5 tips to remmember before your presentation

The worst part that could ever happen in every presentation is to forget most of the information that you are presenting and start to feel uneasy once you make your way to the stage. Although most of us are aware that the audience has nothing to do with all the anxiety that we suffer from, we cannot deny the fact that they are one of the reasons why it is not easy to overcome stage fright. Whether for school or for business purposes, we must spend adequate amount of time to set up all the materials that we will be using and ensure that they are working perfectly prior the presentation. The reason why we do this preparation is to avoid any mistakes which could eventually lead to embarrassment as we work our way to the end of the presentation. Some of us may ask others for different techniques of coping with stage fright anxiety, but unfortunately there is no guarantee that it will work the same way as it is for them. For a presentation to flow smoothly, a well conducted introduction is a good starting point that can build our confidence and visualize a successful outcome. The following outlines five of the most effective strategies that I find really helpful when preparing for a presentation.

Ø     Review your topic thoroughly – Probably one of the most important strategies for overcoming concern of making mistakes and develop a better peace of mind. Once you are confident enough about your topic, you can somehow increase the audience engagement and perhaps encourage them to participate by asking their opinions towards certain issues regarding your topic.  

Ø    Keep practicing – Rehearse one week prior to presentation either to a friend or in front of the mirror to identify any necessary corrections that will enhance the quality of your presentation. Nothing is perfect but if you put a lot of effort practising, you would feel a huge relief once your presentation is finished. 

Ø     Check all the materials – If you are in business and conducting a presentation in power point, you must go over with all the slides to ensure that they are working correctly. Also if you have a chance, have it tested in the room where you are presenting to prevent any unexpected malfunction with the equipment. 

Ø     Do not present with an empty stomach – Being hungry during a presentation could potentially lessen our ability to concentrate. When you are hungry your most likely to be distracted thinking what will you eat after the presentation causing you to be in a hurry.

Ø     Time your presentation – Most of us should keep track of time especially if the presentation is longer than 15 minutes. Time yourself during rehearsal as well as the intervals on each of the power point slides to know how much information you are explaining in each of the slides.

For more preparation tips and information about overcoming stage fright, you can visit this web site
Preparing for your presentation

Factors that contributes to tension development

Every presentation requires deep concentration which enable speakers to present the information in an organized manner. However sometimes it becomes challenging to have a clear state of mind especially if there are many factors that causes our bodies to make unusual behaviour during a presentation. Some of us may probably think of the audience presence as the biggest threat that tend to ruin our confidence, while the other factors that adds up to tension development are physical surroundings and competition.
 

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 Nothing can be scarier than to do a presentation in front of most respected and highly achieved individuals whom most of us are probably having the most difficult time dealing with. The attention that we get from them is enough to make us feel inferior and underestimated thinking that they are more knowledgeable. The stage setting also play a huge part in every presentation. In my opinion the smaller the stage is the better because standing in the center of a wide stage, make it seems like I get more attention from the audience making it a lot easier for them to focus their attention towards me. However, this may be an advantage to those who prefer to do some gestures and walk back and forth every once in a while in order to add persuasiveness to their presentation. Competition can be a form of distraction which is usually a result of having another presenter perform well and received compliments from the audience prior to presentation.
 
In order to stay away from this predicament, it would be helpful to review the organization of your presentation to spot any irrelevant points and come up with something better instead that will leave an impact to the audience. Keep in mind the purpose of every presentation is to communicate a message through verbal and non verbal. Although this may be easier said than done, there are many ways we can do to avoid unnecessary distractions and complete the presentation with ease and confidence. Does any of these distractions causes you to make mistakes while presenting? If so what do you think may be the best way to prevent it?

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.