You may have an important presentation coming up which can be spoiled by your anxiety. This is what is called pre-presentation anxiety, which can be intense.
The main cause is uncertainty. We feel all the more nervous when we are in front of a large audience. You may forget what you were planning to say. The more we care the more nervous we become. It becomes difficult to do it persuasively and remain confident.
To beat this anxiety, stop focussing on yourself and focus outward. This requires practice over some time.
Be a giver.
Takers are people who want recognition, validation from their listeners. They struggle especially in virtual communication as they do not receive feedback from the audience during the presentation.
Givers are people who believe in helping others, serving others. They try and connect with the stakeholders before the presentation and use the information to address the concerns of the audience. Hence, they can speak confidently to the audience and the focus of their presentation is about helping the audience and address the issues facing them.
Build relationships.
To make your presentation effective and be of interest to the audience speak to attendees before the presentation. Choose a few influential people and discuss with them what the group need to address right now.
The conversation depends on the purpose of the presentation. Discuss their challenges, their success stories, the issues that need to be addressed. Incorporate the main issues you have noted, into their presentation. Focus on the points that need to be addressed immediately. Do your research and where required provide supporting evidence to back up your presentation.
As you have discussed the issues of prime concern with the attendees, you can use the information to garner support to your viewpoint while simultaneously addressing the concerns of your audience.
During the presentation talk to the people individually. This would help you take on a personal note and connect with the audience. It helps you focus on the audience rather than yourself and gain confidence and ease your nervousness. It will help you gain the trust of the audience and your peers by demonstrating that you are aware of their problems and recommend solutions.
Stop scanning.
Building confidence and gaining control over your emotions takes effort and practice. Find a few people you can constantly make contact with within the audience to help you feel it is a personal conversation and gain control over your panic. Ensure they are spread out over the audience so that the audience feels included. Speak to each one, share an idea and then move on to the next person. This would help in retaining the audience attention.
Virtual meetings may be more challenging as the audience may not be looking directly at you. You can call out to a few people you know, ask them for feedback and get them to contribute to the conversation.
Public speaking is tough. Approach the same with the intention of giving, loosen up, maximise the impact on the audience. The more you do this the better your presentation would be. This will help you get over your pre-presentation and make a meaningful contribution with your presentation.
Don’t Let Anxiety Sabotage Your Next Presentation
by Riaz Meghji HBR 2021/07
R2G 