Presence Training

Zoom meetings and other virtual solutions have pretty much become the norm nowadays. More and more people find the only solution to continue work from home, and this is a way for them to stay connected. 

But this change in the way you conduct meetings may seem hard to adjust to. A virtual environment is nothing like meeting people face to face, and doing presentations online may not be your strong trait. To gain some confidence, you can adopt a few tactics: 

• Do a lot of practice in front of the camera – how do people get better at something? Well, they practice and then practice some more. You cannot expect to feel good about something if you haven’t practised it enough. In the case of doing online meetings, you don’t even necessarily need to practice with real people. You can ‘cheat’ a little by practising just in front of a camera. You will then feel more comfortable in a real online environment when the time comes. 

• Preparation is key – perhaps the best way to feel confident in an online meeting is to prepare yourself for it. Know what topic you will be discussing, what data is needed, what other people may need of you. And if you are only asked to observe, it is best to prepare some actionable points, which you can add to the meeting when an opening arises. Basically, the better prepared you are, the more confidence you will feel and less stress and anxiety about it. This is a great tip that works great for any public speaking performance, but it translates well into online meetings as well. 

• Your appearance matters – most people usually tie their confidence in the way they look. That is also true in the virtual world, even though you are only visible from the torso up. Consider what physical features of yourself you feel are more frustrating and proactively address them. For instance, if you feel like your skin doesn’t look good on camera, employ some form of skincare regimen. Whatever it is, you can actively make yourself look better and thus gain some of that much needed sweet confidence in front of the camera. 

• Become more familiar with technology – another way to be more comfortable during online meetings and presentations lies with increasing your knowledge of the technology used. Taking the time to learn all about the new platform and hardware till you are comfortable with it to the point where it doesn’t bother you. When you are unsure of the means of online meetings, you are losing focus and worrying extra about it, which can be problematic in many ways. 

• Speak up – sometimes you have an idea of what you will say in your head. And then, the time never comes. The meeting ends, and you have not shared your ideas. Your goal should be to speak up, as this is going to boost your confidence. You may think that keeping it to yourself is the way to go, but in the end, you will just hate yourself for keeping quiet. Find the right phrases to speak up and wait for the right moment. Don’t just interrupt people mid-sentence, as that is just rude. ‘That concerns me a little’, ‘I have a question about ….’, ‘I have to say’ are all good phrases to use and get some attention. 

These are all working tips to boost your confidence in online meetings. Use them all and you will see that they have a positive effect. 

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To many people, public speaking presents the number one fear in the world. They rank it as the worst thing they can go through. And the fact that many people believe that a good public speaker can only be born and never made doesn’t help one bit. 

The reality of things is that everyone has the potential to become good at public speaking. No matter how much anxiety you get at the idea and how stressed you are, there are ways to help you overcome this fear and allow you to learn the skills that good public speakers possess. There are several things you can consider in regards to learning public speaking skills: 

• A public speaking course – the first thing you can do, to become a more confident and capable speaker is to take public speaking courses. There are many benefits to doing that. First, you get access to a wide range of experts, who can teach you all sorts of valuable skills and tricks that can help you get your message across. Second, by working with professionals, you will learn to manage your fear and gain much-needed confidence for a good performance. Last, but most definitely not least, there are online public speaking courses that you can take advantage of, which are very convenient and easy on your schedule. 

• You can watch other public speakers – learning by watching others is a good way to spot what skills they have and what makes them good at public speaking. There are many famous speakers out there, whose speeches have left a mark in history. Check them out and see what sort of words they use for the occasion and how they resonate with the audience. Also, see some videos of famous speakers, to catch a glimpse of their body language and how they use that to emphasise their own words and reinforce their beliefs. Mind their style and how you can use them as a prime example to develop your speaking methods that serve your needs. 

