Here are seven steps that will help you over come nerves and build confidence as a presenter.
(1) Preparation: Remember, if you have researched and prepared your subject thoroughly, YOU are the expert, YOU know about the subject.
The one eyed man is King in the land of the blind.
(2) Practise: The first four minutes of your presentation will be when you gt most attention from your audience and is the tine when you will feel most nervous, so take time to rehearse this part of your presentation thoroughly.
(3) Prepare yourself physically: breathe deeply from your diaphragm and relax your muscles. Practise a relaxed standing posture and control your hand movements. Be aware of how your body feels when it is relaxed. The link between mind and body is strong – by relaxing physically you can convince your mind into believing you are at ease, and the numbing effect of nervousness can be lessened.
(4) Model Excellence: think of someone you know who is a proficient presenter. It might be someone you work with, a former colleague or event some you know outside work. When you are with them observe what they do:
· How to they behave when doing a presentation
· What do they look like physically while they are doing it?
· How do they sound?
· What feelings do they show?
· What would you need to believe to be true to act in this way?
Now try to model your behaviour on theirs. Practise till you feel comfortable. You may want to ask them more questions to understand how they are successful:
· What do they think about or visualise when they are doing it?
· How do they feel?
· What makes them want to do it?
When you have the answers to these questions, think about how this information applies to you. Conjure up your own version of pictures they see, their thoughts and states of mind, and practise presenting in your own way, using what you have learnt from them. In what way does it feel different? The goal is not to be like them but to learn from them.
(5) Self Talk: We all have an inner dialogue with ourselves. We talk to ourselves throughout each day about what we are experiencing and what we should do. Sometimes we talk ourselves down. We undermine our confidence and capability by telling ourselves we can’t do things, even when this may not be true.
Recognise that this happens to you and counter it by:
· Reminding yourself of the times when you have spoken confidently in other situations.
· Telling yourself what you can do.
· Telling yourself that if it goes wrong you can adjourn and come back later.
· Identifying the consequences – usually you will be better off after tackling a difficult situation – you certainly won’t be worse off.
(6) Visualisation: to displace unhelpful self talk, replay an occasion where you presented confidently as if it was a video clip in your mind. Dissociate yourself, and run the video clip again as if you were watching yourself in action, giving a confident, polished performance. How do you look? What body movement and gestures are you using? How does your voice sound? What are you feeling? Hold on to the picture, sound and feeling and mentally transfer them to you now. This is the state you want when you are presenting, and YOU CAN DO IT.
(7) Anticipation: most stress is caused by anticipation, so minimise surprises by speaking to your audience individually as they come into the room.
Taking action is key to improving. Remeber the fastest way to raise your reputation and visibilty at work is to become a confident and competant presenter.
Here’s to your success,
Hilary
PS More great tips at www.getnoticedatwork.com
