IF YOU DO THIS, YOU WILL OVERCOME PUBLIC PRESENTATION ANXIETY

 Imagine the hall for your speech is on fire and you were able to rush to the stage to shout directions to your audience. Will you be anxious about what to say? Will you be thinking about your look? Obviously not.  But why?

   You have actually conquered self-consciousness because you have an important message, not just to you but to your audience. The value of what you need to say drives out all thoughts of fear.

What can we learn from this?

                               

               Have something

               to say.

     Even if you are an experienced public speaker, don’t make the  mistake of not preparing well for your speech hoping a miracle will happen. Sure a miracle will happen. The nearest unimportant thought will fill the vacuum. Loads of questions will keep running through your mind as you speak. You start wondering; what will I say next? How do I look? Then you conclude, I know I will fail and you are already failing.

            Love and understand

            the importance of

                 what you say.

    When preparing your speech, ask yourself what does my audience stand to benefit from this? What do they already know about this topic and how can I help them further. If you love what you say and add value to it, you gain full concentration and mastery over yourself and your audience. Please remember that you should be more concerned about the thoughts you are conveying to your audience and less about the specific words you use.

 

               Make your presentation 

                    conversational

     

     You don’t have to fear your audience because they want your presentation to be a success as much as you do. Before you say any word, pause briefly and make eye contact with some individuals in the audience while smiling. A reciprocated smile will put you at ease. Also throughout your speech, speak to individuals not the whole audience and don’t pay too much attention to frowning faces. Try to speak slowly and clearly. If you treat your presentation as a conversation you will be able to control your anxiety.

            

             Begin with the

           end in mind.

     Albert Einstein once said “imagination is more important than knowledge”. There’s something all great speakers and in extension all successful people in their various careers have in common- they possess the power of imagination. They see success even before attaining it. So as you give the final touch of preparation to your speech, imagine yourself giving an excellent speech, see yourself holding the attention of your entire audience. Ask yourself positive questions. Instead of asking yourself what if I fail to give a good presentation. Ask yourself how will it be if I give a incredible presentation? Close your eyes and envision the quietness in the room as they listen to you. Then see them giving you a standing ovation. This is not just wishful thinking, it works! And it has worked for me several times.

So what’s the point of all I have been saying? This is the point:

TALK ABOUT WHAT YOU LOVE, UNDERSTAND AND KNOW THE IMPORTANCE OF YOUR SPEECH, PREPARE WELL, BE CONVERSATIONAL  AND EXPECT SUCCESS BEFORE YOU GET IT.