Being nervous before any major presentation is a normal thing. However, some people end up having a panic attack by merely thinking of standing in front of a crowd. Read these effective presentation tips and learn how to overcome your anxiety.
1. Get Familiar with the Room and Its Setup
Familiarize yourself with the surroundings and get to know the seminar room. Check out the setup ahead of time and envision yourself talking to a room full of people. Imagine a large audience before you to anticipate any stressful situations that may come up.
2. Calm Down Before the Presentation
Take a deep breath before stepping on to the stage and calm yourself down. Think of something that calms you down and focuses all your energy on that. Try forgetting that you will be talking to a crowd and focus on your breathing. Try to get comfortable and feel confident enough to talk to people in a public place.
3. Know Your Topic
Know the topic you will be discussing and the content you will share. The fact that you know what you will be addressing boosts your confidence. This will make you stand in front of the audience and be ready to deliver the content. Additionally, you will be confident when answering any questions because you know all the details about the topic.
4. Keep Practicing
One of the simple ways of dealing with presentation anxiety is practicing your speech until you know all the words. Talk in front of your friends and family and let them tell you how you are presenting the topic. You can practice your speech and body language in front of a mirror to boost your confidence and be knowledgeable about your topic.
5. Get Organized
Be organized and have all content prepared beforehand. Get all the information for your presentation ready, and be sure that everything works great and you are prepared. This will reduce the chances of making mistakes on stage and will make you feel comfortable when presenting.
6. Focus on your Content
One way to learn how to overcome a fear of speaking in meetings is to learn how to focus on your content and not on the audience. Most people focus on the audience and end up being nervous and forgetting what they were presenting, and they end up doing an awful job. Put all your energy on the content you are presenting and be confident in doing so.
7. Don’t Be Afraid of a Silent Moment
When you forget what to say, or how to continue with the speech, a moment of silence to collect yourself isn’t all bad. Pause and take a deep breath and think of what to say next. Most likely, your audience won’t notice the silent moment and will appreciate a moment to take in what you have been saying. Be confident when you face such a moment and do not panic.
8. Engage Your Audience
Having a monologue can be nerve-wracking and can increase your stage anxiety. Try engaging your audience and allowing them to participate in the topic. Make your presentation to be more like dialogue, as this will eliminate the nervousness you feel and allow you to relax. Additionally, this will make your audience be alert and listen to your speech.
9. Visualize Your Success
Learn presentation fear management by visualizing your success and imagining that the speech went perfectly. Try seeing yourself after the presentation and feeling that you had a great time. This will boost your confidence and help you reach your potential. It also allows you to be able to talk with the audience. Seeing yourself as successful allows you to know that you can do it and this reduces the stress you might be having.
10. Avoid Caffeine and Alcohol
Taking caffeine to get rid of your nerves is not a great idea. Caffeine increases your heart rate and makes you sweat a lot. This might give your audience the impression that you are nervous even when you are not. Taking alcohol can cause slurred speech and increase your chances of forgetting what you have to say.
About the author:
Maryn is a passionate blogger and artist who loves sharing her views related to healthcare and self-improvement. She currently writes for E88 Bangkok, the creative space where you can hatch the ideas, spark your business as well as build up a network. As a person who is sometimes struggling with depression and anxiety, Maryn never stops finding her ways to improve the balance of both physical and mental health.
Photo by NeONBRAND on Unsplash
The opinions and views expressed in this guest blog do not necessarily reflect those of www.rtor.org or its sponsor, Laurel House, Inc. The author and www.rtor.org have no affiliations with any products or services mentioned in this article or linked to herein.
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I have most of the symtoms described under Catalonia, but so many of the health proffesionals don’t know what it it is. I’Even in hospital settings nurses and drs. Think I’m just being uncooperative. I just recently had to be taken to hospital, and one of the EMS the men that wheeled me in to the emergency room said he thought I was as just “playing possum! It’ so disturbing to me that even if I didn’t deal with depression and emotion issues, that would certainly add to it. What to do seems impossible to me, since I recently spent 5 wks in the hospital.any suggestions on to do ?