The idea of giving a presentation used to fill me with dread. My heart would race. My palms would sweat. When it was over, I’d feel a huge sense of relief. Only for that relief to quickly be overshadowed by the fear that I’d spoken too fast, forgotten to make important points or simply that everyone could tell I was terrified.
Luckily, that’s all in the past.
So, what changed? I decided enough was enough and dove into how I could become more confident presenting.
Here’s what I learned – and how it can help you.
1. First, breathe
When we’re stressed, our breathing changes. It becomes shallower and faster, triggering the fight or flight response in our brains which then makes us feel even more stressed. We can counteract that by taking intentionally deep and slow breaths. Doing this before a presentation will calm your brain down and help you feel more relaxed and confident.
A bit of stage fright is normal, even for the most confident presenters. Breathing is an easy way to shake off some of that fear.
2. Fake it till you make it
Power poses aren’t just for superheroes.
I do a lot of presentations online, and body language is just as important over Zoom as when you’re physically in the room with people. It’s harder to capture people’s attention when you’re competing with emails, work, WhatsApp or Wordle. You’re just a small window on their screen.
While it might be tempting to use that as an opportunity to present sitting cross-legged on your sofa in your PJs, you’re unlikely to project an air of confidence. Instead, sit at your desk, remove all distractions from around you and adopt a confident stance you might not feel yet, but will soon.
Even better – I’ve found – is standing. Pile up some books and create a makeshift standing desk. No one can see your setting, but they will feel the change in your confidence.
3. Tell a story
Now that you’ve mastered the art of confidence, let’s turn to the content of your presentation.
People love stories. We’ve all got that friend who can make a trip to the doctor sound like an epic adventure. Why are they so good? Chances are they’re using the four cornerstones of powerful speech: honesty, authenticity, integrity and love.
Instead of saying, “I got the bus” they say “as I was leaving, I saw my neighbour standing outside in just their socks. Turned out they’d locked themselves out of their flat. We realised their kitchen window was open, so I grabbed my ladder and helped them break into their own flat. I’d missed my bus, but I sprinted for the next one…” and so on.
It’s a story that shows who they are – someone honest, with integrity who cares about others.
In a professional context, using these cornerstones will help you present to your audience in a way that makes them feel like you care about them, believe in what you’re saying and that they should buy into your message.
4. Design your slides
Well-designed slides aren’t the icing on the cake – they’re crucial to keeping your audience engaged.
Densely packed slides are overwhelming, it’s impossible for someone to pay attention to what you’re saying if they’re also trying to read paragraphs of text on your slides. While it might be daunting to split your content out across more slides, your story will flow better, and you’ll be able to bring your audience along with you.
When presenting online, this is particularly important as your presentation will be bigger than you. Your slides need to reinforce your message, not overpower it.
5. Practice makes perfect
There’s a reason we’ve all heard this phrase so many times: it’s true.
To put all my learnings into practice, I asked for help. I ran through a presentation and got live feedback which I then immediately used in another run through. At the beginning, it felt awkward, but the second run felt better and by the third, I felt like a new presenter.
You can do this with a friend, a colleague or – like I did – by enlisting the help of professionals (Park Sims, who I highly recommend).
Your audience wants you to succeed
Last but not least, whoever you’re presenting to, they want you to succeed. So, take these learnings and practice them but remember that we’re all human so it’s okay to be nervous or make mistakes. Own it, be yourself and trust that the people you’re presenting to are there because they want to hear what you have to say, not because they’re waiting for you to trip up.
