It’s that day when you have to give your dreaded presentation, the day you have been anxious about for weeks and now it has arrived and you are all of a sudden standing up in front of some sort of audience hoping that you will not fall apart. People are always looking for ways to either overcome their public speaking anxiety and/or to deliver a successful presentation. So how do you quell the fear and anxiety so that you can be the confident speaker that you want to be? Well aside from taking a full on public speaking class which I do recommend for many reasons you can follow these public speaking tips to get you through that dreaded presentation this time. These tips address many common issues that people have when they are “on stage” and can help you too. First tip and this one is one of my favorites because it’s just a matter of self awareness that you will be able to master immediately.
1. Realizing that 90% of your nervousness DOES NOT show to the audience. You may think that the audience can see the thoughts racing through you mind but can’t. They cannot see your sweaty palms or nervous stomach. The idea behind this is that people get even more nervous when they think the think the audience can see those things that are not even visible to the audience. Once you realize this you will not be nearly as anxious.
2. and 3. DO NOT and I repeat DO NOT try to memorize or recite your presentation word for word. It’s very tempting as a secure measure to get you presentation right, but you will only get tripped up when you get out of order then you will end up stammering and stuttering.
4. Show up Early - Why? Because it gives you the opportunity to “own your surroundings “ just think if your audience came to your house wouldn’t you feel a lot more in control ? Yes you would. Arriving early will give you the opportunity to feel very comfortable with your surroundings plus you behave piece mind that your equipment is working and all of your room is set up way before your audience arrives that will take that much worry out of the equation.
5. Another factor that kills your confidence is that you feel that the audience is judging you for some unimagined reason well here’s you to validate yourself by simply scanning the room for friendly and receptive faces – you need to be roving the audience with eye contact any way, so trust me this will quell any doubt that your presentation is not being well received.
6. If at any time during your presentation you feel uptight or nervous just take a couple of inconspicuous deep breathes, this will bring more oxygen to the brain and relieve the tension.
7. Make sure that you know your topic inside and out. Being perceived as an expert will lend credibility to yourself and your talk and you will be perceived as an expert who will give you confidence. I used to give stem cell presentations and every now and then someone in the audience would ask me if I was an MD., (which I’m not) right then I know that I was presenting in a credible manner.
8. No matter what it takes you need to drop your hands and I know this can be extremely difficult as you are nervous to begin with and doing something with your hands like touching your fingers together or clasping them or sticking them in pockets give you that added security. If you feel nervous and you need to do something with your hands simply start gesturing, this will dispense a lot of nervousness energy and get you looking like a pro because you need to gesture any way.
9. Last tip – Most people are accustomed to practicing their talk in front of a mirror or just into thin air. Do not do this... Instead find a small audience of 1, 2 or 3 people like your family or friends this will provide a small audience and will also be a good way to get helpful feedback, that way you will have already performed your presentation to get all of the bugs out.
I will guarantee if you use any of these tips that you prefer you will not only be well prepared but be a lot less nervous and more confident the next time you speak in front of your audience.
Steven M Stasczak is a highly successful speaker who has many years in delivering presentations and teaching public speaking skills .He spent his earlier career as a top business to business sales manager before beginning his speaking and presentation skills training around the U.S. professionally. His areas of expertise include helping people in the technical and financial fields become more proficient speakers, helping people with fear of public speaking. Steve also speaks on many ways a good presenter can be an effective with their interviewing skills. How to properly design and deliver an effective presentation in order to sell your audience. Steven brings a unique blend of dynamic energy and straightforward talk that allows individuals to dramatically improve their public speaking effectiveness as successful team members, leaders, and speakers within organizations.