Presenting in front of other people
Presenting in front of people, is daunting.
You learn how to manage it and recognise where you feel comfortable in yourself.
2024 has presented a variety of speaking opportunities. Let me share where I find the right balance.
To me Talks and Presentations are both different things. The former is informal, and the latter is more formal. The slight fear of being asked to do a presentation could be dampened by reframing it as a talk. Or at least that is my little mind-trick to myself.
Then there is the audience. It can be even more daunting where it is a formal setting and you don’t know anyone in the crowd. It must be like a comedian doing a paid gig. Someone has decided to be in the audience. It may or may not be a paid event. You don’t want them feeling it’s a waste of their time.
If it’s a crowd that know you, they just want to hear from you, that makes it feel much more bearable.
We might not like the thought of presenting, but we can all talk, right?
The more you do, the better you get. The first few are always going to be uneasy, in your mind. It’s like the first few sacrificial burnt sausages on the BBQ, whilst the rest of the feast comes off a lot better.
I push myself to say ‘yes’ when asked, before the fear kicks in to say ‘no’. If it’s a topic, or something technical, that I don’t know enough, then I would be wasting people’s time.
Once the date is in the diary my next step is to procrastinate. I might get great soundbites in my head, but I don’t get them down into a document, which would safeguard them.
When the final date looms, there’s nothing like a deadline to get you going. My process goes something like this:
• Read what has been asked for again, and again.
• Think about how to start, the filler, and then end.
• Write down the section/slide headings
• Write all the text, any text that you think you might say. All those things that sounded good in your head whilst driving around.
• It’s a stream of consciousness, no polish.
• I then create slides and drop on images that my mind had told me they would be brilliant!
• In my head, I talk through the text I have written and step through the slides
• It’s an iterative process to get to something that sounds what I want to convey
• The big thing I have learned is the need to literally stand up and talk out loud what I have so far
• I still don’t like the sound of my voice. I feel awkward.
• I start off using the script, but knowing it won’t be what actually comes out my mouth on the day. But you need to start with something.
• Repeat until you get really comfortable with it.
• What I have found is that on the day of the talk, it tends to just flow once you get going.
• Also, the audience will never know what you missed off
You can then practice in the car, just walking about the house, keep moving to feel more natural. Accept that each one is you getting better and better.
Presenting isn’t about eliminating nerves, but about embracing the process, finding your own rhythm and stepping up despite the discomfort. Confidence is built over time and the more you share your voice, the more you’ll discover the power in owning your space.