• Practice with others – if you truly wish to hone your public speaking skills, you need to practice more. Thankfully, there are plenty of opportunities for that. For example, you can try doing public speaking with your closest friends and family members. Once you feel more comfortable, engage in such activities with your co-workers and during other social interactions. The more you speak to others, the more confidence you gain in your abilities. It won’t be long before you feel prepared to speak to any group and in any situation. 

• Record yourself on video – this is a strategy that many public speakers use as part of their preparation process for a big speech. They rehearse by recording themselves on video and then watching it closely. This allows them to catch on certain mistakes they are making in their speech or body language. You may think this is strange, but a simple recording can reveal details like where you look during your speech, and how much you wave your hands around. These details only seem minor, but in reality, they are an important part of the speech/presentation that you cannot afford to neglect. 

As you can see, there are quite a few ways to practice your public speaking skills and become better at it. It is up to you to pick the one method that works best for what you want to achieve. It is better yet if you can combine a few of them, to reap the best rewards. 

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Doing presentations is not an easy feat, especially if you feel like you are getting anxious just at the thought of it. A lot of people feel under immense pressure when they are about to present, and so they make mistakes. According to experts, the best learning process you can make involves learning the potential mistakes and working your way around them. As you get to avoid them, you will find that presentations are not as tough as you once believed. Let’s check out some of the common blunders people run into when it comes to presentations: 

• Little preparation – more often than you would imagine, a good presentation doesn’t go as planned because the speaker has not invested the needed time for preparation. It takes a good effort to find a balance between the professional and the personal aspects of the presentation. There are personal elements – body language, appearance, voice. Then there are the professional parts of it – the content, the subject and the visuals/media that contributes. Preparing all of the fine little details of these 2 aspects is perhaps the most important first step to a killer presentation. 

• Wrong use of visuals – it is not a secret that visuals turn a presentation from good to great. However, visuals have the potential to detract from the content, instead of enhancing it. Slides get unattractive if they are overcrowded. Lengthy paragraphs repel people’s attention, rather than attract it. Instead, a good presentation should feature minor points in bullets, instead of lengthy paragraphs. Learning these simple principles can lead to visual enhancement, which will serve you well on your presentations. 

• Having no clue about the audience – the best presenters out there know that they have to do a custom design of their presentation, which fits the audience. Knowing as much as possible about the people who will listen to you is crucial. Their demographics, occupation and age, as well as how much they know about the topic in question constitute valuable data, which will help you design the presentation in the best possible way. Researching these factors could mean the difference between success and failure. 

• Using inappropriate humour – just a single off-colour joke can render your further efforts futile. People may get offended and it is always better to consider ‘neutral’ humour, rather than one that goes too far. You may think that what you are saying is funny, whereas in reality people might be sensitive to it and view you as unprofessional. It is best to be highly considerate of this when doing any kind of presentations. 

• You start or end late – when it comes to presentations, there is the clock you need to abide to. It is never a good idea to start or end a presentation late. People in the audience have their time restrictions and they don’t want to feel stressed about it, because of you. Practice your presentation so that you stay within the allotted amount of time and always be on time at the start. 

• You are cramming too much into a short presentation – you have to learn how to cut back/cut out material. If the time you have for your presentation is short, you will need those skills, to make a workable presentation. You can pass extra information in the handouts, remove minor details and only focus on the important stuff. 

Knowing more about these all too common mistakes will enable you to better create the best presentation. Always try to improve and stay on top of your presentation game. 

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If you were to ask a few people whether they are scared of flying, or insects or snakes, you will get some positive answers. However, if you were to ask the same people whether they fear to give a public speech, it is more than likely that 90% of them will say they dread the experience. A lot of people are afraid of public speaking, and that is nothing extraordinary. 

