Getting Confident.

Admit you're not confident with public speaking as the "ice-breaker" or intro to your presentation. This allows you to instantly connect with your audience (quite calming for the speaker). It helped me immensely during one of my first lectures as a college student. The topic was "effects of stress and anxiety."

hth,

dave

I remember an educational psychologist giving us a lecture at Keele University on the very issue of presence in the classroom. He didn't seem to possess any of that gravitas or presence that you may expect, but I was wondering much of the time if he was deliberately playing on such perceptions from his audience...

I've had to do public speaking on a number of occasions (at Uni where I was assessed for my delivery as well as content, and I did ok, not brilliant but ok...) and I was Best Man at a wedding in a foreign country where 95% of the audience were total strangers speaking a foreign language (I had an interpreter.) You shit yourself to start but soon get into your stride if your speech is well-prepared, and you maintain general eye contact with your audience rather than just look down at your notes.

Confidence comes from experience. Saying that you lack a little experience will allow your confidence to grow remarkably quickly as you get into your stride.

Being nervous at the beginning (unless you are an oily politician) is entirely normal. As well as the preparation and appropriate eye contact, a bit of humour goes a long way too.

Few thoughts.

1) Be well prepared. Know the subject of the talk really well. 'Fail to prepare, prepare to fail!'

2) Prepare a plan, in large letters on a big sheet of paper. Just a skeleton outline. Stick it near the lectern/PC etc. I always make this and almost never look at them, but somehow it makes me feel better having it there!

3) Practice in front of the mirror, or better still a friend.

4) Do not mistake confidence for bull@@t

5) Be flexible and inclusive. If the audience allows it try to be interactive especially at the beginning. Consider a quickfire Q+A session, assessment of learning needs, brainstorming etc etc early on in the talk. You get them awake and involved and helps to relax everyone.

6) Simple physical things. Do not fiddle but take a pointer to occupy your hands. Use the lectern if available to lean on but better still try walking about a bit. Relaxes your body and your delivery. Arrive early, make sure the IT stuff all works. Bring a back up of your talk if applicable.

7) Use humour, topical references and examples (Cricket??) and personal anecdote. Keeps people intrested and telling a 'story' you know will be easy and relaxing.

Hope some of these are relevant and useful. Enjoy it. I've done a fair bit of lecturing to audiences of various sizes. The more you do the better (and more enjoyable) it gets.

Bruce

Unless you are very familiar with your topic, just write and rehearse your notes several times in front of a mirror or your partner. A camcorder may be helpful

Keep the audience active and aware by now and again (if the subject allows)-

1. Posing a question

2. Pausing for effect and keeping eye contact around the room

3. Pouncing on someone to answer it

If someone asks you a question and you do not know the answer, say so and don't try to bluff it out.

If you are very nervous, do not put your hands in your pockets. You may, without realising it, become a "coin jangler" or worse and the audience will pick up on it.

Generally, you will have been asked to speak because you have knowledge that the audience does not and this should aid confidence, although, as Mr Toy said, greater confidence does come from experience.

Best of luck with the presentation

Ron

Don't overdress. Most peple get very warm giving a talk. Take a deep breath, smile and say this is your first public presentation. "Be gentle with me" might be a cliché but is very appropriate.

You must rehearse your piece until you are word perfect. Drying up will only put you off. Read what you are going to say aloud and repeatedly in front of a large mirror. Record yourself (if you feel brave) to see if there is something you'd like to improve in your delivery. If you have a video camera you can listen to and watch yourself. Parallel processing will improve your memory for your presentation. Simply reading it slently to ourself won't nearly work as well.

Have notes in clear large printed block letters that you can easily glance at in case you lose your thread. I have tried using handwritten notes in the past and it is a disaster trying to scan them quickly.

As an adult student at a local college I was asked out of the blue to go to a foreign language group to answer questions in English. I was terrified at first! There must have been twenty in the group.

The tutor started by asking if there were any questions from the class. Not one! So I launched into a make-believe short travel story to compare life in Denmark and England and just kept treading water. (and sweat) The questions came sporadically after that. But I thought the tutor could have done far more to draw out the class.

Talk slowly rather than gabble and look straight at your audience as individuals rather than a mass of faces. Looking at each member of the group in turn during your presentation and smiling as if a private conversation works wonders. (it did for me anyway)

Don't be afraid to pause for breath. It will help to slow a gallop. If you watch a speaker or teacher they pause often in their delivery. Long silences are perfectly normal.

