When you are practising your presentation
Have you ever wondered how some speakers tell their stories so effortlessly? Their introductions are catchy, they are persuasive and they also deliver great conclusions. Sometimes that comes naturally; for most speakers, however, it is a case of not being afraid of hard work: they know that in order to be brilliant, they need to repeat their speech many times.
So practise your presentation in advance. Start by reading it out loud a few times a day. Then present it to your children or friends – or even to your dog. Do this a few days in a row and you’ll see how your confidence grows, according to an article at presentationmagazine.com.
Just before you give your presentation
Despite all your preparation, you are probably still a little unsure. Now you need to remember what the Harvard Business School social psychologist Amy Cuddy advises us. In her TED talk entitled Your body language shapes who you are, she introduced the term “power posing”. By literally making yourself as big as possible a couple of minutes before your presentation, your body creates testosterone and lowers the cortisol level. Again, your body posture in itself will make you feel more confident.
At the very beginning of the presentation
Go on stage and first of all relax. For a moment, don’t say anything; just stand firm and spread your weight evenly on both feet. Take deep, relaxing breaths and for a few seconds just look at your audience.
-jk-