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I was asked by a friend to speak to a communications class. He felt that as a communications professional in the “real world,” I’d have valuable advice to share about what his students might encounter once they entered the job force. Before I had a chance to mull it over, he decided for me: “You’ll be great,” he told me. “Just be yourself and talk about what you do.”
Easy enough. I can “be myself.” I can talk about what I do. If I can’t then something’s wrong. I scribbled some notes the morning of my talk and, while I hadn’t ever spoken to a classroom of college students, I didn’t think much about it.
When I arrived, my friend ushered me to the backdoor of an auditorium, up the stairs, onto an empty stage, where a podium awaited. The seats were filled with students and faculty. I froze. I felt my face redden. I could hear my own heartbeat. I wasn’t expecting any of this. I glanced at my friend offstage. He had a big smile on his face like he was about to laugh. Then he nodded in my direction as if to say, “Go on.”
I looked at the audience. “Wow!” was my first word. Then, “Look at all of you.”
Have you been in an uncomfortable position like this? Speaking in front of people is tricky because it’s not just about delivery. It’s about how you deal with your nerves, and how you calm the voices in your head that prevent you from being calm. Can you hear yourself talking? Or are you on the outside looking in, having some strange out-of-body experience as you try to do something without being fully present?
Statistically, more people fear public speaking than spiders and snakes, so you’re not alone. Getting a handle on speaking confidently in front of people, from giving a toast at a family gathering to delivering an important presentation to executives, goes a long way in determining how you are perceived by the people around you.
Whether you’re a regular on the circuit or someone just hitting the dais for the first time, here are some easy-to-apply techniques to improve your presentation.
Practice: This one doesn’t count because you should know this already.
Focusing even a little bit on the art of speaking in public will pay off at work. As you earn a reputation as a capable speaker, your opportunities to do so will increase, and you may soon rise above your peers simply because you demonstrate skill and confidence in front of a crowd. Those opportunities, in turn, will position you as a thought leader, an expert, and a frontrunner for advancement.
I stammered my way through my first talk. It took a while to grasp my situation and understand how to get through it. I could feel my voice trembling. My delivery lacked confidence and I was worried that I was perspiring through my shirt. But eventually, my nerves calmed and the words started flowing without a tremor. Had I had the chance to practice some of these techniques, I’m pretty sure I could have done a much better job. After all, I just had to “be myself” and “talk about what I did,” right?
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