Unless you are a natural comic I'd avoid humour. If a joke fails you'll feel rally silly. Avoid risqué jokes at all costs.

Good luck. It really is a learnt skill. Just remember that your audience really wants you to succeed.

If you have the time I would recommend this book by Dale Carnegie.
John

quote:

Admit you're not confident with public speaking as the "ice-breaker" or intro to your presentation

Generally that isn't a good idea as there is a risk you will lose the confidence of the audience immediately. If the talk is technical and the audience is likely to challenge your ideas or be critical, then it would be suicidal. If the audience is naturally sympathetic (i.e. a wedding speech) then it may work.
John

quote:

Originally posted by John Channing:

quote:

Admit you're not confident with public speaking as the "ice-breaker" or intro to your presentation

Generally that isn't a good idea as there is a risk you will lose the confidence of the audience immediately. If the talk is technical and the audience is likely to challenge your ideas or be critical, then it would be suicidal. If the audience is naturally sympathetic (i.e. a wedding speech) then it may work.
John

Sorry, but I disagree John,

I think it's the perfect ice-breaker considering his topic. The audience identifies with him (giving him confidence)...they're putty in his hands now;-)

regards,

dave

quote:

Originally posted by dave simpson:
Sorry, but I disagree John,

I think it's the perfect ice-breaker considering his topic. The audience identifies with him (giving him confidence)...they're putty in his hands now;-)

regards,

dave

Excellent points one and all.

I used to speak in public quite regularly, not so often now, but was always nervous to some degree. Which is a good thing sometimes. I've seen people so relaxed in presenting that it's as if they're just not interested.

Here's my advice

Know your audience - I think John was pointing out that sometimes saying "I'm not good at this" makes people suspicious. Like he says, in a wedding that might be appropriate, in a technical discussion not so.

Know you topic - some good tools mentioned here, use what you feel comfortable with.

Don't rush - sometimes you know what you wish to say and just want to get it out, but try and relax. A great way is using examples that demonstrate your point. Think of those before you go out there mind! Doesn't look good plucking things from thin air.

Material - think about what you find really really interesting about the subject. Sometimes it feels people are just reading bullet points off a slide. Well heck, anyone can do that. Think about what you find interesting about your topic and talk about that. Sure, give over the info you need to but also put some of your personality into it.

Best of luck Lomu. It gets a hell of a lot easier the more you do it!

Jay

Sorry. One more thing. When you do it well it feels great!!!

I went through a lot of this last year on a business management course where I kinda went through the company to the top giving presentations.

Confidence comes from experience and there is nothing you can do about that.

What I did learn though is be prepared. I developed my own presentations from scratch in powerpoint, and by that I mean I did the graphics myself and everything. I find this process helps me develop the slide and really get to grips with what I am saying. On that point though I don't try and learn a script I find this leaves you open for screw ups. I have big bullet points on paper for each slide, the pertinent points that need to come across.

I make sure I have water, for gods sake make sure you have water, you may have had a pint of water just before but you cannot believe how dry your mouth can go. If you smoke, smoke one before but get a chance to wash your hands and I use them minty sheets of green stuff that dissolve quickly. In my limited experience after a talk you tend to land up in front of important people, stinking won't help.

Finally, once up there take a deep breath, you know why you are there, you know what to say so relax. Take a sip of water and begin.

Pause between slides or important points, don't rush. Keep your head up. Try not to focus on one friendly face instead move your head round the room. I tend to look at their foreheads if direct eye contact is to much.

Finally about 2 minutes in and you are on a roll, take a sip of water between slides, take another deep breath, realise you haven't f**ked up and enjoy it!

Many thanks to you all for taking the time to reply to my plea for advice. Many good points raised here and luckily I will not be dependant on a smoke to settle the nerves. However I will take a small hipflask instead.

I'm not entirely sure any alcohol intake wil help your cause. It may calm the nerves at the beginning but it won't do a lot for your ultimate performance.

Admitting to a few nerves at the beginning shouldn't really undermine your credibility wrt confidence - the irony of it all... Your overcoming them and settling into your stride should provide good inspiration to your audience to follow in your example.

A good point of departure could be along the lines of:

It's perfectly ok to be nervous when you begin an important venture, and I know I am a little nervous myself as I begin this talk - only because it matters to me so much that you may gain from my experience(s)...

