If you have to deliver a presentation or speech to a group of people, there is no doubt that your number one enemy is coping with nerves. In surveys into people's fears, standing up and speaking in public consistently comes out as the number one fear!
I have trained people in public speaking for over 20 years and would like to share with you the most effective strategies to control your nerves.
Firstly, you must accept that you can't get rid of the nerves completely. Nor would you want to. Being a good public speaker is about being yourself, but a little bit 'larger than life'. The nerves, if kept under control, help you to achieve this.
Secondly, you need to accept that you never look as nervous as you feel. When I first started presenting I suffered terribly from nerves. I thought that this was a real problem for me, as when I watched other people presenting, they didn't look nearly as nervous as I felt when I presented. It took me a little while to realise that they were probably just as nervous as me. You can feel your own nerves (you are aware of what is going on inside you), but you can't see inside other people.
So, how did I get my nerves under control?
The biggest leap was in realising that my strategy to deliver a talk was a prime contributor. Like many others, I became obsessed with getting my words right, so that I said what I planned to say and didn't dry up or get in a muddle. If you adopt this strategy, you are inviting extreme nervousness. Think about how you normally communicate with people. You do not plan the words you are going to say before you say them. What you do, is plan the points you are going to make and then let the words look after themselves. A subtle but significant difference. You have been speaking since you were one year old, you can manage the words! Concentrating on the words you are going to use gives you mission imposslble - your short term memory can not possibly cope. The only way you can get all of the words absolutely right is to read your speech - a strategy that is almost guaranteed to send your audience to sleep!
This problem is compounded if you try to deliver your messages using abstract, complex language. You must have witnessed presentations like this. The speaker delivers a 'verbal' written report. It's virtually impossible to listen to.
The solution is therefore obvious.
1. Concentrate on the key messages you want to deliver and the order you want to deliver them in. Forget about the words you will use. After all, if you miss a bit out, the audience will never know - because they don't know what you are going to say. Use a small prompt sheet with just a few key words written on it to guide you through your key messages.
2. Use ordinary everyday language. You do this all of the time when you are communicating with others so why abandon it when you are delivering a presentation? Do not attempt to deliver a talking written report. Keep it simple and use real examples or stories to illustrate your key messages. Imagine your audience as reasonably bright 13 year olds and you'll get the language about right.
For most people, doing this is a giant leap, but once made you'll feel much calmer about delivering presentations and maybe even start to enjoy the experience!
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