6 Tips for Being Confident When You Are Giving a Speech or Presentation
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Giving a speech or presentation in front of an audience can be nerve wracking if you are not a seasoned public speaker or if you aren’t well prepared. Follow these tips to come across as a confident presenter or orator.
1. Keep cue notes handy
No matter how much you practice your speech or presentation, you must have a backup plan to save a situation if you forget what to say. To deal with such circumstances effectively, summarized cues written on discreet sticky notes or index cards may come very handy. Pen down the sequence of your speech, important factual details or other key notes that you can look up on your cue cards without anyone noticing.
2. Don’t rote or memorize long passages
The basis of giving a good speech or a presentation is to understand your content thoroughly. Knowing your topic is more important than knowing which line to say next. If you are well versed with the subject that you have to present, your speech is likely to flow eloquently and naturally.
3. Do a mock rehearsal
A few days before you have to get on stage, take a mock trial of your speech at the venue where you will be presenting. If the venue of your presentation is an auditorium, you may need to familiarize yourself with the acoustics of the hall. You must cover yourself technically by knowing how to set up your laptop and other gadgets at the venue. You can also gather a few friends and present your speech in front of them to gauge your level of confidence with an audience at that particular venue. The idea is to get comfortable with your surroundings so that you avoid last minute anxiety.
4. Include audience interaction
One of the easiest, time tested ways of getting rid of public speaking anxiety and giving a confident speech is to involve the audience in your speech. Weave questions around the topic of your speech that you can ask your audience. Seek your audience’s opinion about the topic that you are speaking on. Pick up the thread of discussion from the audience and try to weave the rest of your speech around it. This will make you look like a natural, confident and seasoned presenter.
5. Prepare for technical snags
You may have left no stone unturned in preparing your speech but that doesn’t mean nothing else can go wrong while you are up on the podium. Technical glitches or other snags are unpredictable and can take the most confident of speakers aback. Think about how you will deal with the situation if you encounter such a problem and how you can keep the audience busy while the error is being sorted.
6. Make frequent eye contact with a familiar person in the audience
Making eye contact while giving a speech is a tip which is commonly given but it is easier said than done. Looking in the eye of complete strangers can leave you exasperated and distracted. You may want to strategically place a friend or family member in the audience in a way that he/she directly comes in your line of sight when you are presenting. Your friend’s nods, smiles and other affirmations will boost your confidence and motivate you to do better when you are presenting.
