Presentation anxiety is common in many of us, especially when you will be doing public speaking. Even those who are seasoned speakers still feel nervous when their presentation is nearing, but this is where practice sets in. If you are worried that your anxiety is getting the best of you whenever you have to do a presentation, you will need to learn how to keep it from showing. With that being said, here are five tricks that can help you overcome the problem.
Break it down
When you are offered a chance to become a public speaker, or when you are tasked to present something, the fear of what should you be saying and how your audience will perceive you will be on top of your head. The best way to approach this is to break your presentation into three chunks, introduction, the body of your presentation, and your conclusion. Make sure that you time yourself because you don’t want to run out of time on the stage or platform.
Redirect your being nervous
Another tip that will help you get over your anxiety during presentation is to redirect your nervousness through your movements. This doesn’t mean shifting from one foot to the other, or fidgeting with your papers, but rather be expansive in your movements. Walk around and even try to engage your audience to participate in your presentation. No one will notice that you are nervous for sure.
Rehearse
If you want to be ready for your presentation, always make time for rehearsal. Watching yourself in the mirror as you give your talk will already show you how your audience will see you, the way you move, the way you talk, and even how your presentation flows. Most speakers practice before their presentation, and so should you.
Practice your breathing
Anxiety can happen even to the best of us, but the professional speakers already know how to deal with their feelings and one of them is through their breathing. Controlling your breathing can help you feel calm and relaxed which is the state that you should be in if you want to appear confident in front of your audience.
Prepare your audience
If you’ve attended several talks already, you might have noticed that most of the speakers crack a joke or share an interesting trivia that is related to their presentation. This is a good technique as you are engaging your audience right from the start. Once you hook them, they will be more interested in what you have to say.
