Are you nervous before a presentation? Giving a convincing presentation is not equally pleasant for everyone. After all, a great deal goes into it. Your story must be in order, your presentation must align with it and must also look attractive and dynamic.The very thought of having to present in front of a group makes some people's legs tremble. For some people it all seems so easy and self-evident to step onto the stage and bring a good story. But know that most of those good speakers are also nervous before they step onto the stage. That nervousness keeps you sharp and gives you the adrenaline to give a good presentation. Being nervous before a presentation is therefore very normal!

I get nervous when I don't get nervous. If I'm nervous I know I'm going to have a good show. (Beyonce Knowles)

A few tips to help your presentation skills along further.

1. Preparing the presentation Everything begins with good preparation. Make sure your story is well built and your presentation is in order. Then also make sure you know the presentation by heart. That way you will not be faced with surprises.
2. "Change your mindset before you change anything else" The audience comes for you and are curious about what you have to tell. If you are nervous, you think mainly about yourself. Think about what your audience wants to achieve with your story.
3. Home advantage Make sure you have explored the stage or the hall beforehand. Go and stand on the stage once before people come into the hall. Present part of your presentation as if there were an audience, with a microphone, lights, monitor, clicker, .... Even if you have to give a presentation in a boardroom, it helps to go into it beforehand. Determine in advance your position in relation to the people at the table and your screen.
4. Ritual Many speakers have a ritual that they do every time before they go on stage. Singing a song, breathing exercises, jumping on two legs with your head slightly back and shouting very loudly, ....... Just before you have to begin, it helps you not to think about your presentation for a moment and it gives you an energy boost.
5. Dress to impress Feeling comfortable in your own skin has a lot to do with what you are wearing and your posture. Feel good and comfortable in the clothes you wear and make sure they are appropriate for the audience. You will dress differently if you have to give a presentation to a group of students than when you stand before the board of your company.
6. Slow down When you stand in front of an audience you always have to adjust your speaking pace a little. Speak just a little more slowly than normal so that the audience can process your words and sentences. Because you stand further from your conversation partner than in a one-on-one conversation, there is less visual contact. That is why you have to adjust your pace. That also makes you a little calmer.
7. Pause Taking a short pause of a few seconds (calmly count to three in your mind) gives the audience the chance to process your information. It can also indicate that you are moving to a next part of your presentation. But above all it gives you as the speaker some calm and time to think. A pause of a few seconds therefore creates extra focus for yourself and the audience.
8. Breathing Of course you have to keep breathing. Take the time for that too, between your sentences.
9. Water Do not drink alcohol or too much coffee beforehand. Those give you a dry mouth. You will have that anyway, so make sure beforehand that there is water nearby. Also take the time to drink from it. Taking a sip of water seems to take an eternity for you but for the audience it is a few seconds that they will never notice.
10. Say erm now and then! 'Erm' and 'um' are the most spoken words during a presentation. If you do that now and then it is not a problem. If you do it in every sentence it is. Saying 'erm' often has to do with having to think about your next words. So make sure you know your story very well so that you do not have to think about it. A good exercise is to think of the next two words you are going to say, and those may not be 'erm'. The rest of the sentence then comes of its own accord and you are consciously working on it.

Speaking in front of an audience can be learned and there are various good coaches, specialised in presentation coaching, who can help you with this. That way you can also follow a workshop or a presentation training that helps you over your fear of presenting. You also cannot change everything at once. Try to change and improve one thing with each presentation. Practising a lot (personally I like to do that out loud in the car), preparing well and presenting regularly ensure that you will present with impact.

Do you want to know more about this? Send me an email and we are glad to help you further on your way.

Best of luck Harald