How can you confidently present without stage fright?

Believe in yourself first and foremost. When you face challenges, take a moment to regroup. Then, try again. And if you don't succeed, try once more. In fact, try multiple times. Amongst those attempts, one failure will surely teach you something valuable. This lesson will boost your confidence and guide you towards success.

Know the subject matter upside down and backwards- in reverse and sideways- there is no greater boost to speaking well than preparedness . Stage fright is part avoidance behavior- if you do not have a gap in your knowledge of a subject it shows- uncertainty opens the door to embarrassment and compounds stage fright

You don’t! You prepare as best you can, practice a ton, and then practice some more. Give yourself grace. I tell all my audiences that I am nervous so that I can have them connect with my energy. That takes the pressure off. Then I quit thinking of me and I dive into my content. The other answers here in this thread are excellent as well. Find what resonates with you and incorporate that. Perfection is not your goal. Improvement is.

One helpful strategy is knowing your audience well enough, such that your focus is shifted from yourself and any fear or anxiety to the true purpose of your presentation —contributing something of value to your audience. So, know and value (not fear) your audience.

Pre-speech: Deep breathing. Tell yourself you can do it. You’re there because the audience want to hear what you have to say. Speech: Start by introducing yourself. You are an expert on you so it’s an easy way to start. Once you get the first few words/sentences out, you’re well on your way. Post-speech: Compliment yourself when you’ve finished - to reinforce your confidence for the next time! ??

Practice. Of course. But ditch the pitch and watch your stories wrap themselves around the audience. No one knows what you have written or practiced except you. So even if you miss a point, come back to it. Don't stress. No one knows.

Master your content. And I don’t mean memorizing a speech. I mean really really knowing what you are talking about. Study your content. Practice your content. If you have a set amount of time for your presentation, run through it a few times, timing yourself. When you have truly mastered your content, your talk tracks will be on the tip of your tongue, and you can relax a little on stage because you know the subject so well, that you can’t be shaken.

Fail sometimes. Doing and failing is much better than not doing at all. Most of the times we make the fright too big Once you have performed on stage, you will realise,it is not that big a fear, we were making out to be. Nobody becomes perfect on the first go .

There are different types of preparation-styles and a spectrum in between. Some feel more comfortable knowing their content word for word by heart, whereas others prefer to have a structure and then speak freely. Where on the spectrum are you? Depending on your type overpreparing can stifle some, while a more flexible style can make others feel lost - and in both cases induce anxiety. I personally have found that I function the best with minimalist slides that serve as a structure for my talk and do the rest freely. In the beginning preparing more than less is definitely recommended and with time you will find what works the best for you.

Practice and rehearse but don’t memorize. Know your message, know what is it that you want to deliver to your audience. What are the key points that you want them to take away, then expand on them with your talking points. When you memorize and forget your place, that awkward moment for some paralyzes you bringing on more stress. Relax, know your message and share it with those in your audience. Even the best of speakers gets nervous, the difference is that we have a story or key points to share and we’ve made sure to practice that.

Relax, know your talking points by having a conversation with a close friend or colleague on what you plan on presenting. Arrive a bit early, scope out the place you’ll be presenting to be familiar with any technology or room set up. If you make a mistake, no need to apologize- odds are you are the only one who know that happened. Take a moment, gather your thought and move on. You’ll be ok! Have confidence in yourself !

Many of my speakers have a “stage song”, a song they play to get an immediate rush of confidence and power: “Unstopable” “Roar” take your pick. Music truly makes magic being able to almost instantly change our mood. Try it next time and feel the difference!

I always try to be early because rushing in late always adds to the anxiety about talking to a large group. My mantra is always if they didn’t want me here to speak then I certainly wouldn’t be here. Folks inviting me know what they are getting!

#1. Be yourself, you are who you are and they will know if you try to be something you're not. #2. Have Fun, if you are enjoying what you're doing, they will pick up on that and enjoy it also. #3. Know that you may get something wrong, so correct it and move on. Don't try to hide an error, but don't dwell on it either. #4. Know that others may not agree with you, or your information and don't take it personally if they challenge you. Thank them for a different perspective and just reiterate your points and opinions.

Before any presentation I always take a quiet moment away from the chaos of life (wfh) or buzzing before getting on stage. I take a deep breath and remember I was picked to be here, people want to hear my thoughts and I know that I will be articulate and forceful in my presence.

Walk around the stage or room instead of remaining static behind a lectern. Move closer to the audience. Display passionate hand gestures and facial expressions as you speak to convey enthusiasm. Invite the audience to respond to polls, quizzes or quick activities to get them involved. Pose rhetorical questions and pauses to get the audience thinking actively. Invite audience members to share brief experiences or thoughts related to the topic at hand. Make eye contact and smile warmly at attendees as you speak. This builds connection. Use storytelling elements and humor at moments to capture interest and attention.

This is often overlooked and a key part of my delivery. I look for ways to engage and interact with the audience. I bring them on the journey and make them part of the experience. This helps you build that all-important rapport and trust.

