How scary presentation is in general

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 Imagine yourself being in a situation where in few minutes you will be on stage to do a presentation in front of many people. It is the day that you have been waiting for and to mess up will only make all the efforts you spent preparing for nothing. Also known as stage fright, is a common anxiety in which most of us tend to suffer from before doing a presentation Whether it is for school or for business purposes, it can be terrifying to any of us thinking what could happen once we stumble on stage when delivering a speech or when we get nervous enough that we start to lose control over the situation. 

Some of us have random thoughts running through our heads which contributes to more tension development as well as having doubt as to whether the presentation will be successful of not. The physical reflex which causes the energy level in our bodies to increase when dealing with an extreme situation is know as the fight or flight response. As the time of presentation come closer, your heartbeat becomes faster as well as other apprehensions that you feel when dealing with a threatening situation. It is important that we eliminate these physiological symptoms as early as possible since they can greatly affect the outcome of the presentation.


Ø  Take a deep breath - Being too nervous can sometimes cause us to talk continuously which causes our delivery of words to suffer. Focus more on breathing and create an interval between long sentences. This is also a good way to get a hold of yourself and reduce the tension due to the presence of the crowd.

Ø  Drink plenty of water - Another helpful way to prevent dryness of mouth especially if the presentation is longer than 10 minutes which will require more effective techniques on delivering words. This could also lessen the burning sensation on our bodies and promote more relaxation.

Ø  Be Positive - Believe that the presentation will be successful rather than a failure. With an objective to communicate a message instead of being criticized by the audience negative thoughts about the presentation.

Ø  Dress properly – Being comfortable with what you wear can boost up your confidence and make you feel good about yourself. This is a good way to show appreciation towards the audience effort for listening to the whole presentation

 
 Public speaking can be terrifying to some extent especially when the presenter lacks experience of dealing with all anxiety associated with stage fright. Some people even struggle to get their thoughts together which makes them more prone to making errors during presentations. Based on my experiences, the outcome of every presentation really depends on the presenter's determination. For a presentation to be well organized, it is necessary to be familiar the topic and spend adequate amount of time rehearsing. You just have to think that the crowd is on your side. How about your stage fright experience? Does any of these anxiety happen to you while on stage doing a presentation? The following link outlines helpful tips and tricks for conducting presentations. Presentation tips and tricks. Feel free to share your thoughts about overcoming stage fright on the comment section below.