteran—experiences at the start of every presentation. The jolt produces the Fight or Flight reaction to stress, which, in turn, causes the presenter’s eyes to dart around the room—regardless of the size of the room or the size of the audience—in search of escape routes; the darting then makes that person appear furtive to the audience. If you’ll pardon the play on words, in the blink of an eye, the audience gets an immediate negative impression of the presenter, and there is never a second chance to make a first impression.

Even if the veteran ultimately settles down, the die is cast. Both veteran and novice would do well to defuse the jolt and start strong. The veteran will not have to wait the few minutes, and the novice can get started on the right foot.

A lesson in how to control this pivotal first moment comes from how basketball players shoot free throws. Think about their process. Even though these well-trained athletes have practiced this shot countless times, they go through the same brief ritual each time. They step to the foul line, look at the basket, bounce the ball a few times, take a deep breath or two, look at the basket again, and then shoot. Whether or not they make the first shot, they go through the same ritual for the next shot. In each case, the intent of the ritual is to stabilize the player before the shot.

To stabilize yourself before your presentation, try this ritual. As you head up to the front of the room, have the first few phrases of your presentation set in your mind—phrases that you have practiced enough to be familiar with them. When you get to the front, the jolt of adrenaline will force your eyes to sweep the room in search of flight paths.

You cannot stop this involuntary reaction, so let the sweep happen. But let your eyes move around the room with an appropriate action: your welcoming remarks. “Good morning. Thank you all for your time. I appreciate the opportunity to speak to you.” By combining your sweep with your welcome, your movement will appear natural instead of furtive.

Then, having swept the room, stop. Turn to the other side of the room and find a person in the audience a considerable distance away from the last person at the end of your sweep. This wide swing is helpful for two very good reasons. One is to give you a fuller pause to think—thinking is always a good idea—and the other is to give you a moment to settle in, just as the basketball player settles in at the foul line.

And just as the basketball player focuses on the basket, focus on that new person. Take a breath. Then deliver the first well-practiced phrase of your presentation to that person. Then turn to another person and deliver your well-practiced second phrase to that person. Continue around the room to deliver additional phrases to other people.

These simple steps will nullify the negative effects of your adrenaline rush and make your first impression positive.

Nothing but net.