Tomorrow?s the day and you?re dreading it. You?re scheduled to give a presentation to the senior management team about the new program you?re proposing. You?re excited and enthusiastic about the program but nervous and anxious about the presentation. You don?t know how you?ll manage to sleep tonight. These thoughts keep running through your mind; What if I stumble? What if I talk too fast? What if they get bored? What if they ask questions and my mind goes blank?
Do any of these sound familiar? If you answered yes, don?t worry! Try some of these simple strategies for your next presentation to help you build confidence and credibility with your audiences.
Developing your presentation
Change the paradigm: Think from your listeners? perspective.
If you can change your focus from,
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Here are the essential questions that will help you stay on track:
Who is your audience?
What is most important to them?
What is their current level of knowledge on your topic?
What do they want or need to know about this topic?
If you can?t answer the above questions, it?s important that you do some research to find the answers. If your presentation is an educational or training session, you might want to send out a pre-class questionnaire or survey to learn the current knowledge level of your audience. This can be a simple 5 to 10-question, one-page document that you email or fax. If your presentation is more informational or persuasive, you might want to make some phone calls to learn what you can about your audience.
What?s your objective?
Every presentation you give should have an objective or purpose. Why? Because your objective will help ensure that you stay focused on the topic. And, by defining your objective in the beginning of the development process, you?ll save time.
Structure
Utilize a presentation structure that consists of a beginning,
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Delivering your presentation
About nervousness
Most people feel nervous and anxious before giving a presentation. This fear and anxiety can start the minute they?ve been given the assignment and can last until the presentation is over. It?s important that we accept the fact that we?re going to be nervous and learn how to work with it. Try this three-step process developed by Lee Glickstein of Speaking Circles International to ease your nerves:
1. Feel your feet on the ground.
This will help to set a firm foundation for you and has a calming effect.
2. Breathe. And,
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Most of us when we are nervous or anxious tend to hold our breath and that only makes us feel worse.
3. Speak every word to the eyes and heart of another human being.
Every time you stand in front of any audience,
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Five strategies to project confidence
1. Reduce your usage of filler words.
Filler words are words that we say unconsciously that add no meaning to our communications. Examples of filler words are um, uh, ah, okay,
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Canada Goose Chateau, well, but, like, etc. The big problem with filler words is that if you use them frequently, they tend to chip away at your credibility and can make you sound unsure and unprepared. To start reducing usage, you first have to become aware of when and how frequently you use them. The best way to do this is to either audiotape or videotape yourself giving a presentation. Then listen, or better yet, have someone else listen to the tape for filler words. Provide a checklist of filler words and ask the reviewer them count how many you use. It?s fine to use one here and there?using them repeatedly is the problem. Once you have an awareness of which filler words you use, you can start trying to reduce them. Substitute a pause where the filler words would normally occur and your listeners will thank you.
2. Be aware of body language and posture.
Just as mother used to say,
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3. Remember that you are the expert.
You probably know more than your audience does about your topic. That puts you at an advantage and should instill confidence. Remember,
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4. Keep your cool when things get hot.
No matter what happens, keep your composure. If you are using technology, be warned: It is bound to malfunction just when you need it most. For peace of mind, have a Plan B ready just in case. If you can think in advance about what might go wrong,
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5. Have a good time.
If you are having a good time, chances are, so is your audience. Put a smile on your face and be excited and enthusiastic in your delivery. You will breathe life even into dull subjects and help your listeners be engaged in your talk.
The close
I hope you?ll practice some of the strategies listed here. Don?t feel that you have to do all of them during your next presentation. You might want to think about what your biggest presentation challenge is and pick one improvement that you?d like to make. I can guarantee that you?ll feel more confident as you incorporate and practice these suggestions. And remember: Do what you can to enjoy your time at the front of the room and your audiences will enjoy you.
About The Author
Dana is the author of the interactive manual Overcome Your Fear of Public Speaking. Please visit her website
Dana Bristol-Smith is the founder of Speak for Success, an organization that works with companies that want their people to communicate with confidence and credibility. Companies hire Dana to give skill-building workshops and to provide coaching. She has delivered presentations and training to more than 100,
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You can reach Dana via email at mail to: dana@speakforsuccess.net
This article was posted on April 09, 2004
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