Tips to be calm and confident during a presentation

Presentations are a crucial part of academic curriculum and official processes no matter the field or kind of company. It’s a great way of explaining your topic to the audience as well as bring forth your ideas and intentions. In companies, presentations are in frequent use. Whether you want to present your idea, show your progress, make a sale, introduce new policies in the company, a presentation is the most relevant and interactive way of doing so. 

But some people may face difficulties while conducting a presentation. Getting nervous before a presentation is very common among people. This is mostly due to the fear of public speaking. In fact, an estimation made by National Institute of Mental health has stated the about 73% people have a fear of public speaking. The main factor contributing to this phobia is fear of negative evaluation and judgement. People tend to freeze when they get on stage and subsequently forget what they were about to say. This results in an increased level of stress that can actually shut down the frontal lobe of the brain, which is partly responsible for memory retrieval. 

But there is no need to worry. There are various ways to be calm and confident during your presentation and ace it like a pro!

How to be calm during a presentation?

• Don’t overthink

Forgetting minor things during a presentation or even pausing for a moment due to that is completely normal during a presentation and has happened to a majority of people. There is no need to panic when that happens. Mostly the audience doesn’t even notice that and even if they do, they forget it very quickly. So, there is no need to think about it instead moving on with your presentation would be a wiser thing to do.

 

• Set reasonable expectations

Its normal to expect perfectionism from ourselves while preparing for a presentation. But its very crucial to understand that everyone makes mistakes and its completely fine as no one is going to judge you if you do not deliver a perfect presentation. So, one should set reasonable expectations from themselves so as not to get upset afterwards.

 

• Practice and prepare notes

As much as its true that nothing is perfect, practice is a way of achieving maximum accuracy for delivering a presentation. One should practice as much as possible before a presentation. And practicing while making notes is just like cherry over a delicious cake. Notes help you memorize faster and give a to the point presentation.

 

• Prepare a structure

A presentation must always be an organized one and logically structured. To avoid stuttering or getting confused, one should make a proper structure of the presentation beforehand so that it could act as a guide on how to proceed further.

 

• Exercise before presentation

Exercising helps in releasing the nervous tension in the body. It will allow you to work through the stress and anxiousness so you arrive at your presentation refreshed and calmer.

 

• Accept your fears

Instead of fighting and denying the fear you feel, it is better to accept it as a part of life. While being rebellious will only worsen the fear, accepting it will help to build up confidence.

 

How to be confident during a presentation?

• Make eye contact

Making eye contact with the audience helps in gaining their trust. It is really effective while giving a presentation. To achieve making a good eye contact, you may do a few things like practicing presenting in front of a small audience and recording yourself. Observe the recording and see how much time you are spending looking at the slides. Rehearse more and minimize the time spent looking at slides.

 

• Keep an open posture

Open posture means there is no barrier between you and your audience. There are various things that can pose as a barrier. For example, crossing your arms unconsciously in front of the audience creates a defensive atmosphere. Also, putting your hand in your pocket, keeping laptop in between the audience and yourself, etc. are all barriers to an effective presentation. Try avoiding these things.

 

• Use gestures

A confident speaker always uses gestures to convey an important message. It is more impactful to use figurative language and gestures in front of the audience. Find areas of your presentation where gestures will come across as natural, and use them to highlight key points or emphasize a concept. If you’re listing a number of items, use your fingers to count them off. If you’re talking about something that’s wide or expansive, stretch your arms and hands apart. These small things can make a presentation great.

 

• Vary your pace

Good speakers vary their pace according to the points in their presentation. He should speak slow enough for the audience to understand the points and not so fast to make it difficult for the audience to keep.

 

• Eliminate filler words

Avoid words that serve no purpose except to fill the space between sentences. These are words like um, ah, like, and the dreaded, you know? Excessive filler words can be irritating to listeners, and make speakers sound underconfident. Eliminating them is also one of the simplest habits to fix.

 

The point of the whole thing is that do not think too much during your presentation. Just give your 100% and keep some key points in mind and you are good to go!