By Olga Smith
Many of our students who take our elocution lessons and courses ask us how they can overcome anxiety when speaking in public, chairing a meeting or leading a group discussion.
People feel they are on display they start thinking that others judge them and that they are not as good as their colleagues who appear very confident. This negative state of mind may be worsened by failures from the past and a lack of preparation.
What can you do to overcome this fear if you do not have much time before your next presentation?
First of all, people have their unique way of presenting and this is the beauty. As they say: variety is the spice of life. Do not compare yourself to others and do not think that you are better or worse, you are just different and interesting in your own way, and it is a gift for others to listen to the real you.
Having said that, there are techniques to present your ideas clearly and effectively to engage your audience and even impress them. I will share with you the tips that worked for me.
Preparation
1. Write down your presentation and read it 3 times out loud.
2. Underline the keywords and stress them when presenting by saying them louder.
3. Record yourself on audio or video recording and note things you need to improve in your speech and body language.
When presenting
1. At the very beginning, make sure you greet your audience. You can say, for example: Good morning, everybody, it is my pleasure to talk about...today. I will start with...
2. At the end of your talk, you can say a famous quote and finish by inspiring your audience to think about your topic, and finally thank them for their attention.
3. Make pauses after each idea, do not say all ideas in one breath.
4. Stay straight, do not slouch and avoid touching your hair and clothes.
5. Project your voice and articulate words clearly.
There is a wonderful elocution course that can help you to become a competent presenter.
If your presentation is very important and you need urgent help, then you can book a couple of elocution lessons.
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