Now That We Have Your Complete Attention ...

7. There's one in every crowd.

Your presentation's gone great. You invite questions from the audience -- and suddenly it's World War III! Maybe it's a rival from another department who's out to get you. Maybe it's a competitor who can't resist taking a shot in public. No matter. One hostile question, handled poorly, can erase the goodwill created by an hour's worth of flawless presenting.

How do you handle a hostile member of the audience? The first rule, says Dave Gunby of EDS, is to disagree without being disagreeable. "When there's conflict," he says, "the audience roots for the underdog -- and that's not usually the person standing on stage.

Don't pick a fight. I like to repeat and rephrase the question, including the emotions that accompanied it. This way the questioner knows I've heard him. That alone can defuse some of the negativity."

Intel's Mike Fors suggests agreeing to answer the question in detail -- after the presentation ends. "You're the person standing in front of the audience," Fors says, "so if you lose control of the presentation, you're the one who loses. The audience usually sides with a presenter who offers to take a difficult issue offline. Most people don't want to hear an argument."

Valerie Herbig, a presentation expert with Andersen Worldwide, offers a third technique. Answer the question in real time, she says, but don't address the questioner directly -- speak to the entire audience instead.

"And be sure to end by making eye contact with someone who's not the questioner," she adds. "That's counterintuitive; people want to answer directly and say, 'Did I answer your question?' But you may be encouraging an ongoing exchange with that person. They come back and say, 'But what about this objection?' Suddenly you're having a two-way conversation with 100 other people present."

8. Practice, practice, practice.

The simple truth about presentations, like almost everything else in business, is that the only way to get better is to practice. What's painful is that most people only have one way to practice -- in public, by giving presentations. That's a mistake. Delivering five lousy presentations doesn't mean the sixth is destined to be great. Even if you get a little better each time, the damage you're inflicting on your confidence (not to mention your reputation) might exceed what you're learning.

The fastest way to get better at presentations is to find a coach. The combination of privacy, videotape equipment, and expert guidance can lead to big improvements in a short period of time -- without unnecessary public embarrassment.

Happy Rowe, a stockbroker with Tucker Anthony in Boston, used to dread making client presentations, even though she was required to deliver one every month. The experience was always the same: a pounding heart, sweaty palms, strange fluctuations in her voice that turned sentences into questions. "If I wanted to move forward in my career," she says, "I knew that I had to be more aggressive and come across strongly.

So Rowe signed up with a speaking consultant who videotaped her presentations and used visualization techniques to create a positive end state. Rowe began visiting her coach about two years ago. At first she made monthly visits, but she's cut back as she's become more comfortable. Still, she concedes, "I'll be working on this for a long time." She now practices routine presentations twice and new presentations up to six times.

Practice doesn't end when you leave your coach's office. Intel's Michael Fors advises everyone who takes his course to seek out opportunities to practice: "Our slogan is, 'If you fail to prepare, you prepare to fail.'" Most Intel factories and offices have Toastmasters Clubs so employees can practice making presentations. And lots of Intel people practice at home -- in front of their families, the mirror, even their stuffed animals. "The animals won't talk back," Fors says. "And if they're still nervous, they can always picture the stuffed animals in their underwear."

Eric Matson is a member of the Fast Company editorial team.

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