I like to know who’s in my audience - it’s not just a nerves calmer but getting the audience interacting within 10 minutes of standing in front of them sets you apart. In the last year I’ve spoken to several different audiences on multiple topics - in one space 80 school managers I asked who’d heard of two topics I was to talk about - a third of the room knew one topic, 3 people were familiar with the other. This immediately tells you the depth & breath of what to talk to. I did have an experience once where I was about to talk to 150 people - I asked who’d heard of design thinking “we all have, we discussed it this morning” I pivoted rapidly & invited someone to share the learnings from the earlier sessions & then added my expertise.

It's incredibly comforting to spot a familiar or friendly face in your audience. Have a friend or supporter in the crowd? Seek them out and their encouraging smile will supercharge your performance. Did you make a solo entrance? No problem! Remember, your audience is eager to hear you and absorb your message. Flash them a smile; it's infectious! When you see those happy faces before you, it'll feel like you're in a safe haven. A composed mind is your ticket to giving it your all on the stage.

An example of a trick I was taught in a college public speaking class is focus my eyes across the tops of the heads of those in the audience until you eyes reach the back wall of the room. Doing this with slight turns of my head whenever not looking down for cues in my notes to keep me on track with my message. Put this to the test when I was asked to speak at the graduation ceremony of my Alma Mater a few years ago. There 10,000 people in attendance that day and it worked like a charm!

What sets apart a good speaker from a great one is their ability to “read” the audience. No one, even the best speakers you can think of started being great. The only way to improve is noticing what went great and what may need a tweak. Winning recipe: A pinch of skill and a lot of practice.

Master a topic, build great and no conventional visuals, add value and knowledge to the audience. Build a strong argument and tell a stoty

I think this point should have been at the top of the list. There's a reason why certain persons are called upon to speak to audiences and cohorts; and why people truly listen to those speakers. Knowing a subject thoroughly before becoming a speaker on that subject is an absolute prerequisite. It cannot be stressed enough. Otherwise it's (to put it crudely) garbage-in-garbage-out. One can be extremely eloquent in speech and a great crowd entertainer in stage with the smartest of gimmicks. But after a point, if one isn't well read on the topic itself, it WILL show. And to be able to learn and adapt to the audience is a great plus for someone who is thoroughly comfortable with the subject and anything thrown their way.

I have done most of my speaking as a teacher during the part of my career working at the college level. On many days I would ditch the lesson plan and get folks up and moving if I sensed that a long tedious lecture was not going to cut it that day!

To learn and improve I believe watching oneself is the best way. No eyes judge better than yours… it’s good to do it short time after you delivered the session because that’s when you have it more fresh and remember best why you said something some way… Also asking the audience, via survey or if you are approached after. Sometimes they come to ask some question after a session and I always knock them off when I ask for true feedback… it takes some effort but they always say something valuable that helps improve for future occasions!

Start in an engaging manner or with an icebreaker statement , instead of coming out on the same mundane note as every other speaker , when you walk up the stage , you can tell your audience to say Hello to the person sitting next to them, or ask a question right when you hold the mic, this will immediately alleviate your fear once you see that the feedback is great. It is a top tip and it’ll make you present with confidence right from the get go!

From a theatre background, all of our coaches work with our clients to become comfortable with the presenting space, be that a stage, a plaform, a boardroom or meeting room. We all notice how a person moves from their seat to the presenting space, be that a dark wing to a bright, well lit stage, or from a conference table to a raised speaking platform. We notice how someone moves from a chair to the end of a boardroom table to take the floor, and we are influenced greatly by posture, facial expression, stride, calm, readiness and more. Learning to like the presenting space helps us to prepare for and manage the adrendlin, that comes with wanting to do well in the moment. Establishing our presence is key to putting our audience at ease.

Turn the spotlight around. Turn it on your audience! As a speaker, you don't matter; your audience does. Focus on the gift you can share and be inspired by your own desire to serve. You will NOT reach everyone to an identical extent; that's an illusion! Accept that some people will love you, some will not,some will learn from you, and some will just shrug their shoulders and keep holding their views. So much depends on their pre-existing knowledge, their openness to learn etc. You can't control how your message lands, so stop fretting about it. Just focus on being of service. When you do that you forget yourself and you no longer notice stage fright.

One thing that has proven effective for my public speaking is the concept of “faking it til you make it.” It might sound unorthodox but, what it allows you to do is pop out of yourself and be reborn into the person you want to be. I find great satisfaction in becoming the best version of myself on stage and encourage many others to practice seeing their best self at all times!

I would recommend that you familiarise yourself with the venue as much as possible. The more you know the space, the more you’ll feel at home. Get to know the tech support team, introduce yourself, feel part of a team, that you’re all going to make this presentation happen. Also remember giving a talk isn’t about you- it’s about the audience. It’s a privilege for people to give you the respect that you are the expert and they want to hear what you have to say. We should respect that. If you find yourself worrying about yourself, then you are not focussing on the audience or your content. Stay present, stay connected with the audience, trust they they will take care of you. And you will be a better speaker, I promise. Go enjoy yourself!