Presentation fear: Stop making it about you.

It’s believed that 75% of the population is affected by a fear of public speaking.  So how can you dampen that fear down. 

Here are 7 tips to try out.

1)    Make it about your audience:

Your audience has shown up for a reason.  Most likely to receive helpful information.  So how can you help them absorb that information.   

Keep it simple. Are your charts easy to read, do they have a clear and impactful headlines?

Visualize your audience as people you’re engaging in an interesting conversation. 

2)      Breathing:

Breath and try the power pose.  When no one is watching try out the “superman/girl power pose” with feet apart and arms on your hips. 

Then combine with long breathing.  In through the nose for 3-4 seconds, hold 3-4 secs, breath out 3-4 secs and hold for 3-4 seconds.  Repeat that loop 3-4 times and see how you feel. 

3)      Body grounding:

Ground your body by placing your feet flat on the ground.   Especially if you are sitting.  Do not nervously let your foot/toes tap up and down.   

4)      Rehearse & Converse:

“Rehearse, rehearse, rehearse”. 

And absolutely DON’T try and memorize. 

You can write speaker notes but then go back and highlight a few key words. Then practice speaking by glancing only at those key words as they are meant to be triggers to your memory.

5)      Envision future you:

Think about the presenter you want to become in the future.  What do you look like?  Give the picture visual and emotional details.  

Picture this frequently as your brain listens to your thoughts as if they were real. 

6)      Post assessment:

What did you do well.  What are things you would like to improve for “future you”.   Keep it constructive.

In Summary: quelling presentation fear = focus on audience impact + breath + rehearse + converse + envision future you