This is How You Can Prepare Yourself to Ace The Most Important Events In Your Professional Career or Business

InspirationNovember 15, 2019

There are many things people constantly feel anxious about. But it’s safe to say that one’s work or business is one of the biggest sources of anxiety in their day to day life. From preparing reports to attending meetings, working people are almost always under pressure to come prepared and perform well to continue advancing in their selected field.

Luckily, experts from the Kellogg School of Management, one of the best business schools in the world, have plenty of useful tips people can use during five important moments in their careers.

Business Presentations

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Try to find a ‘story’ that you can tell from one point to the next, Calkins said

Presenting in front of people, whether big or small, can be nerve-wracking. But getting the hang of it by doing it often can lessen one’s feelings of anxiety at the thought of the important task.

For those who are still not so used to giving presentations, marketing professor and Kraft Foods executive Tim Calkins suggest preparing for them by finding a clear story and thinking about the audience. He also recommends determining one’s objectives, important points, and recommendations while preparing a presentation.

Make or Break Negotiations

Working people who have dreams of climbing up the company ladder should learn how to negotiate for important opportunities from promotions to salary raises. Preparing involves finding a way to confidently articulate the unique ways one may be indispensable or can be an asset in the workplace.

Networking at Events

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Prepare a spiel summing up your job position or specific field when introducing yourself to other people at events

Networking is more than just showing up at events or conferences to socialize with like-minded individuals or meet potentially important contacts. It also means coming prepared to answer the important questions people might throw.

For example, professor of innovation and entrepreneurship Craig Wortmann suggests preparing interesting or compelling answers to common questions a new contact might ask from something as simple as what one does or what their business is about.

Post-Climb Plans

People often start with clear career goals from the get-go. However, climbing up the work ladder may lead one to have a change of heart on certain aspects of their plans. As professor of leadership Ellen Taaffe observed, executives often realize they want to make a bigger impact in their field and would want to go down a path they’re more passionate about.

Speaking with Executives

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Reserve some of your most creative ideas and talking points in case you get the chance to converse with an executive

Depending on one’s workplace environment or social circle, impromptu hallway conversations or interactions with executives can often happen. Make the most out of these circumstances by making a good impression on them.

According to Kellogg Executive Leadership Institute director Rob Apatoff, employees are put on the spot for judging every time they interact with executives. These encounters and how one communicated or commanded the conversations may be the basis of one’s chances of getting a promotion down the road, Apatoff said.