One thing that can help in this situation comes in the form of public speaking courses. Picking a company that offers such services and working with a proven expert on public speaking is a good way to master your skills and overcome any fear and anxiety. There are a few important things that public speaking courses teach you, explored in brief in this article: 

• You learn that being nervous is normal - there are many physiological reactions to standing up in front of an audience and giving a speech. Your heart begins to race, you feel shortness of breath, and your hands begin to shake. One of the most important things that public speaking courses teach you is to not relate these feelings with your performance. In other words, that adrenaline rush you get as you stand up in front of the audience can be something you use to become more alert and focused, instead of a hindrance. That way you can welcome your feelings of nervousness and use them to nail the presentation you are doing. 
  
  
• You begin to pay more attention to your audience - doing a public speech is all about reaching other people. During your courses, you will learn that to craft your message in accordance with the audience is key and that it should be your major goal at all times. 
• The way to organise your speech - organizing your speech most efficiently is important and that is something you will learn from public speaking courses. Researching the topic and preparing your material are both very important aspects of the speech and it is a good idea to go through them effectively. 
  
  
• Learn how to receive feedback and adapt to it - sometimes the audience gives you a clear indication that you are doing something wrong or that you are doing something right. If you notice people with absent-minded look who are checking their phones all the time, perhaps you need to step up your game. Alternatively, if people are lively and follow your every word with interest, then you are doing something and should continue in the same manner. 
  
  
• You become a better communicator - giving a public speech is all about forwarding a message and making sure that it is well understood. Sadly, that is not always the case in your daily life. Yet, attending public speaking courses can often help the situation quite a bit. You will learn how to craft and communicate your message more clearly, to achieve the desired effect and avoid misunderstandings. 
  
  
• You learn to be more mindful of your body language - it is not only important to be a good communicator, but also to use effective body language. The way you move in front of the audience, the way you use gestures to stress certain points of your presentation and a whole lot of other non-verbal ways of communication are essential for your success as a speaker. Mastering those is possible with the help of a public speaking course. 
  
  

There is much that you can gain from getting yourself involved in a public speaking course. In doing so, you will greatly improve in a variety of ways. 

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There is just no way that a presenter standing still during the whole presentation can make a good impact on their audience. No matter where you are and how many people you are talking to, you should incorporate movement. It increases the energy and adds some variety to the presentation. 

As you move, you appear and feel more confident. That is often enough to guarantee success with your presentation. Planning a few different positions and using them when the time comes is a good way to boost your speech. Here are a few additional clever tips in that regard: 

1. Find the power position and state your key message from there

The core and essence of your entire presentation is the key message you want to convey. For it to have the greatest impact, you should speak it out from the power position. This is basically the dead centre of the place, close to your audience. That way, it will resonate with them the most. 

2. Map the structure on the stage

As you use the physical space on the stage, you should map out the structure of your presentation and where you will be during any given moment. For instance, when you first start, you can position yourself in one part of the room, slowly move to the centre when you are approaching the second part, and then move to the other side as you advance towards the end. Return to the centre for the conclusion. That way, you will improve engagement in the presentation. 

3. Utilise a stage timeline

This strategy is similar to the previous point; only it has to do with time. For instance, if you are describing things from the past, position yourself on one side of the room. As you move to the centre, start talking about how things are now. If you want to make a point about the future, move to the other side of the room. It is good to keep ‘the past’ to your audience’s left (not your left). 

4. Imagine you are in a debate when explaining pros and cons

So during a debate, the two sides are arguing with each other on different areas of the stage. And while you are alone during your presentation, you can easily adapt this strategy when describing pros and cons. Pick a side for describing pros and then pick a different side of the room when describing cons. That way, the audience will get a clear view of your arguments. 

5. Physical reflection of the points of view

The different points of view on a given topic often go from one extreme to another. Use the room to showcase this by picking one side of the room for one of the extremes, and the other for the second extreme. Needless to say, the centre is the golden middle, where you will state the middle ground. 

6. A spot for every option

When you want to present a range of options, as is often the case, give each one a different spot of the room. To further emphasise the option, return to that spot of the room when you later go back to discuss it. 

