Volume 5, Issue 9 - September 2004

How to make your next presentation go swimmingly
(and keep yourself from drowning)

Chances are, you never planned to become a public speaker. When it came to making presentations when you were in grade school, you were probably like most people and dreaded those days, maybe even skipping class to avoid them. Now that you are grown, you may be doing such a good job at work that you are asked to talk about it to others.

The best way to learn anything is to do it. You can read every book about swimming, but until you actually get into the water, you won't know if you can do it or not. Making presentations is like learning to swim. You perfect your speaking abilities through practice, the same way you get to be a great swimmer.

As president of CAPS (Canadian Association of Professional Speakers - www.canadianspeakers.org), I've thought a lot about how to help people jump into the deep end of the "public speaking pool." Here, then, are three key tips to prevent you from drowning.

TIP ONE: Meet and greet
Most people tell me they don't mind speaking one-on-one, but speaking to a group practically kills them. Remember, an audience is just a group of individuals. If you'll take the time to meet a few of the individuals before you start to speak, public speaking can be a series of one-to-one conversations. Search out the friendly faces you met earlier; look them in the eyes and chat. The audience really does not want you to fail. So, find a friendly face (or two or three) and have a conversation with that person.

TIP TWO: Use your adrenaline
Do you know what the antidote is for excess adrenaline? Oxygen. When we get very nervous, we tend to hold our breath. If you start your presentation by taking a great big breath and try to get through the entire presentation on that one breath, it will a) sound terrible; b) look terrible; and c) potentially kill you. If you are holding your breath, you are not sending enough oxygen to your brain.

Stand at the back of the room during your introduction and concentrate on breathing deeply. When you're called to the front, stride purposefully to the podium. Stop, breathe deeply and take a moment to connect with the audience. When you're ready, begin. If necessary, write the word breathe at the top of your notes.

TIP THREE: Keep your butterflies on the inside
In spite of the tremendous temptation to do so, do not tell your audience how nervous you are! "I'm sooo nervous," many speakers say. What is the audience thinking? "Oh good, I get to watch someone die on stage today." They can't see your knees shaking - and within about three minutes that will stop, anyway. Just keep talking to one person at a time and soon your breath will come under control, your hands will stop shaking and your natural expressiveness will come shining through.

These first three tips will get you through a short presentation, or through the difficult stage of a long presentation. After that, the hard work you've done on the content of your speech will keep your audience interested and informed, and that will be enough to get you safely back to shore.

Rhonda Scharf (Finniss), CSP is a Certified Professional Speaker, Trainer and Author and President of ON THE RIGHT TRACK - Training & Consulting. Rhonda is available for training and keynote speeches for your organization. Call today at (877) 213-8608 or e-mail Rhonda@on-the-right-track.com. Why not take a moment and sign up here for her complimentary quarterly newsletter.