Yuck Steve he doesn't have to be a dick.

quote:

Originally posted by Steve Toy:
I'm not entirely sure any alcohol intake wil help your cause. It may calm the nerves at the beginning but it won't do a lot for your ultimate performance.

Admitting to a few nerves at the beginning shouldn't really undermine your credibility wrt confidence - the irony of it all... Your overcoming them and settling into your stride should provide good inspiration to your audience to follow in your example.

A good point of departure could be along the lines of:

It's perfectly ok to be nervous when you begin an important venture, and I know I am a little nervous myself as I begin this talk - only because it matters to me so much that you may gain from my experience(s)...

Audience dependent Steve.

For extreame nervousness your GP could prescribe a couple of beta blockers (40mg Propananol)

Fark me I had them once and they give me the shivers.

Go in sober, its the best way.

When Homer had to do a spot of public speaking, Barney advised him to overcome any nervousness by imagining the audience in their underwear. This is the best advice I ever heard and has worked for me on several occasions since.

A little too stimulating perhaps.
I will wear my shirt over my pants.

quote:

Originally posted by dave simpson:

quote:

Originally posted by John Channing:

quote:

Admit you're not confident with public speaking as the "ice-breaker" or intro to your presentation

Generally that isn't a good idea as there is a risk you will lose the confidence of the audience immediately. If the talk is technical and the audience is likely to challenge your ideas or be critical, then it would be suicidal. If the audience is naturally sympathetic (i.e. a wedding speech) then it may work.
John

Sorry, but I disagree John,

I think it's the perfect ice-breaker considering his topic. The audience identifies with him (giving him confidence)...they're putty in his hands now;-)

regards,

dave

I agree with John, never start a presentation by indicating lack of confidence or expertise or whatever. People will be thinking "oh, God, they've sent us someone who dosen't know how to give apresentation or knows what their talking about!"

quote:

Originally posted by Stuart M:
beta blockers

Apart from the fact I thought Beta Blockers were sunglasses

Never. Never. Go to the Doctor to get "something" to do a presentation. That's just not right.

quote:

Originally posted by Nigel Cavendish:

I agree with John, never start a presentation by indicating lack of confidence or expertise or whatever. People will be thinking "oh, God, they've sent us someone who dosen't know how to give apresentation or knows what their talking about!"

Excellent advice! He can pretend he's an experienced and expert public speaker. So that's alright then.

I'd still go for the sympathy vote. Most listeners are likely to be sympathetic. Introducing yourself as a novice is much like an advance public apology for the total cock-up to follow. If it goes well they can all relax and congratulate you on your skill as an orator afterwards.

Why should public speaking be any different from any other practical skill? All things need practice to achieve even the most basic level of skill. Would you hand your car keys to a novice driver?

quote:

Originally posted by Nime:
I'd still go for the sympathy vote. Most listeners are likely to be sympathetic.

Do people really need to know that a presenter is inexperienced before they feel sympathy? Also, does it really matter whether they are sympathetic?

quote:

Introducing yourself as a novice is much like an advance public apology for the total cock-up to follow.

Well, yes... But why apologise in advance for something that probably won't happen? If things go badly wrong then, if it seems appropriate, one can apologise and explain that it's one's first presentation.

My feeling is that audiences, given half a chance, will focus on the content of the presentation rather than the presenter. A nervous presenter drawing attention to their nervousness strikes me as being conducive to the opposite.

***

A point on nervousness: I don't have any experience of public speaking (at least, not since school) but I have a lot of experience of being nervous in social situations, so I know that trying to fight it is one of the worst things you can do. If I had to give a presentation I'd tell myself something like, "Nobody will care whether or not I'm nervous, and so what if I am? I will still be able to give the presentation, nervous or not."

My advice was to admit to being nervous not to being in any way inexperienced (other than in public speaking) or incompetent.

The fact that the topic of Lomo's talk is confidence itself should make admitting to nerves an appropriate point of departure - especially if he wishes to demonstrate how he overcomes his nerves as he gets into his stride.

I think we could call this approach "leading by example," whilst also getting the message across that it's ok to be nervous upon beginning something new, and that in order to overcome fear you have to face it.

Talking to adults isn't like teaching 13 year olds. They are certainly going to be a captive audience and will judge your performance as a whole and not just switch off if the first few seconds don't take their fancy.

What I would say is in my life `I have sat through very many presentations many were nerve ridden but I don't think anyone really sits there thinking this is a train wreck.

In other words just do it, if its at worse boring then so be it, its not the end of the world.