Choose Nervous "Butterflies" Over Lying Snakes

Our company's recent Learning and Development (L&D) survey yielded a comment recommending that some guidance on public speaking be offered to first-time team presenters, ahead of their planned topics. This is something the L&D team has already been helping with prior to every presentation. Truth is, that - like everything else - presentation skills must be developed over time and are the product of learning, practice and experience. So, why not start off by sharing some useful tips with everyone? Because, sooner or later we all are going to make a presentation to an audience of some kind - business or personal.

So, you're nervous ahead of a speaking opportunity? So was Mark Twain, who once said?"there are only two types of speakers in the world. 1.The nervous and 2. Liars."?It's human to be nervous before speaking in front of large groups. It's OK to acknowledge this. But, the confidence that comes from training, preparation and experience - over time - goes a long way in helping us overcome our fears. We all need a starting point from which to grow. Here are some things we can all do to help make us better speakers:

1. Identify your "Butterfly Spots."?Figure out what about public speaking makes you feel nervous and develop a strategy to ward off your nerves ahead of time.
2. Be Prepared.?The best nerve-management tool is solid preparation. Consider the audience, prepare your content, thoroughly, and become comfortable delivering the material. You simply can't learn your material and speak about it at the same time.
3. Know your Audience. Identify the potential needs, objectives and goals of your audience. And, don't delay thinking about all this until the night before.
4. Tell Stories.?Shape the message into stories filled with vivid images, specific examples, appropriate humor and passion.
5. Be Engaging.?Avoid reciting laundry lists of facts. Keep things brief, but not so brief that you leave out crucial information.
6. Control What You Can Control.?A UCLA study showed that 55% of the message received by an audience is conveyed by one's personal appearance. Be sure to address your clothing choice, hairstyle and makeup. And, attend to your gestures, facial animation, smile, posture and eye contact. Also, pay attetntion to your vocal tone, pitch, pause, speed and volume.
7. Practice. Rehearse, Rehearse, Rehearse.

And, don't let perfection be the enemy of the good. Good communication is never perfect, and nobody expects you to be perfect. However, putting in the requisite time to prepare will help you deliver a better speech. You may not be able to shake your nerves entirely, but you can learn to minimize them. And, the Thermo University team and I are always here to help.

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Marc LeVine is a graduate of Syracuse (NY) University with a degree in Industrial Psychology, Marc is currently Talent Acquisitions and Learning and Development Lead at Thermo Systems. His prior employment includes senior Human Resources and staffing industry management roles with Edgewood Properties in Piscataway, Brickforce Staffing in Edison, InfoPro Inc. in Woodbridge and Plainsboro and Harvard Industries in Farmingdale, NJ, a former Fortune 500 company. He also served as Director of Human Resources for New Jersey Press, the parent company of the Asbury Park Press, Home News and Tribune and WKXW-NJ101.5. Earlier in his career, Marc served as Director of Career Services and Placement at Union Technical Institute in Eatontown and Neptune, NJ. In addition, Marc owned and operated Integrity Consulting Associates, a Human Resources consulting firm in Freehold for 11 years.