Giving a presentation and would like advice for overcoming nerves

[Jonny Wright]

I am due to give a training session at work next week and would be greateful for any advice for overcoming my nerves.

I dont know why but I always get really nervous in situations like this. I stutter, rush and fumble and usually struggle to get rhe point across properly. In my interview for my current job, the only l negative feedback I had was that I was "the most nervous person we interviewed".

For the presentation I know the subject matter very well, and I know this is sterotyping, but I am sure the type of people I am giving the training to will be difficult to engage with and keep interested. It is only going to be to about 15 people.

Any advice on how I can keep my cool and not screw this up would be very welcome!

[The Evil Overlord]

Keep calm, slow down, think, picture the target audience naked, (or dead )

Most of the time I see candidates when I've been asked to hire, have always gotten ahead of themselves, this is the main problem I see to overcome, keep to a pace and you should do fine

[Jonny Wright]

Keep calm, slow down, think, picture the target audience naked, (or dead )

Most of the time I see candidates when I've been asked to hire, have always gotten ahead of themselves, this is the main problem I see to overcome, keep to a pace and you should do fine

I have often heard about people imagining the audience naked...never dead though! Will have to give that one a go!

[+theblazingangel MVC]

• Make sure you know what you're talking about - which you say you do.
• Try to relax and not think of it as as big a deal as you're perhaps making it into in your head. It's just a little short chat with a few people about something you know to help bring them more up to speed on it or refresh their knowledge.
• Force yourself to slow down and breath if you recognise yourself speaking too fast.
• Remind yourself that it's something extremely common, that even highly experienced speakers and celebrities in the entertainment world can get just as nervous, that the people you're going to speak to are perfectly aware of the possibility that you might be nervous, and are probably going to perfectly understanding about it.
• Make sure you have a drink of water to hand.
• Who cares if it's going to be difficult to keep this audience interested, the job is to just put this material across to them for them to possibly gain something from, you don't need to impress anyone.

[zeke009]

I find I do better when I focus on being excited for the opportunity rather than letting my nerves get the better of me. Proper preparation is a must in order for this to work for me.

 

A few years ago I had a chance to present to some senior execs with a co-worker for a competition and I was freaking out the week leading up to it. It wasn't until I shifted my focus and energy to the opportunity itself that I started to started to calm down. We ended up winning the competition.

[vcfan]

Keep calm, slow down, think, picture the target audience naked, (or dead )

or small children. would he be as nervous giving his presentation to small children? probably not.

[fintechfooty]

Just remember that the ball is in your court. It doesn't matter what everyone else will be doing be it laughing or seemingly not interested because the majority of the people are coming to listen to what you have to say. Don't worry about making a mistake because it's seriously NOT a big deal. Go out there and give it your all. Trust me bro if you know your stuff it will flow through.

 

It's about your goal which is to become a confident speaker. Your a boss, go out there and represent bro. 

 

If you feel like you're having a hard time engaging with people try finding common ground regardless of your 'real' stance on the subject matter. Sometimes I talk about things I don't even know about just to see the other persons POV. Dude you're going to kill it. 

[COKid]

Yeah, that naked thing can have consequences...

 

[MorganX]

Make sure you know your subject matter. Don't include anything you don't feel comfortable about. If you know it, a little natural nervousness will have little or no impact on the presentation.

 

If your presentation is tight, imagine you are watching your own presentation, and just narrating it.

 

Stay well hydrated and pee in advance.

 

Don't be afraid to slow your delivery to calm your nerves.

 

Make sure you know your subject matter. Don't include anything you don't feel comfortable about. If you know it, a little natural nervousness will have little or no impact on the presentation.

 

Don't think it's abnormal to be nervous. You can be nervous all the way through. The audience will never know if you deliver your presentation.

[Xeiros]

When you're up in front of a crowd of people, it's easy to feel as if every one last of them is judging you. That they're looking down on you and mentally laughing every time you make a mistake. Their eyes on you make you feel increasingly stressed and on edge. You want nothing more than to be out of that situation as quickly as possible. Have you ever done something stupid or embarrassing and were convinced everyone in the room/building saw and they were all thinking how foolish and pathetic you were? Guess what? They aren't. They didn't notice. They don't care. It's all in your head.

