Do you need to give a presentation, perhaps for a class, or at work, but you get nervous while up front? Or maybe you're needing to do an important pitch or proposal, but the thought of standing and speaking before a group petrifies you.
If so, you're not alone.
About 73% of the population deals with this fear. According to the National Social and Anxiety Center, it's the most "common phobia ahead of death, spiders, or heights."
Yikes.
That's why this is super important. You see, learning how to give a public presentation is one of the most valuable skills a professional person can develop.
Why?
Because you are a representing the idea that you want to be supported. Or you're representing the company. At the very least, you're representing yourself. If you do a horrible job and come across as nervous, you'll lose credibility and ultimately, lose that opportunity.
But if you do well, people will have confidence in you, your idea, or your company. That's why this is so essential.
In my time as a pastor, I've delivered well over 500 public presentations, messages, or sermons. I don't really distinguish between presentations of a spiritual nature and non-spiritual nature, because I'm here addressing fundamental keys of communication. These are things I've learned in the trenches, by doing it, and I want to share some of them with you.
1. Plan what you're going to say by writing out a manuscript
Yes, write out everything you plan to say. All. Of. It. This is where most of the magic happens. As you're writing, new ideas will come to you. Better words will come to you. And then refine ruthlessly.
This is the process that separates the men from the boys and the women from the girls. Most people don't want to put in the work, but this is where it matters the most. This is what will make you sound prepared and feel confident.
You'll want to do this if it's a 30-minute presentation or even a 2-minute presentation. There's never a negative for sounding prepared. But there is much to pay if you sound unprepared.
2. Internalize, but don't memorize your content
This is huge. Confidence in a presentation stems from knowing your material inside and out. In this post, I talk about why we use the word "um" in presentations so often, and it's because we're unprepared; we're searching for the right word to say.
Never memorize. If you do and you forget one word, it will throw you off completely. This is not a movie script. You're not playing a part. Don't memorize. Instead, internalize. What you should know well is the main outline of your presentation.
And if you need to, you can have that outline in front of you. That's ok.
By the way, the reason why this is also important is that you're not always given the amount of time you were promised. You may have been told you have 30 minutes, but the program is running late and minutes before you go up, the stage manager whispers to you, hey, we're needing to cut your time. You now only have 15 minutes. So sorry. But good luck!
If you've only written a manuscript, you're in trouble, because you won't be able to easily pivot. You'll feel like it's all absolutely necessary. But if you have an outline, you'll know how to condense and expand on the fly.
3. After you've written the manuscript, convert it to an outline
You'll practice and internalize with the manuscript. And then you'll practice and internalize with the outline. Never bring the manuscript up with you. Never. It will serve as a tremendous crutch and you'll use it. You'll look down all the time, which kills your connection with people.
Instead, just bring up an outline, if necessary. That way, you won't be tempted to look down on the manuscript. You know where you're going, and you can go there while maintaining contact with the audience.
In a future post, I'll go into dynamics of writing a clear presentation. Super important.
4. Practice, practice, practice
Yes, even if it's a 2-minute presentation. I've spent hours writing and practicing a 2-minute presentation. The more you practice, the more the sections will go into muscle memory. Practice is what gives you the deep confidence. In a future post, I'll do deeper into principles of practicing.
5. Arrive early to where you'll be presenting
If you can, walk the stage beforehand alone. Get a feel for the space. Imagine the people. Get comfortable up there. And if you can, practice your presentation there. This will greatly help to lessen your sense of nervousness.
6. Look at the people
This is before you even begin. Most of the time, as a guest speaker, you're seated on the front row. Your back is facing the audience until it's your time to speak. What often happens is that, when the speaker first gets on stage and looks at the people for the first time, a surge of nervousness sets in because he or she is now looking at a bunch of strangers for the first time.
Don't do that.
Instead, be there early. If you can, greet people as they're coming into the space. Shake some hands around you. But if you're not able to do that, at the very least, start to look behind you every so often. Familiarize yourself with some of the faces. That way, when you get up, you won't be looking at strangers.
7. Don't hold anything in your hands
When people get nervous their hands shake. It's a thing. That's why it's important to not hold anything in your hands if necessary. Whenever I speak anywhere, if it's in a large context, I always tell them I need a lapel or face mic. I never hold a microphone.
8. Take a deep breath as you're getting up
Already as you're getting up to go on stage, your heartbeat rises and your breaths become shorter. Less oxygen is coming inside of you. When you first turn around and see all the people, especially if you haven't been practicing the other principles, there will be a noticeable shortness of breath.
Instead, as you know your time is near, take some deep slow breaths. As the time arrives and you're walking to the podium, breath in slowly and have a full breath inside of you as you begin your first word. That way, you'll be able to get out your first sentence or two before you need to breathe again.
9. Smile
For most people, nervousness creates seriousness—a deer-in-the-headlights kind of look. It's not pretty and hurts your credibility. Remember: you can't separate the messenger from the message. I first need to believe in you as the speaker.
So smile. Don't fake it. Be genuinely excited to be there. You have something great to share. They want to hear it. They came. In some cases, they paid to be there. So smile.
10. Listen and watch yourself later
This is an advanced tip, but it's one that professional speakers like John Maxwell use. I know, they make it look easy. But, as Oliver Wendell Holmes said, what we're looking for is "simplicity on the other side of complexity." In other words, making something look simple takes a lot of work.
So listen back to yourself. If it was recorded, watch yourself. As you do that, you'll notice little distracting things you do. Maybe you make unpleasant faces. Maybe you pace distractingly from side to side. Whatever it is, you won't realize until someone else reveals it to you; and that someone else usually ends up being a camera.
Put these principles into practice, and you'll do way better in your next presentation.
I promise.
So what do you think? Have you ever needed to give a public presentation or speech? How did it go? Any questions for me? Let me know in the comments below.
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[image by Markus Spiske]