You're nervous about your presentation skills. How can you boost your confidence?

1 accept the fact from start that you MAY not have all the answers to audience questions. this helps reduce fear of failure and hence nervousness 2 prepare well and practice running the slides to yourself/ core team couple of times as there is no short cut to anything worthwhile

In my experience: 1) Message to be delivered should be clear in your mind 2) Know your audience (this will help clarify the message you can communicate) 3) Record the monologue - then listen to it as an audience. Tweak it accordingly.

Before any presentation, make sure that you have prepared well ahead. Master your slides or any other presentation material. Don't try to cram your slides, as you may forget. Rather, seek to understand your presentation slides. During the presentation, take a feel of the audience and understand who is listening to you. Start and go with the flow. It will come easy to you. Don't go hard on yourself.

Practice, practice, practice. Turn on the Powerpoint speaker coach to practice; record the video and watch yourself and your delivery. You'll be your worst critic. It's a great experience. Your um's and uh's and eye contact and physical gestures will get better and better the more you are aware of them. And be yourself. Your authenticity of who you are and your passion for your message will reign through.

A huge amount of practice will replace the need to memorize. Just know the material cold and deliver in a way that is natural and authentic. If you try and remember your speech word for word, then you are going to come across as rigid or, worse, unprepared when you forget something that you thought you memorized!

Very well said Shifalika, 360 degrees awareness on the topic also helps in ensuring all questions are answered upto the satisfaction…??????

In martial arts there is a saying I like that goes "train hard, fight easy." This mantra can be applied equally to a presentation. Too many people fail to rehearse effectively, while some fail to rehearse at all. For your first rehearsal, give 100% to your delivery. You want to deliver in practice the same way as you plan to do in the real thing. Get used to giving it 100%. For a later rehearsal add in one or two variables that are tougher than the real thing. For example, get someone to interrupt you early on, or turn off the beamer for a few minutes or turn off the laptop. Once you survive a challenging rehearsal, your confidence for the real thing will grow. It will seem easier than the rehearsal. Train hard, fight easy!

In my experience I usually prepare in advance of my presentation. Researching relevant information and being knowledgeable about the topic. It adds confidence if you connect yourself to your presentation and build a story around it. Know also your audience makes a difference.

A mentor once told me to reframe the: I’m nervous to… to be: I’m excited to…. It was a game changer for me and my presentations.

Getting nervous before a presentation is totally normal and just shows you care about what you're doing. I used to try and get rid of those nerves completely, but now I've learned to work with them. There are some practical things you can do to calm down physically, like exercising, eating a light meal beforehand, keeping hydrated, and doing vocal warm-ups. Being really familiar with your material helps a lot too. The mental side is just as important. I try to remind myself of the positives: the new people I'll meet and the chance to share something meaningful. Focusing on the content rather than on myself as the speaker helps too. Just showing up is a big deal, so give yourself credit. Life's too short to be stressed all the time!

One very useful exercise I have used is the Lightening Intro. You write down an introduction, usually name, role and what you do. You then practice this privately to start, and then with a coach. You need to get to the point that you can do the intro without notes or prompts at any time and get it perfect. While this may seem a very small thing it allows a presenter to stand up and say the first 50 words without having to expend any mental energy. It allows you to stand up, start the presentation and be engaged with the audience straight away.

One other thing is that quite often nobody knows the ins and outs of your topic like you do Most people are happy to listen and learn and hear your opinions as long as you are honest and sincere And if there are some real experts in the room more often than not they ll be championing your cause and corner

I have found telling yourself you are somewhere you are comfortable, relaxed and is familiar to help. If I've got a friend or can visualize giving the speech to someone who cares about the topic, me and my success, thinking about that person even if they aren't really there makes giving the speech much easier. Unlike other skills, presenting is better the more you practice. The more you present, the better, less nervous and more confident you will feel.

Enhance the quality of your presentation by incorporating visually engaging elements, such as slides or props. Look your audience in the eye to show you’re totally in the zone and confident. Tailor your content to resonate with your audience’s interests and concerns, making it more relatable. Encourage audience participation through discussions or interactive elements to foster a sense of involvement. Lastly, seek feedback after your presentation to continuously refine your approach and build confidence over time.

Don’t overlook the audience. Who are they? Why are they listening to you? And, most importantly, what is it that you want them to know, learn, or consider as a result of your presentation? So, when planning a presentation give some serious thought to what it is that you want to communicate to your audience. And not only make that the focus of your talk but also tell your audience from the top. Tell them why you are there, what you are going to cover, the case that you are going to develop, and how you’re going to do it. And then check in with them that what you’re doing is of value. the audience will know what it is they’re going to get out of your presentation. Do this and they will be more invested in you and engaged in the content.

One thing I’ve found helpful everytime I present, is telling stories, people want to connect with your presentation and you can do that by telling real life stories that they can easily relate with, use of big and ambiguous words should be avoided as much as possible, people want to learn and gain from what you’re saying and the easiest way is to tell stories that are very relatable.

Note that your audience won't judge you, especially the majority. Identify your audience beforehand and understand which topics can help build rapport and break the ice. Avoid sensitive issues, but connect your topic to their lives and reality. You might be surprised at how well you can establish a connection by relating your subject matter to their experiences.