7. Move close to your audience for emphasis

Normally, you will be standing some distance away from your audience. However, when you want to emphasise something, you should seek closeness. This is a powerful move, which some even consider intimidating, but it does hold great potential. If you want to minimise this aspect, simply stand close to someone and then look at another part of the audience. 

Utilising movement in this manner during your presentation is a great way to get your message across. 

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You may think that presentation skills come with age, but reality has proven otherwise. There is zero doubt that you can learn a trick or two in regards to becoming a masterful presenter and a large number of them boil down to getting decent practice.

The practice is not just a way to get a better idea of what you need to focus on, but it is also what your brain needs. When you do some task, it is your brain that coordinates the motor functions, sensory processing and verbal skills. The process is called myelination, which is exactly what practice triggers. That is your brain’s way of telling you that you have done it before, and you can do it again, only better.

Now that you have learned that practice has a way to make your presentations better, you need to learn effective ways of practising. But before that…

What should you practice

Body language

Body language makes a major part of the way you appear in front of your audience. It involves hand gestures, posture, facial expressions, movements and so much more.

Content

Practice doesn’t just mean memorising your speech and knowing what to answer the most common questions. It is knowing your content backwards and forwards but in a natural way. It is learning how to provide it smoothly, instead of just drilling the major points.

Vocal tone

Effective ways to practice

Now that you know practice is important and you know what aspects of the presentation to practice, it is time you learn some ways to make the process more effective.}

Don’t sit down

As you practice, make it a point to stand up, and not remain seated. It is very likely that you will be standing tall when the time comes. That way the experience will be more familiar to you.

Do not practice alone

All presentations share one simple thing: you perform them in front of an audience. There is hardly any use of practising alone. Much better to contact some friends and practice your speech in front of them. If that is not possible, record the practice session to gauge the way you speak and behave during the speech so that you can remove any mistakes.

Try the ‘opposite’ approach

One common way to fix mistakes in your presentation after identifying them is to try doing the exact opposite thing. For example, if you see yourself talking too quickly, try slowing down as much as possible. This way you will have a nice idea of how to balance the flaw.

Add some background noise

In an effort to fully recreate the setting of a presentation, you should add some background noise to your practice. It can be music or chatter. That way you will have better focus when the time comes because you will learn how to overcome distractions.

Break down your presentation

If you think your message is too long and hard to grasp, try breaking down your points into small chunks. When you do the presentation in sections, and the sections into sentences, you will find it easier to navigate and learn how to present efficiently.

How often should you practice

Don’t believe the myth that too much practice will undermine your authenticity. When you internalise your material, you will actually feel free to improvise if an opportunity arises. Getting more practice over a longer period of time will help you. Avoid cramming all of your practice hours just before doing the presentation, as that could have a negative impact on it.

Now that you know more about the importance of practice and how to make the most of it, you are ready to conquer your presentation.

Find out more great tips at Presence Training.

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Did you know that the average person finds natural disasters, theft, loneliness, ghosts and even the very thought of death less frightening than giving out a public speech? Strange as it may seem, more people are afraid to stand up in front of an audience and deliver a speech than they are of all of the aforementioned things. It has even become an official phobia – glossophobia.

Despite the fact you may feel dread at the very thought of public speaking, you must understand that it is an essential skill for advancing in your career, presenting ideas or closing a major business deal. To be successful, you can use the following tips for overcoming the fear of public speaking, all of which can help you overcome it:

Mindful breathing – when you are nervous, your breathing becomes shallow, and you may feel shortness of breath. Needless to say, this only makes the problem of nervousness worse and makes you appear bad. To overcome this sensation, you need better control of your breath. Taking deep breaths before your presentation can calm you down, as well as doing so during the speech. The time it takes you to take one full deep breath is enough to ease any nervousness you may be feeling. One more benefit is that deep breathing maintains your voice centred and eliminates the chance of uptalk, which can be detrimental to your credibility during a presentation.

