Many people have a fear of speaking in front of others and when it comes to giving a presentation, they get nervous. Before coming on stage and speaking in front of the audience, they suffer from anxiety. Common people as well as professionals have to face this difficult situation. If a person feels hesitancy or fear while giving a presentation or addressing a project in front of his fellow students, colleagues or superiors, then he needs to develop confidence and overcome that fear.
Experts include all those people in the list of intelligent people who are not only good writers but also can convey their point of view to others by using effective words while speaking. When a person presents his position to a group instead of a single person, he is counted among the most intelligent people. So, if you have any kind of fear or difficulty in giving a presentation, you can follow four ways to change yourself.
Set goals
The first thing to do before preparing a presentation is to determine the objectives. Decide what points, opinions or ideas you want to convey through the presentation. For example, are you giving a presentation explaining the importance of a company project or discussing an issue? Many times a presentation fails because the main objective is not clear. Keeping your focus on the message during the conversation will also help you deal with stressful situations.
During the presentation, if you are able to explain your purpose to the audience, it will also be easier for you to know the desired response. Identify the audience to clarify the purpose, avoid unnecessary conversation, adopt a professional manner to communicate clearly and directly. Instead of thinking about what people are thinking when they see you, focus on what message you want to convey to people through this presentation. This approach will save you from panicking and you will be able to positively convey your purpose to the audience with more clarity and energy.
Preparation of outline
It doesn’t matter if your presentation is long or short? But preparing the written outline of the presentation is of particular importance. Make sure your presentation is organized in a logical order. While preparing the outline, write the important points in the form of bullet points. Objectives can also be explained through statistics, but avoid excessive use of statistics as complex information can be difficult for the audience to understand.
Once you have chosen a point to outline, think about how you can make it easier for the audience to understand. Instead of writing the entire speech to discuss the main points in the outline, write ‘keywords’ that will help you remember at a glance which important information to convey. This procedure will make your presentation extraordinary.
Attention of the audience
Whether your audience is co-workers, colleagues, or your clients, determine how you can capture the audience’s attention in the opening paragraph or introduction of your presentation. If you manage to grab the attention of the audience at the beginning, the chances of success of the presentation increase. In this regard, the main idea or topic of the conversation should be so impressive that the audience is eager to know its explanation.
Using illustration
The use of illustrations can be useful to explain key points to the audience. In this regard, help can be taken by making graphs, mentioning real life experiences, through videos or any visual advertisement.
Consider which method fits the length and topic of your presentation. If you opt for a Power Point or video presentation, then be sure to hire someone who can easily operate a computer during that time.