A presentation is a story, often supported by facts and figures, but always rooted in a core takeaway you want your audience to leave with. Spend less time learning from the business gurus of the world and more time learning from the Brontes, Millers, Chabons, and Spielbergs. A good story has tension, conflict, humor, excitement, and always comes back to its central point in creative ways. Don’t memorize your deck, learn to tell your story.

Often, we're our own worst critics. Getting feedback can be a great confidence booster. I remember when I first became a keynote speaker, I'd be so critical of myself thinking I messed up here and here and here. Then I'd find out the audience loved it. I also watched (reluctantly) the recording of myself, which is another great way to learn. Even if it's cringe to watch oneself, you learn a lot! And often the mistakes you thought you made aren't so bad after all. :)

Know that you are a human and those judging you are also humans and as humans we are bound to make mistakes and there is no harm in it. Best thing which you can do and which I do myself or tell my self right before a presentation is that I tell myself that it's only a game and of few minutes and no matter what happens after a few minutes it will be over and I will be at ease.

It’s always important to have feedback since the motto says “Life’s a learning process.” Instead of getting Q&A session at the end, let the people interact with you during the presentation. By doing that you can have the feedbacks instantly and use them to make your presentation better. One more advice would be also asking the people’s feedback at the end. It’d show your self confidence.

Encourage your audience or peers to provide constructive feedback. Let them know you welcome their insights to help you improve. If possible, record your presentation to review later. This allows you to assess your performance objectively and identify areas for improvement. Look for patterns or recurring themes in the feedback. If multiple people mention the same issue, it likely requires attention and improvement.

Certainly, leveraging feedback is a powerful strategy to enhance confidence in presentations. Actively seek feedback from diverse sources—audience, peers, manager, and self-assessment. Post-presentation, request feedback through verbal communication or surveys, maintaining an open mind and positive attitude. Appreciate feedback by expressing gratitude and seeking clarification when necessary. Focus on feedback that is relevant, specific, and actionable. Identifying areas for improvement and celebrating successes contributes to continuous growth in presentation skills. Utilize feedback to inform your next steps, creating a dynamic feedback loop that propels ongoing improvement and bolsters confidence.

I agree , Celebrating success can surely help you be at your best . Giving yourself the smallest praise to ace well can help you be the strongest version of a better and more confident individual. Pat your backs when needed to see yourself boosting and trying even better to get success in hand

Des succès on en a pas forcément tous les jours, il faut les célébrer ??, cela fait partie de l’auto-motivation. J’ai deux rituels : Le fêter entre collègues ou avec des personnes de mon secteur professionnel. Un massage pour se ressourcer et attaquer un nouveau challenge.

El ser consciente de las metas que hemos alcanzado hace que no solo podamos disfrutarlo más, sino que también nos inspira a seguir proponiéndonos nuevas. A mí, me gusta ver mi crecimiento personal y desafiarme en nuevos retos, ya sean laborales o de formación.

Of course! It's good to celebrate yourself when you achieve something. It boosts your confidence and reminds you to stay motivated all the time.

Always celebrate! I like to acknowledge my achievements in order to encourage myself to do it all again. Humans tend to remember positive experiences better. If presenting is linked to celebrations and happiness, then subsequent presentations should again elicit those positive feelings. Over time, presenting will then become a positive experience.

Many years ago, I had a great manager who invested in my L&D by suggesting I take Dale Carnegie’s High Impact Presentation training… the impact that particular training had on my career was significant. Since then, it has become a staple of any team I lead. Not saying you have to take that specific training but one along those lines will help you with your confidence and delivery.

Consider complimenting your presentation with mix of tactics to get to a very dynamic output. From video and music clips and on screen images, when you utilize additional inputs they can be used to serve as a guide to your talk and the overall message you're aiming to put across. Don't be static - after all, the average attention span of an individual these days is less than that of a goldfish. In the end, you have just seconds to grab someone's real and actual attention, not to mention the feat of holding onto it!

One of the scary things for millions of people in the world is presentation. The question is, how do you present before an audience without being nervous? There are a few steps that have helped me and I would like to share them with you. They are: 1. Preparing for the presentation - Even the best presenters prepare before speaking. This allows you to put your message together, know your audience, and practice as much as possible before taking the stage. 2. Stay Positive about the outcome- No one goes to war with an expectation of being defeated. Therefore, you must believe that you are going to deliver the best presentation. This mindset will increase your self-esteem and will get rid of nervousness. Thanks for reading ??

In a bid to perform well, we develop expectations in our mind and that makes us nervous. The key is to mellow down. Breathe in and breathe out. Calm yourself down because if the pressure gets over you, it will affect your performance. It's better to perform at 90% than to panic and start stuttering during the process.

Meiner Meinung nach ist es das wichtigste bei einer Pr?sentation, dass man authentisch auftritt. Klar soll die Sprache, Tempo, Gestik, etc. ans Zielpublikum angepasst werden bei Bedarf, jedoch ist es viel wichtiger authentischer zu sein, als allen Zuh?rer*innen gefallen zu wollen. Dies macht einem in meinen Augen viel sympathischer und die Leute h?ren einem dann viel aufmerksamer zu.