Do you hate presenting? You’re not alone if you do.
One reason is that you feel you are being judged. And according to a recent YouGov survey, that’s true. The survey lists the mistakes that presenters make in the UK – as judged by their colleagues.
Worst mistakes made by colleagues in a presentation, according to the survey, are:
- Not being prepared enough: 42%
- Speaking for too long: 42%
- Speaking too quickly: 41%
- Not speaking clearly enough: 40%
- Relying too much on a slideshow: 31%
- Not having a clear point: 30%
- Not being enthusiastic enough: 29%
- Not acknowledging the audience: 22%
Big lack of confidence in public speakers
The same survey also revealed how many people lack confidence:
- 51% of UK adults are not confident in their own public speaking skills
- Of people whose jobs require giving presentations or talks, 22% lack confidence.
Reluctant presenter? Take note
If you are a reluctant presenter, you probably avoid presenting and public speaking. When you do it you play safe with downcast eyes and reading your notes. Maybe you scuttle off the platform as soon as you have finished.
Playing safe in this way backfires. It ensures we all know you are not at ease and your body language reveals it. People won’t listen attentively to what you say because your awkwardness grabs their attention instead.
Change your mindset
It’s your mindset about presenting that holds you back, letting your thoughts race away with scary imaginings. But change your mindset about presenting, and the whole event immediately looks more positive and manageable.
Helping people change their mindset is what I love to do because it makes an enormous difference to performance. There are many ways to do it and here’s my personal favourite because it works well for me when I’m nervous.
Tip. Change “I’m nervous” to “I’m excited” and see the difference it makes to your mindset. So simple but, if you let it, this makes an enormous difference to your attitude. Then notice what happens when you replace “I’m excited about this presentation” to “I’m excited about this opportunity”.
Get rid of the signs
Body language, or non-verbal communication, will always be a key part of a presentation when all eyes are on you. Pen twiddling, foot shuffling, paper waving – all these things indicate nervousness.
Tip. Follow this 3-step process to rid yourself of nervous habits:
- Become aware of the tics (through video or a friend’s feedback)
- Master and eliminate them all
- Focus on what you are saying and meaning what you say.
Once you have removed these nervous tics with this process, you may not feel confident on the inside but you will appear much more confident to your listeners.
Positive body language
Tip. Now replace the nervous tics with confident body language. Here are 3 examples:
- Good eye contact. Looking at your audience engages them. Show your passion for your subject through your eyes. Include all the listeners, otherwise the ones you ignore (on your left, say) feel excluded and switch off. Looking at your audience also shows you when they are getting bored so you can add something to wake them up.
- Confident posture. This is a win-win. It conveys confidence to your audience, and also to you. Test this in front of the mirror: stand up and think of something really depressing. Your body will slump. Now imagine something exciting, energising and enjoyable. Your body will straighten up and you’ll look confident. Use the latter when you present.
- Hold something but not an A4 piece of paper. If you need notes, write them on cards because they are more discreet – no noise and smaller, so they don’t wave distractingly in front of your face. If you’re worried about what to do with empty hands, hold a pen or flip chart marker in one hand. It gives you something to grip and you’ll look more natural.
Once you have improved your non-verbal communication, focus on what to say. Follow our next blog post to read how to manage content better. To be continued…
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