Ever visited a haunted house, watched a horror flick, or read a Stephen King novel? Being scared is big business this time of year. While we might seek a bit of Halloween-inspired fear, it’s no fun to feel scared when presenting.
If approaching the podium makes your knees shake and heart race, adopt these strategies to manage your nerves:
Get Organized – The more organized you are, the less anxious you’ll feel. Develop an outline of your presentation – and don’t forget the opening. Research tells us our nerves are at their peak 30 seconds in. Nail the opening and watch the goblins disappear.
Get Practicing – We like to say it takes three or four practice runs before an authentic presenter shows up in their own presentation. Those first run throughs are focused on content, delivery and working out the kinks. Don’t let your audience lose out on connecting with the real you – get those practice runs in before the big day.
Get Feedback – Want a quick way to get feedback from the audience before you present? Grab a smart phone or iPad, and record your practice presentations. The camera doesn’t lie and lets you know what the audience sees. Try turning the volume down and just watching your body language.
Put these presentation strategies into action to manage your nerves, and save the scream-worthy scares for haunted houses and horror flicks!
