Public speaking is such a common hate for so many out there. It can feel like such an unnatural environment and can make us feel stressed, hot and trip over our words. I’ve just finished working with a client who felt all of those feelings!
I think public speaking is something that very few people absolutely love, but is a skill that is vital for many and can become more tolerable the more you do it.
Whether you are preparing a presentation, doing a panel interview or any other version of public speaking – here are some tips:
Give yourself time to prep your content and ask people you trust to ask you questions so you feel prepared
Make sure you allow time to prepare your content and asking people to listen to what you have to say will make you feel more comfortable that what you are saying is easily understood and flows
Know what key points you want to highlight
People only walk away remembering 1 or 2 points (our brain can actually only hold up to 7 things in our short term memory!) so make sure your key points are reinforced and summarised at the end
Know your audience
Do the research and make sure you are clear on who you are presenting to and what they need/want to know. It’s always a good thing to search a few one them on google or Linkedin to understand more so you can tailor your content accordingly
Understand who will be in the room and who may be virtual
A new consideration that we all are facing in the hybrid working environment. Knowing the mix of in person vs virtual ahead of time means you can plan how you will present and make sure everyone in the meeting feels included.
Blocking time before/after the meeting or event and taking time to reflect
Allow time to arrive and be settled so you don’t have to rush and also give yourself time to digest and decompress how things went, before continuing on with your day.
Taking time to reflect is really important – you can assess: what went well? What didn’t go so well? And what would you do differently next time? Reflecting is where the growth happens.
If in doubt, breathe
The easiest thing we can all do when feeling under pressure is to take deep breaths. This will slow down your parasympathetic nervous system and reduce the fight/flight sirens that your body will be sending out. It’s much better to take a deep breath and make sure you are talking slowly, then rushing and tripping over your words.
Ask colleagues to give you feedback
Asking for feedback when practicing a presentation allows you to make small tweaks to produce a better presentation and can often make us feel more confident before the ‘real event’. As women in particular, we can be our harshest critic and it’s sometimes nice to get positive assurances that what we critique about ourselves, are barely picked up by others.
I used to go mega red and hot in the face when presenting (and still do to a lesser extent). When asking for feedback from people on a particular presentation, NO-ONE mentioned my redness and ever since then I’ve realised it was always something I was much more conscious of, then anyone around me was. From then onwards, the less I worried about it, the less of an issue it became. Sounds simple stuff, but it’s amazing how much changing your mindset impacts you physically.
Effective communication in the hybrid working environment, is a core pillar in my signature group coaching program 'Elevate'. This program is for companies looking to unlock their female talents power to achieve their potential and level up your employees and organisation. Book a free call to chat more https://calendly.com/emilybuttoncreative/emily-button-creative-coaching-chat
Let me know in the comments what your favourite tip is!