How To Overcome Fear While Giving A Presentation ?
Speaking in front of a group of people is a frightening prospect for most people. The familiar feeling of butterflies in the stomach, cold sweat breaking out on forehead and the sudden cotton-wool mouth are terrifying experiences any speaker would have experienced at some point in his or her life and make yourself confident while presenting. It always amazes to see the way brilliant orators speak Presenting one’s ideas for maximum impact to a bunch of judgmental minds is not a walk in the park.
1. Admit that You are Nervous
As crazy as that sounds, admitting to your audience that you are slightly nervous actually breaks the ice. Joke about how nervous you are.This will help them accept you as human and forgive you room for any mistakes that you may make while on the presentation.
2. View Your Audience Differently
View your audience in a way that will help you relax. Think of them as long-lost friends, fellow students or colleagues. This will wire your mind to speak to them on that level and you will appear warm and friendly to the audience.
3. Use Visual Aids
Make your Power point slides visually appealing and colorful to read. But, do not read every point off the slides. Use them as starting points only and elaborate on them.You can also pass hand-outs amongst your audience that will help them grasp the core of your presentation.
4. Make Intentional Mistakes
Inject some humor into your presentation by making “mistakes” and then joking about them. This is especially helpful when the presentation is about a serious topic.Some lightness in the atmosphere revives the audience and keeps their attention to you.
5. Choose One Person to Speak to
It is frightening to have to speak to a body of silent people and have them gaze at you with expressionless to questioning eyes. To avoid situations like these, choose a member of the audience and address your question to that person. Assume that nobody else is listening to what you are saying.If you are asked a question, pay sole attention to the questioner and respond in such a way as if only you two are present in the room.Also make yourself a super good Confident person.
6. Air Your Personal Thoughts
A presentation that does not offer something new is no different than the presentation given by the next person. Your audience understandably does not want to hear about same things over and over again. Let them know your take on things. Offer your personal opinion and do remember to back it up with a valid justification. Although your opinions should be prepared in advance, introduce them in the presentation in such a manner that it appears that you just thought of them on the spur of the moment. This will grab the attention of your audience and make them sit up.
7. Experiment with Human Behavior
However, it isn’t all that difficult, when given a complete understanding on the subject.In the following paragraphs, we present some tips to increase your patience and also to overcome fear while giving a presentation.
Most important tip to keep in mind while giving a presentation is not to follow every rule in the book. Have some fun shaking things up. Try new approaches to engage your audience or make them laugh. Research different ways to make your presentations interactive.You could even put your thinking cap on and figure out something new that will infuse life into your presentation – something nobody has ever tried before. Who knows – you may become the next self-help guru!
Public speaking does not have to be the demon in your life. Remember that in order to be successful, you will need to speak in public and also motivate you to succeed . And you may be required to speak very often! With practice, experience, and a little will power, you will soon be on the path to giving the most engaging and lively presentations.
