Remember when you had to walk in front of the classroom, watch your classmates stare at you, and deliver your time-limited mini-speech? You see your classmates all stare at you, wondering what you’ll say. After countless hours working on it, you have your PowerPoint slides up and ready. s.
“Good morning everyone,” you say. Then, you pause – you realize that you need to take a moment to catch your breath and think of what to say. Countless thoughts and emotions race throughout your mind.
Unfortunately, you can’t escape presentations after high school. You’ll likely find yourself having to do them in college or at work. And after remembering how nerve-wracking public speaking was in school, I probably wonder, “Is there a better way to do this?”
The answer is yes. Check out these six ways to get better at presenting, even if public speaking terrifies you:
1. Learn how to BS on the spot.
People will tell you to give multiple presentations throughout your academic or professional career. No one can memorize an entire script, as the environment and audience always change. To keep up with the change, learn how to improvise. Discuss the presentation topic as much as possible, ask questions, interact with the audience, and offer your take on the subject matter in a professional manner. Once you can do that, you’ll feel more confident in future public speaking engagements.
2. Research your subject matter.
We all know the difficulty of keeping an audience engaged. People will often check their phones or zone out especially. But one way to eliminate that from happening is by creating an informative presentation. In order to do this, research your subject matter thoroughly. Then, you can present interesting statistics, data, and findings to your audience. They’ll learn something new and find it more engaging when the presenter clearly knows their topic.
3. Practice your presentations.
Even if you can improvise on the spot, that doesn’t beat practice. It allows you to know your subject matter well, which makes you more confident when you have to present in real-time. Consider also picking out your weak spots, such as stutters, so you can improve them.
4. Revise your presentation.
Some presentations contain way too much material, and, even worse, some present entirely different information than the topic! To avoid this problem, make sure you revise your presentation ahead of time. This way, your audience will find it easier to follow–and they’ll see that you know your stuff.
5. Engage the audience.
Actively engage your audience throughout the presentation. = Tell stories, add questions, or even share some jokes. They’ll remember your presentation better and enagge with the material.
6. Find your style.
Everyone has a different style of communication. For example, some people prefer the direct approach, while others like subtly to not feel too on-the-nose. Find a presentation style that works best for you. Maybe you want to share personal anecdotes during the presentation, or try something that’s more unconventional but strikes your fancy.. In the end, your presentation should reflect you as a professional, so follow what your instincts tell you.
Everyone has to present at some point in their life, but many of us find that nerve-wracking. But once when you take a deep breath, close your eyes, and revise your subject material quickly, you’ll find it doable. At the end of the day, tackle the presentation the way you want to. You only get the spotlight a few times in life–be sure to shine!
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My classmate said she really likes playing four colors. She always spends her free time practicing her thinking.