Having Control

Before Your Presentation

Presenting in front of a group of people will become less intimidating if you simply prepare yourself ahead of time and also run through your presentation several times. Getting involved with the audience and avoiding surprises will ease the stress, and tension. Below are tips to follow for a smooth beginning.

Prepare thoroughly: An effective presentation is to carefully research and study your topic broadly. People, who often try to make up information on the spot, tend to get nervous, and experience the worst presentation.

Rehearse repeatedly:  When rehearsing, practice the entire presentation, and not just the first half. When doing a PowerPoint presentation, print out and make use of speaker’s notes to enhance your presentation.  Use of transitional sentences while practicing will help you move into a new topic in a more efficient manner. The best way to rehearse is in front of a mirror when alone, in front of a friend, or family member.

Time yourself: Timing of your presentation is essential.  The attention of an audience is extremely important. Therefore, set the timing accordingly to audience interest. Setting kitchen timer to a specific time is helpful in letting you know that your time is up.  PowerPoint has a useful function called "Rehearse Timings" in the slide show that tracks the length of your presentation as you talk and practice.

Check the room and equipment’s: When technical equipment’s such as a computer, a projector, or sound equipment are involved, check to see if they are operational and ready to be used in advance. For an effective presentation, it is very important for you to know ahead of time where the electrical outlets are for the use of your electrical equipment's.

Let me know how your presentation went!

Reference:

Mary Ellen Guffey, D. L. (2011). Business Communication Process & Product. Toronto: South-Western Cengage Learning.

Stage Fright!

Having stage fright is a common factor for most human being.  It’s a reaction in your body, which starts to feel nervous, shaky, or even completely drained from the thought of performing in front of a large crowd, just staring at you.

Stage Fright

However, it is not a disease or illness which cannot be cured, so do not worry because there are plenty of ways and tricks to overcome stage fright.  Stage fright is natural and can be controlled. All it takes is for your mind and body to be calm, and relaxed.  Going with the flow is essential. Also, accepting the fact that things can go wrong is important because the audience don’t know any better until you show it through your facial expression that you have made a mistake. It is absolutely normal to make mistakes as everyone does. The most important thing to remember is that it is not about you! Audiences are not interested in you physically, but in what it is that you are presenting. We have a total control over our mind, how it thinks, and responds. Train it to react in a positive way.