Golfing putting practice - and presentations

Yesterday I attended an 1806 Club Breakfast at Haileybury School, Hertfordshire. The excellent speaker was the golf professional, Dave Smith who told me how he combined his enthusiasm for golfing with supporting amateur golfers and participating in tournaments.

At the end of the talk, there was an excellent question asking what advice he would give his 17 year old self. "Putting: practice all the time" was his immediate response.He then qualified his answer by explaining that the top golfers win matches on their ability to putt a ball and will constantly practise this technique, yet most golfers will practice the big hits. They should be practising putting in order to win."

I found this fascinating; how often do we focus on the bigger picture: the PowerPoint slides; the statistics we are going to quote; what we are going to wear - which are, of course all important, when we should concentrate on the summary, or an element that the listener will remember.

When we go into a meeting; present to clients or colleagues; even make a telephone call, we prepare beforehand. Make sure you have prepared a clear summary: something the client will remember, to ensure YOU win the putt!!