Tips on Presentation Skills

Yes you’re the office  chatterbox, but when asked to deliver a short speech on a topic you know quite well, you’re lost for words.

Public speaking is one of mankind’s primal fears. It never dips below third on the list of top ten fears with some studies even claiming it is more commonly feared than death itself! Fortunately, public speaking is a fear that can be easily overcome and mastered to the point it’s enjoyable. Here are a few tips to help you with those pre-speech jitters;

• Preparation is key to a good presentation, as the saying goes ‘failing to prepare is preparing to fail’ no truer words could describe the necessity in this case. It is said that for each minute you intend to speak you should spend one hour preparing.
• Over exaggerate your body language and remember to speak slowly and with clarity. This is a biggy. Remember you’re used to speaking to just one or two people, a slow and deliberate tone is unnecessary but when in front of a larger audience you have to convey your point to everyone, don’t be embarrassed to move around and wave your arms to get your point across.
• Make eye contact with the audience, you’d do this in a normal conversation so there’s no reason why you shouldn’t do it here. Avoiding eye contact makes you feel like you’re not communicating with your audience, that’s bound to make you feel more nervous.

Believe it or not there is a great sense of achievement and fulfilment in delivering a successful speech once you combat the anxiety, it’s somewhat like getting onto a scary ride in an amusement park, the nerves and apprehension beforehand only add to the feeling of accomplishment when you’re done. GOOD LUCK!

Tags: assertiveness training course, communications course, Presentation Skills, Public Speaking
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