Practice makes perfect – you know well enough that it takes a lot of practice to hone any skill. But when doing that, you really should try to emulate the same experience as speaking in front of an audience. There are few ways to do so. For starters, you can wear the same outfit to note if you are comfortable enough in it. Next, don’t just rehearse on your own. Call friends or family members to hear you out and ask them for feedback. You can also record your rehearsal or make a video to better correct any mistakes. All of this will have a massive impact on your readiness and help you feel less scared.

Change your views on public speaking – many people believe that public speaking is a talent and you either have it, or you don’t. However, this sort of thinking can hold you back and lead you to fear public speaking. You must think of it as a skill, which you can learn and perfect with sufficient training.

You need to be yourself – a large part of your stress may be coming from the fact that you think public speaking is a lot like acting. However, you really don’t need to be someone else or learn to pretend. In fact, the most effective way to reach your audience is to be yourself. Let your personality shine through, as that will leave a lasting impression.

Get off to a good start – how you open a public speech sets the tone for the rest of it. Remember to have a strong opening, perhaps a light joke to crack the ice. Needless to say, you should practice this whenever you get the chance since it makes such a big difference to the overall speech.

Do not overthink – if you are too concentrated on your speech, chances are you will feel quite nervous. According to experts, it is a thing that can trip you up, so you should tell yourself to be calm and keep your composure.

These are all fantastic ways to combat the fear of public speaking. Make sure you implement them all, and you will find out just how much better you will be able to speak in front of an audience. 

At Presence Training you can find more useful information on overcoming the fear of public speaking.

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If you ever do research on public speaking, you will find numerous great examples. It is true that the people these speeches belong to have invested quite a lot of effort and skill to present the masterpiece for you to admire. Perhaps the one thing in common they all have is that they do their best to avoid some common problems in speeches. This is what separates them from the ‘good’ speeches. If you wish to get on the ‘great’ level, make sure you avoid the following problems:

• Feeling unconfident – lacking confidence is a sure way to alienate your audience. People have a way of detecting nervousness, even if you try your best to hide it. The good news is that lack of confidence is something you can fix. With sufficient time for preparation and research on the topic, you will not just gain confidence in your skills, but the much-needed sense of control. These are all much necessary factors for the success of your speech.
• You don’t know much about the audience – if you don’t know the audience, your speech will hardly be successful. Knowing their age, values, cultures, occupation and knowledge is essential for setting the tone of your speech, as well as its content. If you cannot relate the material to your audience, maintain eye contact and read facial expressions, you can have your speech negatively interpreted. It is best to use anecdotes and explain how your presentation will greatly benefit the audience.
• Not coming prepared – practice is the most important factor for a good speech. Practice alone, practice with friends, record yourself and analyse the speech. Are you rushing words at some point? Do you need to improve word flow? Can you change your intonation to sound more enthusiastic? You can easily catch any glitches in your speech if you just practice enough and use the right methods for it. By rehearsing, you become familiar with the presentation and also sound more credible. In turn, this invites speakers to ask any questions.
• You don’t manage your time well – you don’t have unlimited time to present your speech. Running overtime isn’t ideal, because it shows you haven’t organised your points well enough. Timing the delivery of your material is essential, especially if you wish to leave some time for questions. It is a good idea to rehearse as if you have a little less time to speak so that you don’t feel the pressure.
• Organise your material – one of the most important aspects of your speech is gathering the material and organising it into a presentation. Arrange your information in a way that will grab their attention, keep them interested with visuals throughout the presentation and follow with a conclusion. That way you will give flow to your speech, which is the best way to give a presentation.

By avoiding these simple problems, you can undoubtedly improve your public speaking skills and become a better speaker.

Find out what other aspects of public speaking you can improve with Presence Training by calling 020 7112 9194 or  take a look at this page.

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