THE TOP 4 PRESENTER WORRIES AND HOW TO ALLEVIATE THEM

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Pressure in my chest. That’s how I know I’m nervous or anxious. Plus, my body feels a few degrees warmer, so if there are any stage lights involved… boy, that can be uncomfortable. In the 20 years I’ve been presenting, facilitating, and leading group sessions, this physical response has not changed.

Pre-presentation jitters are common. Even the best communicators deal with them. It’s probably why speaking in public ranks among the top fears. It makes us consider the possibility of failure (publicly, at that). That what we have to say might not be accepted, which we interpret as us not being accepted.

“What if they don't like me?”

“What if they don't listen?”

“What if my message doesn't land?”

“What if...

Allow me to propose a different "what if". What if you knew simple, proven techniques to deal with your most common pain points? Would you use them?

If you answered “yes”, then this is for you. It’s important that your voice isn’t silenced because of the doubts that cloud your mind. The sole purpose of this article is to give you precise tips to tackle your most common worries, so you can deliver your message with more confidence.?

Let's go!

Worry #1: How do I overcome my presentation anxiety?

Practice out loud. This is one of the best lessons I learned early in my career. I recall preparing for my first workshop. My leader at that time asked me to walk through the first part of my session… live. I remember feeling very self-conscious as I walked up to the front of the group. As soon as I started, I messed up. I did this three times. I was sweating. By the end, I didn’t have it perfected, but I got the flow and the confidence. As I walked back, I thanked my leader. Even though I felt flustered, I knew it was the best thing he could have done for me. I’ve continued that practice ever since.

If you’re going up in front of a group of people to speak, then you need to practice speaking. Stand up and practice out loud – not in your head. Just to be clear, I mean practice, not memorize. Take it up a notch and record yourself or do it in front of a mirror. Since body language is a major part of communication, you want to be able to see yourself and what message you’re communicating, both with your words and with your body. If you want to take it up another notch, get a few people to sit in as you run a mock session. You’ll get some great, in-the-moment feedback this way. There’s a bonus to practicing out loud, especially if you’re someone who tends to be quieter. Hearing your voice will increase your confidence. As you practice out loud, you’ll get comfortable with your voice, you’ll feel more grounded in what you have to say, and this will deepen your self-belief.

Get good sleep. Practice is important. So is sleep. Your body and brain need rest. The night before your presentation, rest up. Don’t run through your presentation again. If you’ve done the prep ahead of time, you’ve set yourself up well. So, enjoy a good night’s sleep.

Connect with your audience early. Communication is all about building connections. If you can connect, then your communication will be successful. This could be as simple as taking the time to chat with a few people in the audience ahead of your session. If you already know the group, then this will be easier. If not, you can introduce yourself to a few folks and have some one-on-one chats. Fun and meaningful icebreakers come in handy for this as well. It’s a way to get everyone to relax, laugh, and connect early. When you see and hear your audience engaging this way, it will help with your nerves as well.

Couple of side notes about presentation jitters. One, they’re largely due to the fear of not knowing how it’s going to go. So, just get started and that sense of overwhelm will begin to ease. Two, they serve a purpose. If you feel them, you know that what you’re about to do matters to you. So, don’t aim to get rid of them entirely. Instead, use them to keep you sharp.

Worry #2: How do I get my audience to trust me?

Know your audience. The purpose of most of our presentations is to get our audience to take the action we’re recommending, so trust and likeability are essential. And you can’t get these unless you know someone. Think about it – how many people do you trust whom you either don’t know and/or don’t like? Even if it’s someone well outside your inner circle – a celebrity, an author, a leader – you have an affinity for them. You feel that you know them and to some extent they know you, because what they say speaks to you. So, when you’re presenting to a group, it’s important that you know them. What’s important to them, what they’re challenged with, what inspires them, how they feel about the topic you’re speaking about. Talk to a couple of people who will be a part of your audience, ideally the key decision makers and/or influencers. Now, you may not be able to uncover everything, but you want to do the upfront work here, because once you know your people, you can speak to them rather than talk at them. And boom, you’ve set the stage for trust and likeability.

Speak their language. One of my pet peeves is jargon. But there is a place for it. Jargon in the right context is a connector. When we hear certain words and acronyms, we feel a sense of familiarity. It’s like hearing your native tongue when travelling to a foreign land – you feel a sense of home. For example, some teams use KPIs vs. OKRs when speaking of their business objectives; some refer to their department as Sales while others say Business Development; some say clients instead of customers. Knowing and using key words that resonate with your group will help you build connection and trust. Your audience member’s names are also powerful words. Refer to them by name periodically as you engage them in your session. As I mentioned earlier, another aspect of language is body language. Something simple you can get clarity on is attire – does your audience dress formally or more casually? What would this look like? You can then mirror this in how you show up for your session. Knowing key aspects of their language and using them intentionally will build common ground and trust.

