{"id":3885,"date":"2019-03-18T11:59:58","date_gmt":"2019-03-18T11:59:58","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.stl-training.co.uk\/b\/?p=3885"},"modified":"2023-12-31T01:54:13","modified_gmt":"2023-12-31T01:54:13","slug":"get-rid-of-presentation-nerves","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.stl-training.co.uk\/b\/get-rid-of-presentation-nerves\/","title":{"rendered":"How to get rid of nerves during your Presentation"},"content":{"rendered":"

You are not alone!<\/strong><\/h4>\n

It\u2019s time to stand up in front of your clients, customers, business partners, project team or training delegates to convey everything you know to an audience. They will be hanging on your every word.<\/p>\n

Maybe you are contemplating a job interview or have been persuaded to make a speech at a wedding reception to hundreds of guests.<\/p>\n

So why are you shaking, scared, sweating, feeling ill, or even losing sleep?<\/p>\n

Perhaps you fear making mistakes, forgetting what to say or losing your train of thought. Could it be the possibility of an aggressive audience \u2018grilling\u2019 you; \u2018picking holes\u2019 in your argument, not liking you, not laughing at your jokes or being unable to answer their probing questions?<\/p>\n

\"Presentation<\/p>\n

Don\u2019t be afraid! It\u2019s not just you.<\/strong><\/h4>\n

Firstly, we all<\/strong> possess the fight or flight response which stems from the amygdala in our brain, detecting fear of things out of our control and our emotions, including anxiety.<\/p>\n

Secondly, The Book of Lists\u00a0reports the Top Ten Human Fears as:<\/p>\n

    \n
  1. Speaking before a Group<\/strong><\/li>\n
  2. Heights<\/li>\n
  3. Insects and bugs<\/li>\n
  4. Financial problems<\/li>\n
  5. Deep water<\/li>\n
  6. Sickness<\/li>\n
  7. Death<\/strong><\/li>\n
  8. Flying<\/li>\n
  9. Loneliness<\/strong><\/li>\n
  10. Dogs<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    As Jay Leno quipped, \u201cI guess we\u2019d rather be in the casket than delivering the eulogy.\u201d<\/p>\n

    Public speaking is\u00a0also the number-one fear for Americans, with\u00a0death\u00a0at number five, and loneliness at seven, which could mean that most are less\u00a0afraid\u00a0of dying alone than making fools of themselves in front of others<\/strong>. Further facts and figures<\/a> about public speaking show just how widespread this fear is.<\/p>\n

    So, what can you do about it?<\/strong><\/h4>\n

    In my experience as a seasoned trainer and teacher, the key to efficient,<\/a> successful presenting<\/a> is preparation. Unless I am fully knowledgeable about my topic (for example attending presentation skills training London<\/a>), with associated notes and visuals and have made time to practise my delivery, I invariably suffer from nerves.<\/p>\n

    To improve your performance, prepare thoroughly;<\/strong><\/h4>\n
      \n
    • Establish a clear purpose; what do you want your audience to Do, Decide or Know?<\/li>\n
    • Research your topic; consolidate key facts and figures<\/li>\n
    • Find out about your audience; their background, knowledge and experience<\/li>\n
    • Anticipate 5-10 \u2018killer\u2019 questions that could arise; include responses in your presentation to reduce the prospect of being challenged by a hostile attendee.<\/li>\n
    • Assemble notes and visuals<\/li>\n
    • Give yourself time to set up in advance and check any technology on your stage<\/li>\n
    • Consider techniques such as mindfulness and visualisation to relax and calm your nerves<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

      \"Prevent<\/p>\n

      Practise repeatedly <\/strong><\/p>\n

        \n
      • Rehearse your opening \u2018Hook\u2019 to capture attention from the outset and learn it off by heart. Rhetorical questions or shocking statements can make people sit up and take notice<\/li>\n
      • Deliver with a strong voice, assertive tone and varied intonation; don\u2019t forget to breathe<\/li>\n
      • Display confident body language, posture and appropriate gestures<\/li>\n
      • Share eye contact with the whole audience; smile occasionally<\/li>\n
      • Finish strongly with a Clear, Relevant & Memorable message for the audience to take away.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

        Finally, remember that you are \u2018on stage\u2019 on merit and, for the duration of this presentation, you are the boss!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

        You are not alone! It\u2019s time to stand up in front of your clients, customers, business partners, project team or training delegates to convey everything you know to an audience. They will be hanging on your every word. Maybe you are contemplating a job interview or have been persuaded to make a speech at a […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[638,633,636],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-3885","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-professional-management","category-professional-development","category-soft-skills"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.stl-training.co.uk\/b\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3885","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.stl-training.co.uk\/b\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.stl-training.co.uk\/b\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.stl-training.co.uk\/b\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.stl-training.co.uk\/b\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3885"}],"version-history":[{"count":6,"href":"https:\/\/www.stl-training.co.uk\/b\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3885\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":5011,"href":"https:\/\/www.stl-training.co.uk\/b\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3885\/revisions\/5011"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.stl-training.co.uk\/b\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3885"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.stl-training.co.uk\/b\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3885"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.stl-training.co.uk\/b\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3885"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}