How do you feel when you are to present information, even to people you are familiar with? If you’re like most people, you will suffer from nervous anxiety or, at best, have ‘butterflies’ in the stomach.

Why do we suffer from ‘nerves’ and how can we calm them in a situation where we feel fearful of the actual act or the consequences of it?

Firstly, realise that being nervous is normal, so don’t think that there’s something wrong with you or that you shouldn’t be feeling this way. Some degree of nervous tension is actually a good thing. It gets the adrenalin flowing and prepares your body and mind for action. You can manage an over-nervous reaction by practicing deep breathing. It may not get rid of the nerves but it will help you to manage them, as you introduce more oxygen into the body.

Why do we get nervous? Well, your body cannot distinguish very well between different types of danger. Your mind prompts the body to interpret the presentation as a dangerous situation, which builds anxiety and, possibly, fear.

Why would it do this? It’s because you are preparing for either fight or flight, which is our reptillian brain’s normal reaction to danger. If you get wounded in a fight, for example, it’s probably better not to have food in the stomach. So the natural reaction is to get rid of it. That’s why you naturally feel sick when you perceive dangerous situatioins.

You can see that your perception of a situation plays a big part in keeping these physical reactions under control. So the most important step is to manage your perception of the occasion, making sure you see the audience as being people who need your information, guidance, knowledge, expertise, experience and leadership.

How can you build confidence when you are feeling nervous? Here are some tips:

1) Take long, deep breaths. This allows your diaphragm to let out air as you are saying each word and stops your vocal chords from tightening up, causing your voice to sound squeaky and taught.

2) Control your hands. Try to relax them and let them act naturally for you. If in doubt, let them hang loosely in front of you.

3) Give good eye contact. People will recognise how you feel from your body language. Good eye-contact makes you look confident and in control. If you find this difficult, look at people’s foreheads…from a distance it will look as if you are looking them straight in the eye.

4) Talk normally and don’t rush it. People will not be able to take in the meaning if you rush, and will cease to listen actively to you. They will switch off, because it will take too much effort to understand you.

5) Remember the fear is only there because you want to impress. If you put the emphasis on what your audience needs to know, you take the emphasis off yourself. Keep them in mind and you will gradually forget your own nerves.

Nerves are a natural reminder that we can always improve in our presentation of information. Learn to control them and you should see improvements quickly in the way your presentations are perceived.

Thanks again

Sean

Sean McPheat
Managing Director
MTD Management Course

Click below for a:
FREE email course “Improve Your Management Skills”

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Working as a manager and forming relationships with the members of your team is one thing. It’s easy to communicate with them because you do so on a regular basis. But what happens if you’re called to do a presentation in front of upper management, for a group of investors or – worse yet – for the entire organization?

Don’t panic.

There are several things you can do before your prentation that will allow you to prepare so that you can give your speach or talk without feeling overwhelmed. Your nerves may never go away but you can learn to control them.

Practice Out Loud

Practicing your presentation by giving it out loud is one of the best things you can do to ensure it runs smoothly. I have no idea why people think they can give huge presentations without practicing and unless you’re a seasoned speaker (speaking for a living) there is really no excuse for thinking such. The more you practice the less you’ll think about your presentation as you’re giving it, decreasing your odds of a mistake.

Find a Similar Venue

Do you know where you’ll be giving your presentation? Can you get into that venue in advance, after hours or early in the morning, to practice? If so, give it a shot. If you’re able to do so you’ll find you are more comfortable with your surroundings when the day of the actual presentation arrives.

Practice without Stopping with an Audience

This part is two-fold. If you practice with an audience of family or friends you’ll be more comfortable with a crowd watching you. The next important phase is to practice without stopping, even if you make a mistake. Stopping to correct yourself, and then starting over again, is really a very bad habit to get into. It’s better to acknowledge your mistakes and move on, making a note to correct them the next time your practice. If you stop and start over too many times you’ll a) get used to stopping and b) get really good at only one part of your presentation.

Follow these tips – essentially practicing as much as possible (oh, and use your props when you do practice) – and you’ll find your presentation goes much smoother than you anticipated. You don’t need to be a natural speaker to give a great talk – you just need to be dedicated!

Thanks again,
Sean

Sean McPheat
Managing Director
MTD Management Development

Click below for a:
FREE email course “Improve Your Management Skills”

Everyone learns differently. It’s a fact of life and it’s unescapable. As you prepare for your next training session you’ll want to consider the different types of learners that may walk into your classroom.

I’m not talking about the visual and auditory learners. Today I’m talking about the different levels of knowledge each will already have before hew alks through the door.