Be competent and be humble. Our puppy, Charlie, is almost one. Being first time dog owners, my husband and I got him (and us) enrolled in training early. There is no shortage of dog behaviour classes around the corner from us, but we opted for one that is 40 minutes away. This may not seem long, but when you have a dog that throws up in the car for a ride longer than 10 minutes, it’s an eternity! We chose this place because we know Charlie’s mom’s owners and they recommended it [note know + like + trust factors].? The reason we’ve continued here is because the trainers are knowledgeable. They provide practical guidance which has led to results. Plus, they’re down to earth. I don’t walk away feeling like I’m dumb for not knowing or doing something. We get both correction and kudos in meaningful ways. As the presenter, people trust you to deliver a message because you have the expertise and knowledge they need. But your wisdom needs to be tied to humility, because you need to trust your audience too. They also have expertise and knowledge that you need to tap into. During your presentation, ask questions you don’t have answers to, but that need to be resolved. Be open to responses that you may not have considered, even if you feel that you know the subject well. If you can engage your audience in the creation of the solution they need, you will not just have trust, you will have buy-in.

Worry #3: How do I get their attention?

Don’t start with, “Hi my name is…”. Instead:

Share a relatable story. Knowing your audience is the foundation. This needs to be reciprocated. Sharing something about yourself in relation to your topic and your audience will help you connect with them in a way that facts and data alone cannot. And if you start this way, you will have their attention better than most other presenters. Let’s say you’re a product manager and, as part of a new rollout, you need to present a new product to your sales team. Instead of kicking off with the usual introduction or description of the new product, share a story about the conception of the product: “Three months ago, we were all together in this very room trying to figure out how we keep our top clients from moving over to our competitor’s platform. I remember being in the hot seat, because you had a lot of questions, some of which I couldn’t answer at the time. Since then, we’ve had a lot of meetings, heated debates, Q&As, testing, and retesting. And today is the result of that. Thanks to all your input, I’m happy to share…” When you share a story, you’re looking to connect yourself and your topic with your audience. It becomes a story of “us”, which will get attention.?

Post a memorable quote. How do you want your audience to feel? Intrigued, hopeful, inspired? Then share a quote that ignites this within them. “The potency of an attention-getting quote lies in its ability to arrest the wandering mind and demand a moment of contemplation.” (Unknown)

Ask a thoughtful question. Questions are powerful. They spark inquiry, reflection, and even debate. When you kick off with a question, you get your audience engaged early, because you’re getting them thinking. You’re getting them involved. Again, think about how you want your audience to feel and ask accordingly. You can even kick off with a rhetorical question. Something that provokes thought but doesn’t necessarily need a discussion. What question will get your audience’s attention?

Worry #4: How will I handle push back?

Anticipate the resistance. This brings us back to knowing your audience. Get a gauge for how your audience feels about your topic. Are they looking forward to it? Are they skeptical? Do they care at all? Knowing this will help you think through possible questions as well as feel more confident. If you’re not sure about how they might feel, just ask. This can be part of your “Know your audience” process. Word of caution – don’t get caught in the trap of trying to anticipate all possible objections. Focus only on the top three. The rest will likely be connected to these.

Address the resistance proactively. “When we name an emotion or an experience, it doesn’t give that emotion or experience more power, it gives US more power.” (Brené Brown, Atlas of the Heart) This applies in presentation scenarios as well. “Naming” the resistance and objection, gives you power. It also increases trust and anticipation within your audience because you’ve named something that’s important to them. So, you have their attention – bonus! You may already have some responses to their objections, but don’t rule out the option to come up with answers together. Remember, your audience is knowledgeable. Just because there is resistance doesn’t mean they don’t want to work towards a solution or that everyone feels the exact same objection or even that they all feel it to the same degree. If they are actively engaged in the problem-solving, it’s much more likely that they’ll adopt the idea you’re putting forward.

Check in often. Sometimes objections pop up along the way. Sometimes what you thought was resolved will re-surface. So, checking in with “What questions do you have?”, “What’s still weighing on your mind?”, “How are you feeling now?” are good ways to do a pulse check periodically. Consider even asking a scale question. “From 0-5 how excited are you about this new program?” It will give you a definitive gauge of the room. This is a question you can ask early in your presentation and then come back to again as you progress through. It will allow you to see if/how the mood of the group changes as you go along. You can then follow-up with “How do we go from 3 to 5?” (Or whatever progression you choose).

As you prepare for your next presentation, remember that the worries and second-guessing you battle are felt by everyone who steps out in front. You’re in good company. Let your voice be heard.

So, which of these tips will you apply?

PS: Whenever you’re ready, let’s chat about our Leadership Accelerator 90TM program and how it’s helping leaders like yourself elevate their communication and followership in 90 days or less: https://calendly.com/nancyjohn-seedleadership/strategy.