How to handle fear/nerves before a big presentation?

There is a huge fear of public speaking and we all experience it at one time or another.

Here are some simple tips to wrangle that fear and turn yourself into fabulous.

Firstly – know your opening and closing lines – know them like you know your name and address. If I woke you up in the middle of the night – you should be able to repeat them – maybe not with the vim and vigor you will give you audience but you must to know them.

It is imperative you SMILE and make eye contact with your audience when you begin your presentation.

When you deliver those FIRST LINES confidently with a beaming smile – you are almost home free. The rest will follow.

Before you presentation.

Take a walk, get all the oxygen into your body you can – raise your arms over your head, take deep long inhales and exhales. Practice your opening lines

– S L O W L Y – rushed practice means rushed performance.

Have a back up plan.

Okay, you have checked everything – you know you PowerPoint is running, the mike works but what about you? If you want to deliver your presentation without notes – perfect.

However, have bullet points on a piece of paper placed on a table or the lectern that you can glance at if you get lost or distracted.

You may not need it but knowing it is there, gives us a sense of security.

If you feel you need more of a plan – type out your presentation in LARGE FONT – highlight the beginning of each sentence and BOLD the important points.

Do not flip the pages, it is far less distracting to slide one page over the other – the audience will not notice that way.

Again, just knowing it is there will give you a huge sense of security.

Your audience will forgive if you know your information, but just need to glance down at your notes for a quick reminder.

There is always one bright, shiny face in the audience, SMILING BROADLY AT YOU, silently cheering you on.

If you feel lost or nervous – look at THAT FACE – it is the one that encourages you to do your best – keep going, they are with YOU

The most important safeguard to Overcome Fear of Public Speaking:

Come prepared with a great speech, a terrific opening and a memorable or clever call to action (if needed). If you have truly done the work, learned your speech, practiced it slowly and diligently you can hit any stage knowing you will rock it.