 

All that ######? All of it. It's pretty much just you. Your audience isn't looking down on you. They aren't intensely scrutinizing your every action. They're not secretly wishing you'll mess up so they can laugh at your misfortune. We understand what it's like to put yourself out there for others. It's easy to feel as if you're this specimen on an operating table and the audience is the surgeon dissenting and tearing you down with their eyes, but that's largely just a warped negative mental state. The reality is, they understand what you're experiencing. They're not looking down on and judging you, they're supporting you.  At least a mature respectful audience is.

[ngc891]

I always carry a hip flask of JD in my work bag for such occasions...  calms the nerves.

[Sir Topham Hatt]

Don't rely on drink to "clam the nerves" - train yourself do be able to deliver presentations.

 

Allow your personality to shine through.

Chill out - don't take it too seriously, but at the same time, don't let anything go wrong.

Remember, if you don't know the exact answer, they won't know any better.

You know the subject very well, so use it to show your passion and knowledge.

Props are good.

Visuals - don't use loads of animations (especially ones that take ages to complete), but subtle ones are nice.  Don't worry about it being loads of slides long: there's nothing worse than a slide that is filled with text.

 

I have hundreds of presentations at a theme park years ago.

I hated it at first but then really got into it and loved it.

[+Fahim S. MVC]

My four pieces of advice.

1. Remember you are the 'expert', that you are telling them about a subject that you know and they don't.
2. Mistakes happen - you are just human.  Don't worry about making them, instead remember that you will make them, just be honest (admit to them) and move on.
3. Don't 'present' to the audience - talk to them.
4. Keep it concise and cover the minimal amount on the subject that you can get away with, don't ramble on about it and let the questions at the end of the presentation be the place where you go into a much lower level of detail.

[ultimate99]

How long is your training session\ 

Try to have a 5-10 min break between major topics - attention span is like 40 min max\

Include an exercise or 2 (individual or team) let them do something and not just listen or day dream\ keep them engaged

 

First and foremost PRACTICE I cannot emphasize that more practice does help a lot!!!

 

I recently had to give a training session for the office and did the above\

I'm considered the quiet shy guy in the office but after the training session my colleagues didn't expect I'd deliver something like that well\

 

i'm not bragging but just my own experience

[remixedcat]

heh mine are always wierd so it became the new normal

[123456789A]

Use the latest version of PowerPoint.

[remixedcat]

and make sure they use good wireless access points like cisco or xirrus or ubiquity. to make sure your presentation doesn't lag.

[ultimate99]

Oh and try to use Prezi if you can

really depends on topic and theme

[Jonny Wright]

Thank you all for all the advice. Did the presentation last week and feel it went pretty well. I could have done better, but I always knew it was never going be to perfect! However, it went much better than I thought it would so thanks for the support. Weirdly looking forward to the next time... 

[ultimate99]

Thank you all for all the advice. Did the presentation last week and feel it went pretty well. I could have done better, but I always knew it was never going be to perfect! However, it went much better than I thought it would so thanks for the support. Weirdly looking forward to the next time... 

Congrats!

hehe, i know the feeling...

[Mockingbird]

Never mind.

[Jose_49]

Great to know that!

 

For any other readers I also recommend to chill out.

 

And the best way to fight fears or nervousness is to face them constantly so it becomes common.

[DocM]

My first few times I chose a few people around the room and addressed just them. It made the crowd seem smaller, reducing my initial anxiety. After a few sessions it became much easier.

[techbeck]

I have often heard about people imagining the audience naked...never dead though! Will have to give that one a go!

 

Yea, try that.  Especially some of the cute women in the crowd....

 

Anyway, just practice before hand.  Write things down, go over them.  May want to use friends/family as a practice group as well.

[Arachno 1D]

Try and get some form of participation from the audience if you can next time and prizes keep them interested too