How can you speak with confidence and authority in presentations?

Focus on how your audience likes to receive information as. It is important to know their expectations and what they want/needs to get out of your presentation, then focus on how that message should be delivered in a way that is meaningful to them. I focus on social styles at work as a way to help presenters cater to how their audience wants to receive information to help them make informed decisions. If your audience is a big-picture thinker, presenting data by showing spreadsheets and graphs on slides will likely not land well even with the best of intentions and word choices. Tell a data-driven story with examples or case studies to help them see the bigger picture and leverage the data to show them the impact and outcomes.

If you are in a small setting be prepared for questions at any time, and provide a visual cue you will respond to the question. When answering, be confident and manage the time and meeting flow so it is the appropriate for the people and the purpose of the meeting. Stay focused and don’t run off into the weeds.

Someone once told me that you don't want your best presentation to be one of the rehearsals. Roughly translated it means don't over rehearse. There is no such thing as a perfect presentation, and if you practice too much you'll likely get in your own head trying to remember a rehearsed version, rather than just being yourself. When Im delivering a solo presentation I never rehearse, but instead spend the time making sure I know the content inside and out. If you know your stuff, every version of your presentation will be great. For group presentations I focus on rehearsing the handoffs so they look natural.

I practise several times a day in the week leading up to delivering a keynote. Turning the major points into relatable anecdotes help with the flow of the speech bringing resonance to the audience. Practising the delivery of the anecdotes, where I stand, the tone and pitch increases confidence and authority.

This is implied but needs to be said out loud. You need to practice out loud. And you can’t over-rehearse if you’re listening to yourself. Practicing doesn’t mean memorizing, it means practice saying what needs to be said. I’ve never given the same speech twice. But every time I deliver a speech I hit all the key points. And it flows. Because I practice…out loud…and listen and FEEL if it works.

This is the most important part of building confidence and speaking with authority. It is essential to know your audience (their goals, needs, communication styles, and expectations), room logistics (whether presenting virtually or in-person knowing the setup and how to maximize the resources available to you to engage your audience, etc), and knowing your content. However, these things alone won't may someone a confident and credible speaker. Practice and repetition are what build confidence and authority. Rehearsing over and over again ensures the first time you share the message with your audience, it is polished and practiced to the point that it becomes second nature.

Think about your pace. Intentionally slowing things down and speeding things up at key moments to set a rhythm can make the difference between a so-so speech and a great one. You are performing, not just talking.

A presentation is storytelling followed by a conversation, so make sure you sound excited about the story you're telling, use your normal voice and speak in plain English. Check if people can hear you clearly, laugh at yourself if you make a mistake, and keep an eye on the audience reaction to guide you. The more natural you come across, the more confident you will seem, and the more the audience will relate to you.

How you stand, how you look at people, how you hold your body and your face can win people over, can evoke confidence, and can persuade. Remember that your confidence wins their confidence.

Great tips for in-person, but it's important to remember that many of these are different when you're doing a virtual presentation. If you try to look at different parts of your audience virtually, you end up looking at no one and disconnecting from all. Too much nodding and head movement on camera is distracting. Pointing is too "in your face" in a virtual environment. If you do both, it's vital to know the difference and be able to quickly adapt.

One thing I found helpful when presenting in front of large audiences is understanding that things will often not go to plan and that is ok. Being able to react quickly and adapt to your audience to maintain their attention is key. The main way you can do that is to be less rigid, relax and enjoy yourself.

Questions mean that your audience is engaged. That’s great. Repeat the question or rephrase it so that everyone can hear it and so that you give yourself time to process. Answer clearly and succinctly so that there’s time for additional questions. If you don’t know the answer try “that’s a great question!” Followed by a caveat: I don’t have the answer for that right now but I am committed to getting x info for you, or I’m curious about that myself, or reach out to me at x and I can get more info to you later. People can be comfortable with you not knowing information if you validate them or point them in the right direction or promise to follow up. Don’t feel that you must know everything to be a valid presenter.

The powerful pause increases attention and lowering the voice to emphasise a point is extremely effective. Keeping am open loop(in other words, leaving a final bit of information 'hanging' causes the audience to concentrate more to find out more about that information

Whatever you do, don't just read the slides! Your audience can do that without you there, so you’re wasting both their time, and yours. You'll come across as not knowing your stuff, and dare I say - boring! Slides are there to support your talk track, not the other way around. That means the words and visuals on your slides need to act as prompts to make your most important points memorable.

Do a thorough research and then practice. When you have an in-depth knowledge of your topic and know your slides it automatically boosts your confidence. So practice cannot be over emphasised.

ADAPT YOUR SKILLS FOR A VIRTUAL ENVIRONMENT. Just like an actor going from stage to screen, our behavior needs to adapt to the medium. Many of these new virtual skills are counter-intuitive (like looking at the camera) or the opposite of best practices we've learned for in-person events (welcome back Tyrannosaurus Rex arms!). And being on camera requires a lot of new skills - like being able to speak with confidence to a group of people you can't see or getting naturally passive virtual audiences to engage with you. Assuming you can just transfer your in-person presentation style to a virtual world is a recipe for disaster.