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Top Tips for Presenting fearlessly

“The human brain starts working the moment you’re born and never stops until you stand up to speak in public.”

- George Jessel, US Actor

You’re standing at the front of the room, your palms are sweating and your face is red.

You start to speak but garbled words replace the presentation and messages you had rehearsed. You are quickly losing your audience’s attention.

Does this sound familiar?

Effective business relationships rely on the messages communicated as well as the manner in which they are presented.

Your ability to present effectively to an audience can mean the difference between sealing a deal or losing it.

However, many people in business fail to spend enough time improving their presentation skills. Common excuses include a lack of time and “it’s not in my job description”.

The number one reason for not improving presentation skills however is fear.

Standing in front of a group of attentive listeners can make people feel vulnerable. This can be overwhelming when combined with the audience’s expectations and the pressure involved in influencing them.

The first step to improve your presentation skills is to conquer your fear. Easier said than done?

DDLS’s top four tips for overcoming this hurdle and delivering powerful presentations.

 

How to Overcome Fear in Presentations

1. Remove old associations through mental rehearsal. Don’t replay them.

We all have an example of a presentation that didn’t go to plan. The trick is to unlearn what you’ve experienced in past presentations and visualise how a great presentation should be executed.

2. Use powerful imagery and visualisation.

Mental practice and rehearsal is a great way to prepare yourself for a presentation. Before you begin the presentation, take a few minutes to imagine everything in the room from the seating arrangement to details such as the glass of water on your desk.

3. Compare the situation to communicating with a friend.

Establishing rapport with an audience is one of the most difficult aspects of presenting. However a basic rule is that the audience will emulate the presenter. Make it look as easy and comfortable as when you communicate with friends.

4. Remove irrelevant fears through logical breakdown.

Anxiety breeds self-consciousness, which can be distracting in a presentation. Ask yourself, what do you fear most? If it is the audience, then explore it. Why does the audience want to listen to you, what motivates them and what does success look like? Addressing fears through logical breakdown will help you remove unnecessary distractions. Often fears are irrational, applying logic could allow you to realise this.

Do you need to improve your presentation skills? Contact DDLS 13 12 01 to find out more about its Presentation Skills training course.