It doesn’t matter whether you’re reserved or outgoing. When asked to present a topic in front of other people, you will feel nervous. It could be a short opening speech or a business pitch. It still feels different when you know that all eyes are on you. These tips will help you feel confident and comfortable during the presentation.
The best of people suffer from serious stage frights. Presenting in front of people helps boost your confidence levels, improves your morale and helps you become much more positive in your outlook. In this article, we will look at some helpful tips, which can help boost your confidence levels and help you present or speak in front of a large audience.
Wear appropriate clothing
Since you are going to present in front of a crowd and during a special event, you need to use formal wear. If you have time, you can opt for made to measure suits. They hug your body perfectly. Moving around will not be a problem. Sometimes, when you are wearing uncomfortable clothing, it will be difficult for you to focus on what you need to do.
Dressing has a lot of impact on how people in the audiences perceive you. This is one of the oldest tricks in the book to gain the attention of the crowd. If you are not dressed in the right fashion, people will start behaving in a jittery manner. This will easily distract you and bring on the stage fright that you do not want to experience at any cost.
Practise what to say
You need to rehearse just like any other public presentation. You will feel more confident when you know every detail of your presentation. However, you need to be careful since you might start to sound like a robot. You need to look natural even if you rehearsed parts of the speech.
A good idea is to rehearse the script in front of a mirror. This will help you assess what you are saying in the right fashion. You will be able to see exactly where you are going right or wrong. It will also help you boost your confidence. If you have helpful friends and family members, you can also take their help and inputs to see how you are doing. The more your practice, the more will your confidence grow over a period.
Go beyond what is on your script
Do not be too dependent on your script. There could be technical issues during the presentation, and it might leave you hanging. For instance, the prompter suddenly stops working. If not, a part of your written guide might get lost. In those circumstances, you will not feel rattled. You know your topic well, and you can proceed with the presentation.
In addition, you need to study other relevant issues, in case you receive questions later after you speak. You will sound smarter and more convincing if you know about more issues beyond what you just discussed. This will also help keep the people in the audience engaged. Try using relevant examples, which people can relate to at all times. If you are able to integrate these factors, you will hold the attention of the audience in a much better way.
Stop thinking about what people will say
It does not help if you keep thinking about what people say about you. It is natural for everyone to judge. If you worry about what every person in the room has to say, it can be overwhelming. Therefore, you need to focus on doing a good job and worry about the feedback later. Yes, the comments matter, but now is not the right time to think about them.
Thinking about negative feedback is only going to take you further away from success. You will end up at a distinct disadvantage if you keep thinking what people are going to think all the time. This is going to severely batter your confidence and make you fumble on the stage. You do not want that to happen under any circumstance.
Practise with your close friends
Before the big event, you have to try practising your speech in front of your closest friends. You know that they will not judge you. Even if they do, it is going to help you. Therefore, you need to show them what you prepared and ask for feedback. Besides, it also helps that you start getting used to the idea of other people listening to what you have to say.
It feels awkward, but it is a good thing. You need to let go of that feeling while practising, so you will feel comfortable on stage for the final presentation. Friends always give honest feedback and tell you where you are going wrong. They will also help boost your confidence in a major way. By practicing and rehearsing in front of them, you will be able to maximize your chances of succeeding on the stage.
Conclusion
No one is perfect on stage, especially when they are doing it for the first couple of times. Even the best public speakers do not want to recall the first time they delivered something in front of a largish audience. It is important to listen to some real life case studies of people trying and succeeding when it comes to public speaking.
All these factors are going to boost your confidence. You can be rest assured that by following the above-mentioned tips, you will be much better prepared to deliver when the time comes. You cannot be perfect in delivering your presentation, but you have to try your best to impress everyone in the room. You still have enough time to loosen up and improve your presentation. Accept this responsibility and take it as a challenge.
Do let us know about some tips, which you use when speaking in front of a large audience. Comments are welcome below.