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Are you a little nervous when the time approaches where you have to deliver a presentation to an audience?

I guess you’re reading this article because perhaps you may feel slightly nervous or uncomfortable when having to stand up and present to a group of people. Or maybe you’re quite at home speaking to an audience but perhaps will like to develop your presentation skills further. And whichever bracket you fall into, read on 🙂

These feelings may be familiar to you: the flushed cheeks; the sensation of your heart thumping vigorously in your chest; that horrid feeling of nervousness and butterflies in your belly. Perhaps you’re sweating slightly and begin to worry about what could go wrong. What will the audience think?  What if I fluff up my lines? What if I forget or can’t think of what to say? Oh my, those feelings of anxiety say it all. These feelings can be present whether you are merely thinking of speaking to an audience or when you are due to deliver a presentation and the nearer the time comes the more uncomfortable you feel. Or they can happen when you are at the venue and you are due to go to speak at any minute.

You see, the thing is that public speaking nerves is a fear that afflicts many people. It doesn’t matter whether you speak to groups of people frequently or not. Or whether you are confident in other areas of life or not. It is a common fear and can cause many people to break out in a sweat at the mere thought of it.

You may experience this feeling of nervousness in the following scenarios:-

 

  • When delivering a presentation to a large or small audience in a business context
  • When presenting a keynote speech at a conference
  • When chairing a meeting at work
  • During the presentation of your ‘minute’ or a longer talk at a networking group
  • When introducing yourself to the group in a class, workshop or seminar
  • During an interview

These feelings can happen in any situation where the attention is solely on you and you are the central focus in a group of people.

The truth of the matter is that these fears are usually unfounded. What’s the worst that can happen? Feel free to do a little exercise. Take a sheet of paper and then write down the things that could go wrong (or what you think are the worst case scenarios). Then after you’ve written everything down, rip up the paper and throw it in the bin. Now take another sheet of paper and write down positive outcomes around what you could achieve from presenting with clarity, ease and confidence without any major nerves and notice how that feels? Quite different I would imagine. It’s simply about re-programming your mind to respond differently to the idea of presenting to groups of people.

Getting over public speaking nerves is easier than you may think. Becoming a confident and charismatic presenter can open up so many avenues and opportunities for you…. more confidence and credibility, more clients, more job offers, more business and increased income. Does that sound good?  I would imagine that the answer would be a resounding ‘yes’!

To grow your confidence around public speaking, feel free to request our FREE mini e-course by inputting your details in the opt-in box to the right and press ‘subscribe’ and we will be delighted to assist you!

In the meantime, have a lovely week and talk soon.

Desi x