Let’s start with unconscious incompetence. This is the learner that needs to hear every single thing about a concept from the ground up. He doesn’t know anything about what you’re going to cover and doesn’t know that he doesn’t know it.

The next type of learner displays conscious incompetence. He is willing to learn because he recognizes that he is missing pieces to the puzzle.

Individuals displaying conscious competence are confident in what they know. They are strong in the things they know and are very likely also familiar with the skills they need to enhance.

The most interesting type of learner is the one who is unconsciously competent. This type of learner already has a vast amount of knowledge but doesn’t believe in himself. You’ll spend more time proving to him that he already knows things than you will teaching him new concepts.

Understanding the different levels of learning will enable you to tailor your presentations or, at the very least, address questions as they arise based on the needs of the person who asks them.

Thanks again,
Sean

Sean McPheat
Managing Director
MTD Management Course

Click below for a:
FREE email course “Improve Your Management Skills”

If I had to guess I’d bet you really hate public speaking and making presentations. It doesn’t matter if you’re speaking to a small group of coworkers or a large group of strangers. For many, the thought of making a public presentation causes sweaty palms, stomach butterflies, and a general feeling of fear.

Giving a presentation doesn’t have to be a nightmare. Working hard to make the presentation itself perfect is more important than focusing on your fear. The more prepared you are, the easier it will be to make your presentation, and the sooner you can get off of that stage. Here are 5 simple tips you should incorporate into your presentation planning process:

• Entertain your audience. It’s ok to tell a joke, smile, and act a little silly at points throughout the course of your presentation. If your presentation is too boring you’ll lose the attention of your audience.

• Speak slowly. It’s natural to speak too fast when nervous, but your presentation will fly by and won’t be nearly as effective as it would be if you had taken a deep breath and slowed down. Put some reminders on your personal notes, such as “pause,” “breathe,” and “slow down,” to remind yourself to tone down during your presentation.

• Your Power Point presentation is not your queue card. Simply put, don’t try to cram all of your ideas onto your Power Point presentation and then read it out loud. Can you say boring? The bullet points on your presentation should be short and you should have enough information to expand on each one.

• Avoid space fillers. If you don’t know what to say, take a deep breathe and pause. If you’re inhaling, you can’t say “um” or “ahh,” which just sound silly and uneducated. The pause you take to breathe may feel awkward, but it isn’t nearly as long as you think and your audience won’t know the difference.

• Arrive early. Get to the conference room or meeting hall early enough to set up and test your equipment. It’s better to be ridiculously early than it is to end up starting late because something malfunctioned.

These presentation tips apply whether you’re a manager speaking to your employees, a manager making a presentation to corporate, or anyone conveying information to any group of people. Looking for a bonus tip? Just have FUN. After a few public presentations you’ll be a pro and those feelings of anxiety will be a thing of the past!

Thanks again,

Sean

Sean McPheat
Managing Director
MTD Management Training

Click below for a:
FREE email course “Improve Your Management Skills”

The life of a manager is always busy. Not only must you complete a number of tasks on your own, but you must coordinate projects your team has been assigned as well. During the course of your job you may end up having to give a training presentation to your team, or you may have to present a completed project to a group of superiors. No matter who your audience, there are a few things you can do to make sure your presentation goes off without a hitch.

1. Prepare in advance. By “in advance” I mean days or weeks before your presentation. The night before or the morning of will simply leave you frazzled and unorganized. Preparing in advance will give you plenty of time to make changes, if necessary. Besides, preparing in advance is an excellent time management exercise.

2. Visualise your presentation. Visualisation is an incredible way of creating success for yourself. Visualisation gives you the opportunity to practice your presentation before you are in front of a large group. Use your imagination to see your presentation the way you want it to appear to others and you’ll be one step closer to presenting it that way.

3. Don’t forget about eye contact. I remember the first time I had to give a presentation in public. I was so nervous I had no idea where to look. Up at the ceiling? Down at my shoes? Directly at my notes? All wrong. Making eye contact doesn’t mean you have to look at each person in the room individually. Choose one or two friendly faces and alternate your focus between them at different points during your presentation.

Of course, you’ll want to use a few visual aids and summary documents so that your guests walk away with a clear understanding of what was discussed, but we’ll talk about how to put those things together at a future date.

Just remember, as a manager, presentations may pop up out of the blue. Make sure you’re always as organized as possible so that, in the end, it’s never too difficult to give a presentation or report on your current projects or goals.

Thanks again,

Sean McPheat
Managing Director
MTD Management Training

Click below for a:
FREE email course “Improve Your Management Skills”