Off the bench :) , but not going well :(

**OrangeHopper** · 19 November 2009, 08:42

I'm not sure you really want to avoid it.

My advice would be to not leave it to the last minute. Use it as a way of recording the results of your analysis. This should focus your attention on what you think is missing. Don't be scared to point out what you think needs further work. Do some every day, however small, to ensure you ease your mind and don't overly worry. Also ask advice of your colleagues.

**stingman123** · 19 November 2009, 08:55

Get on with it!

Prep your presentation and rehearse it with a workmate. Be honest but not too overly critical, get some sleep, don't worry about it because worrying won't solve your problem.

Get used to it as well, as if you go perm, this will be thie first of many.

If you really feel that strongly about it....leave

Don't be a mouse forever

**malvolio** · 19 November 2009, 09:01

It's your chance to get your agenda for change sorted out. If there are probelms with the infrastructure, and it's your job to sort them, focus on explaining what you think is wrong and what you need to do about it. A real job - as opposed to a contract - implies a long-term commitment, so define one. Even if you don't stay on as a a permie, you will have delivered what your IT Director wants to see.

People issues are not really your concern, but a lot of the time, problems with staff are becuase they either don't feel valued or don't feel listened to. If they have good ideas , or even just workable ones, that align to your plans put them in your presenatation and give credit for them (at the team level, not the personal one).

As for the presentation itself, it's easy once you get over the embarassment factor. Have a read of my earlier post on this subject - http://forums.contractoruk.com/945353-post2.html

And as OrangeHopper says, start planning it now and get used to the idea. It's really not that hard!

**original PM** · 19 November 2009, 09:02

Ok you do need to do the presentation - otherwise the role will probably dissapear from under you.

But keep is simple.

1) Create a very basic powerpoint presentation 3 slides will do

slide a) What you currently know and what has changed
slide b) What you currently know and what you need to change
slide c) You areas of concern based.(this will be areas where you have no visibility of the problems/solutions)

Do it as soon as possible and run it pass the IT director - get some pointers and redo - you need to explain to the IT director why you feel concerned about the presentation - feel free to be honest about your problems speaking in public but don't expect him to let you off the hook.

I think what he is looking for is someone who can stand up and take responsiblilty for trying to make some changes.

In terms of public speaking most of the audience will be wanting you to get up say you bit and sit down so they can get back to their desks - there is nothing worse than being in the audience while someone sturggles with a presentation - which is why you need to keep it simple.

Being a good public speaker is a skill which takes years to perfect and the only way to get better at it is to do it nobody expects a speech the likes of which politicians deliver and by the sounds of it if you do stand up and do this it could be the start of a lucrative career.

Remember trying and failing is not a crime the crime is in not trying at all.

**mudskipper** · 19 November 2009, 09:07

Is the ‘IT Update meeting’ an IT team meeting, or a management thing?

My experience (having recently left permie land) is that IT team meetings tended to be repetitive and boring – when we could get someone to present something it was a pleasant deviation from the normal drivel of the meeting. And if that something was vaguely interesting, all the better!

If it’s a team meeting thing, you could use it as an opportunity to raise morale – name individuals who have done stuff “John’s doing a great job keeping on top of xyz” etc, and also to highlight the problems – firefighting gets in the way of useful productive work, so seems to me to be an area to address how to get the balance between reactive and pro-active better.

As for presenting itself, it can be daunting. It does get easier the more you do it, so worth persevering. You can always go with the old strategy of imagining your audience naked! Makes them much less scary (although I guess that depends on the audience...)

**omega** · 19 November 2009, 09:38

Some good advice so far - thanks everyone

The meeting is an update presented by the IT director, he just stands at the front and talks for 30 mins on the performance of the business and forthcoming IT projects.

I've only been to one of them so far, but it would appear that occasionally he will ask someone to present on their specialist area if he feels it is something that should be communicated to everyone.

My role is purely a specialist 3rd line architect/teccie role and not related to improving the team I am working with in any way.

I have lots of expereince based suggestions on how to improve the effectiveness of the team but this is well outside the scope of the role and not something I am at all keen to get involved in (spent the last 9 years managing small teccie teams). I really just want to concentrate on the technical role and keep my head down.

Edited to add: the presentation is only to be based on my specialist technical area, but quite simply I don't feel I should be doing it and I certainly don't want to.

**Jeebo72** · 19 November 2009, 09:49

I think the real problem is the public speaking and you aren't really worried about the rest. I understand, I hate it myself, though I've got to a stage where I can do it without worry. But many years ago i'd dry up. I even saw someone in a meeting I was in end up choking, seamingly on his own flem for about two minutes, before saying sorry and running out. It gets to lots of people. I used to go and have a few "beverages" before mine about 10 years ago which helped ernomously, but not to be recommended!

**NotAllThere** · 19 November 2009, 09:49

My advice: don't avoid it or try to get out of it.

The ability to do presentations well is definitely a good thing. Take comfort from the fact that most senior managers are absolutely crap at presenting. I used to hate doing presentations. But as you practice you get better. I can now do presentations or speeches on a subject I know well, with little, or no preparation. And on subjects I don't know with only a little research.

Even without the forthcoming deadline, get yourself on a presentation skills course. I did one at the LCC, and never looked back. And remember, if you get good at presenting, your interview skills will also improve. So it's worth investing in.

I don't know how it is in the UK nowadays, but my kids have had to do regular presentations to their class from age 10. It really is a life skill.

Before you start preparing what you want to say, ask the director what he wants from your presentation. He may just be looking for something to fill in the time. When I was running a team, I used to make all team members (contractor and permies) do a presentation, in turn, at the team meetings. Mainly because I didn't want to do all the talking. Don't look up on it as a terrible scary thing. Look up on it as the opportunity to talk about your favourite subject - yourself!

**NotAllThere** · 19 November 2009, 09:52

Originally posted by k2p2 View Post

... You can always go with the old strategy of imagining your audience naked! ...

But whatever you do, don't look down. You might find you've imagined yourself naked...

Off the bench :) , but not going well :(