You’re struggling with public speaking. How can you overcome your fear and deliver a killer presentation?

People often forget that the main purpose of a presentation is to convey a message. That's the key, so what is the main message I want the audience to take away? Only then do I address what form will be most effective in conveying the message (fun, serious form, etc.). It's not always necessary to deliver a killer presentation, sometimes you just need to deliver the main message.

Focus on the message, not yourself. People are there to learn, not judge. Practice, practice, practice! Rehearse out loud to build confidence and identify areas for improvement. Visualize success. Imagine yourself delivering a flawless presentation and the positive audience reaction. Positive self-talk. Replace negative thoughts with affirmations like "I am prepared" and "I have valuable information to share." Deep breaths. Calm those pre-speech jitters with slow, deep breathing exercises.

Obsessively planning every detail can be stressful, but it will be the key to maintaining peace of mind. The voice may shake a little at first, but the essential thing is to have calmed the inner judge; a confident and relaxed person can convey a lot. But if nerves do creep in, the best thing to do is to invite them into the presentation; confess to the audience that you are a little nervous and make a joke about it. Laughter can be a balm!

Write every speech for the ears, not the eyes. Most people, by default, write speeches the same way they write reports: for the eyes. When you read an 'eye speech' out loud, you'll notice how strange and unnatural it sounds. Instead, write for the ears and practice out loud a few times. This process will quickly reveal the words that don't match your normal speaking style or vocabulary.

Make sure you always practice your presentation out loud. A lot of people read their speech to themselves, this is like trying to learn to swim without getting in the water. Always read your speech out loud. Variety in pace and pitch is important. If you want to sound full of energy speed up, if it's more serious slow down but one of the most important rules when speaking is to never go too fast. If it is hard to slow down try to make each word longer, especially the vowel sounds. If you find yourself saying 'umm', 'ah', 'okay or 'like' a lot, a simple solution is to think the word instead. We only use these filler words because we are afraid of the silence and that silence which is a fraction of a second feels like minutes to the speaker.

One of the best things you can do to manage your nerves is to start with a hook that you love. A hook is a key way to engage your audience, but it's also a powerful way to pump a speaker's tires. Tell a great personal story, comment on a hot topic, mention something from pop culture, do a demo with a prop, and the list goes on. It doesn't matter what the hook is, as long as YOU get fired up thinking about it. Instead of dealing with butterflies, dry mouth, or a blank mind, you'll be thinking about how strong your opening is, and how excited you are to nail it!

The single best way to engage an audience is to make it about them, from the opening moment right through to your closing call to action. Attention spans have gotten shorter in the digital age, but that's not why people check out; the truth is your audience stops listening when it’s no longer about them. I challenge myself to engage my audience with a fun hook at the beginning and then re-engage them over and over again with mini hooks. As long as you follow this approach, they’ll reward you by listening. Action tip: as you review your script, delete any sentences, stories, examples, data, or sections that don’t directly benefit the audience. Be ruthless!