13 tips to zap your butterflies when speaking

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…BEFORE YOUR PRESENTATION.

THEY WON’T NOTICEThink of any nervousness you feel

as being your private secret and most of the time it will be.

REHEARSE LIKE A MANIAC I practice in front of a mirror

several times before I go on stage. 

UNFREEZE THE AUDIENCE WITH HUMOR

 If you can start the audience laughing before getting into

more serious matters, that will dissolve much of your

fright.

LOOK GOODDressing somewhat

more formally than the rest of the audience can do wonders to boost your confidence.

SCOPE OUT THE ENVIRONMENT Be comfortable in the room

you are about to speak in.

TALK TO THE AUDIENCEHave a chat with a few members

before you speak

MEMORIZE THE STICKY SPOTS.

Reword and memorize the difficult sections so they don’t

drag you down during your final speech.

ACCEPT THE FEAR, DON’T FIGHT IT. 

Accept any nervousness you feel just as you would accept that the carpet is blue or the walls are white. 

… FOR YOUR FUTURE PRESENTATIONS

PRACTICE THE ART OF PAUSES.

 When you’re nervous, your instinct will be to fill any dead air with words.

AVOID THE POWERPOINT CRUTCH

Most people use Powerpoint as a way of directing attention away from themselves and onto a screen.

WORK ON POSTURE AND BODY LANGUAGE.

There are studies where researchers discovered that moving their face into smiling or frowning positions actually made them feel differently.

FAIL OFTEN.

When you realize that the worst that can happen isn’t that bad, it zaps your butterflies for good.

GOOD LUCK WITH YOUR PRESENTATIONS!