It is a truth universally acknowledged that more people fear public speaking than death. A few years’ ago, I was fortunate to attend a course at RADA on how to improve my presentation skills. As a result, I have some top tips to help you prepare and deliver when the stakes are high- and when one day soon we may be delivering in-person again.
We’ve all been there…
It is, according to Ginger Public Speaking normal to experience anxiety in this situation. There are four state changes we may experience before speaking or performing in public:
- Emotion – feeling nervous, stressed, worried or panicked
- Thought – forgetting your words or losing concentration
- Behavior – trembling, fidgeting, moving in an awkward way
- Physiology – upset breathing, increased heartbeat or an upset stomach.
I have experienced several of these at different times – and I give a lot of presentations. However, recognising these are normal responses means you can start to take control of them.
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Breathing
Remember to breathe deeply from the stomach, before speaking. Greg de Polnay, my trainer, observed that I often ran out of steam towards the end of a sentence. I was, due to my anxiety, literally forgetting to breathe. As a result, my audience couldn’t hear me. The sequence to remember is therefore: think, breathe, speak. And to remember that we present with our whole body, not just with our voice.
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Standing still
Moving around is distracting for your audience. To command attention it’s a good idea to stand with your feet apart, upright but relaxed. This posture conveys confidence, helps keep you anchored to the ground and helpfully, encourages you to breathe. If you stand on one leg or lean to one side you can convey instability- not the message you want to project!
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Practice
Before you deliver your presentation, practice out loud, ideally recording yourself so you can see how you are coming across. If you can’t use a mobile device to film yourself, then record it. Once you’ve delivered your presentation much of it will ‘stick’ so recall is easier if you have had at least one run-through. Also practice with a pen held horizontally in your mouth. This helps improve your enunciation. Practice will also ensure your presentation is the correct length.
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Engaging your audience
Before you start your presentation, engage eye contact with your audience and smile. Say ‘Good morning everyone.’ Give your name and position. Do this slowly. This can feel artificially slow when you’re doing it, but it really does create an impact. Try it out, using your name and title. Imagine. there. is. a. full. stop. after. each. word.
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Impressions
People are far more likely to recall what you say if you have engaged them through your body language and tone. It’s important to focus on how you want your audience to feel about you. Consider what feelings you want to convey.
6. Presentation structure
This approach will work for any presentation, no matter how long or short.
- Ask yourself what concerns does your presentation address?
- Identify your topic
- Have three headings representing three key themes of your topic
- Under these headings create three bullets with one key point to make for each
- As you talk, make the link between each theme
- Conclude with a call to action. What do you want your audience to do?
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Use visual images and metaphors
Bring your presentation to life. Stories make an emotional connection with your audience.
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Language
Aim to get three positive action verbs into your presentation, words you want the audience to respond to. For example,
‘I want to inspire and encourage you to take that first step out of your comfort zone…’
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Pause
Especially if you are making points. Let the audience digest what you’re saying before moving on. Look for the audience’s reaction before moving on.
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At the end
Say ‘Thank you for your time.’ Smile, look at the audience, count to three. Then and only then, sit down or exit. Pausing shows respect for your audience and gives you authority.
In conclusion…
Preparation and practice will help you deal with the very normal anxieties that giving presentations can induce. Your audience is not the enemy. People are there to hear what you have to say. Take your audience with you and they will respond warmly to your efforts. Good luck – you may even find you enjoy it!
P.S. The most gratifying feedback I received following the course, was after I’d applied the principles to a conference presentation I’d be asked to deliver. Afterwards a delegate came up to me and said: “that was really good- just like a TED talk!”
People will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.
Maya Angelou
