A few months ago I decided to make a speech in front of my family at my 40th birthday party. Being a seasoned presenter, I was surprised how nervous I felt leading up to it…although not so surprised, now that I have reviewed my strategy! Here are two mistakes I made, which you could avoid:
- Tell everyone how much you are dreading presenting. Every time you have a conversation either with other people or in your head, you are mentally rehearsing and unconsciously programming yourself…either positively or negatively!
- Recognise when you need a Coach! When I rehearsed my presentation it triggered negative feelings. I used EFT (Emotional Freedom Technique) and NLP (Neuro Linguistic Programming) to reduce the feelings, but I couldn’t get to the source of the nervousness – I needed someone on the outside to guide and reflect what was going on, in order to get to the core of the problem. It just goes to show, you can’t always coach yourself!
The minute I stepped onto my ‘stage’ I was fine and it went as I had intended. What you do leading up to your presentation is so important:
- Rehearse at least 6 times. I appreciate that this is stating the obvious, but the number of occasions I hear people in businesses say, ‘Yes we had a rehearsal the day before our presentation…[to win a multi-million pound contract]. You want to get to the point where you are unconsciously competent, i.e. your unconscious mind has an imprint of what you are going to say and you don’t have to think consciously about it – it just comes out of your mouth!
- Avoid caffeine. You will have sufficient stimulants in the form of adrenaline running around your system!
- Get rid of nervous energy. I went for a jog when I got up, which helped me to feel more grounded and release tension.
- Be mindful. I had a bit of an epiphany as we were driving up to the Lakes for the party. If you’ve rehearsed your presentation sufficiently, you don’t need to keep thinking about it! Again, fairly obvious, but how often do we stop ourselves from having a negative thought?
- Let go of needing to say exactly the same words each time you rehearse; conversation isn’t like that and nor should your presentation be! Use a mind map with the key points on:
- Say something at the start that will make you relax. Often the first few words that come out of your mouth are the hardest. I appreciate that humour isn’t always appropriate in all presentations, but used correctly, can help you bond with your audience. It’s also good for you as it releases tension and positive hormones
- Mind influences body, but body also influences mind. Broaden out your body. Amy Cuddy explains on TED how adopting certain poses increases negative and positive hormones. If we adopt small, hunched over, (think hedgehog) physiology we increase the stress hormone cortisol. However, if we broaden at the chest, stand tall and confidently, (think of opening up like a flower…apologies it’s not the most manly analogy) it increases testosterone and feelings of power.
- When you step onto your stage, take a moment to get centred and relax, by loosening and lowering the jaw. This should make you take a sharp intake of breath and will slow down the fight, flight or freeze mechanism, by interrupting the Vagus Nerve.
Presentation Skills Course:
If you have enjoyed these tips and would like to improve your presentation skills, I am running a course on the 19th November 2013, for £195 + VAT. To find out more click here, or to book click here.
Free Breakfast Seminar:
Finally, I am also running a Free Breakfast Seminar with Fishers Solicitors on improving performance and employment law. To book a place and find out more click here.
