If you have to speak in front of
a group of people, then this article is for you. It covers seven
basic steps to overcoming the number one fear of adults.
The most common fear people have is speaking in front of a group.
If you follow the suggestions in this article, your fear will decrease
and your presentation skills will increase.
There are 7 pointers to keep in mind
when you present in order to overcome stage fright:
- Know your environment
- Relax
- Breathe
- Your audience is on your side
- Use extras wisely
- Keep your focus on the material
- Know your material and practice
it
Let's look at each of these in detail.
Tip One : Know your environment
If you can, get into the space before
you have to speak. If you want to be able to gauge how loud you
need to be when you speak, know:
- how big your area is
- how big the audience area is
- how sound carries
If you want to avoid tripping, know
whether there are cords spread across the floor
If you want to look in control of
your environment, know where any easels, computer screens, or overhead
projectors will be. In addition, learn how to use the microphone
and the lighting.
If you want to control how awake the
audience is, investigate whether the heat or air conditioning will
be on. Find out if the participants will be in chairs or standing?
Finally, look at the timing
- If you are right after lunch, make sure you plan to start with
an attention grabber to fight the full-stomach syndrome.
I know that this element is not always
possible to perform thoroughly, but at least give the space a once
over. The more familiar you are with the space, the more comfortable
you will be in the space.
Tip Two: Relax
You can not speak loudly and clearly
if you are not relaxed. Do a few stretches to limber up your body
and voice. Speak slowly and concisely. The more you concentrate
on the words and your voice, the less tight your body will appear.
The less tight you appear, the less tight you will be.
Try to stretch your jaw, neck and
shoulders by creatively yawning. Open your mouth wide and let all
the air out you can. But, don't do it while you are on stage - yawns
are contagious and you certainly don't want them spreading to the
audience.
Tip Three: Breathe
Okay now take a deeeeeep breath. Hold
it - Keep holding - Keep holding - Let it out.
Could you do that and speak? Of course
not! But that is what many of us are tempted to do. Buzz along at
a mile a minute with no breaks for breathing. Not only will this
make it hard for you to relax and concentrate; it will make it hard
for your audience to keep up. Plan places where you can stop for
a beat or two and just breathe. The time will seem eternal to you
as you speak, but will be a blessing to your audience.
Think about visual breaks in written
materials. Your rest and breath spots do have the same effect as
white space in the page. The more evenly spaced things are, the
easier it is to follow.
Four: Your audience is on your side
Your audience knows that you have
something important to share with them. They are there to learn
what it is. What's more, just by standing up in front of them you
will win over the percentage of the audience who think "I could
never do that - How did you get up the nerve to even open your mouth?"
Keep in mind that most of them would
feel uncomfortable where you are just as you did when you started
preparing.
Five: Use extras wisely
Don't make the focus of your presentation
to show how many doo-dads you can use. Pick one or two special effects/pieces
of equipment/extras to add. You want to use some attention grabbers
to help your audience focus and remember. But if all you do is attention
grabbers, that is all they will watch for.
For example, if you do a certain sound
as a cue that you are changing slides in a presentation, then that
is good: it gives the audience a clue that you are moving on. But
if you use a different sound for every change, then the audience
will stop listening to the content and start listening to the sounds.
If you are going to be using both
easel pads and slides or a projection system, know when you want
the audience's attention on the pad, when you want it on the screen,
and when you want it focused on you and the information. Using two
types of presentation media in presentation can be done if you are
careful and practice. Just make sure that you don't turn the room
into a tennis match causing the participants to move their heads
from one visual aide to the other.
Six: Keep the focus on the materials
You will feel more comfortable if
you know that the focus is on what you are talking about, instead
of what you are saying and how you are standing. Make sure that
you know what the point of your presentation is. Make sure that
everything you say brings the audience members closer to an understanding
of your main point.
Write down your points and address
them one at a time with the following questions:
- Does this point matter to my audience?
- Is it something the members of
the audience want or need to know?
- Will it keep them involved in the
learning?
- Will it help bring me to my final
conclusion?
If the answer is yes to every question
for every point, you have an interesting, audience-focused presentation.
You are ready for the last preparation piece.
Seven: Know your materials
The better you know what you need
to say, the less unexpected questions and occurrences will fluster
you. There are two steps to feeling comfortable with your materials.
First, realize that you know more
about what you need to say than the members of your audience. If
you don't believe this, think about the research that you did to
put together your presentation. The group in front of you starts
out with the idea that you know what you are saying. That alone
will help you keep calm.
Second, you need to practice what
you are going to say and do before you do it. You have heard the
old adage that selling a home is a matter of three things: Location,
location, and location. Well, presenting is also three things: Practice,
practice, and practice. If you feel uncomfortable with the other
six tips, practicing repeatedly will keep your material in the front
of your mind and keep you focused on it. Don't worry about over-practicing,
there is no such thing.
To Review:
Keep the following seven points in mind when you are getting ready
to give a presentation:
- Know your environment
- Relax
- Breathe
- Your audience is on your side
- Use extras wisely
- Keep your focus on the material
- Know your material and practice
it
If you do these things, your audience
will keep interested, you will be relaxed and your presentation
will be one everyone will want to hear!
