Keys to Presenting

     Without fail you'll probably have to present something in your life. You may or may not have presented something already. Maybe you even hate talking in front of people and you get stage fright. In fact, some people even love it. All of those reactions are okay to have. However, it is important to have good presentation skills for the future. You never know when you will have to give a presentation for a class, a meeting, or even at a community event. Below are a few good steps to know for having a good presentation.

    1. Plan your Presentation. If you have read my previous articles you know that the audience is everything. Use the AUDIENCE acronym to know who you are presenting to. At this step, you also want to ensure you know what you are presenting, why, and what your key points will be.

    2. Organize. It's a good plan to develop an outline of how you want to present. Start with an introduction, have a body, and conclude with a conclusion. During the introduction, you have to emphasize your key points and in the conclusion, you also want to touch base again with your key points.

    3. Keep it Conversational. Written communication is always more formal than spoken communication. The goal is to ensure you keep your vocals as conversational as possible.  

    4. Practice. Practice over and over to make sure you stay within your time limits. Practice what you are going to say and how you are going to say it. Also, ensure your key points are relevant. 

    5. Stop Worrying. It is completely okay to be nervous. You may start getting jitters and butterflies in your stomach that is okay. The audience expects you to be nervous. That is why practice is so important it helps you become comfortable with the material you will be presenting. 

    Now that we have talked about the beginning steps to ensure you have a good presentation, we are going to discuss some good tips and tricks for getting rid of those stage fright nerves. One of the important items with presenting is controlling your voice and breathing. If you have presented in the past you may have heard yourself have a quiver in your voice while you are presenting, which means your nerves are taking over. Some would call this your flight or fight response. While presenting you want to make sure you are taking good breaths and continue speaking in a conversational tone.

    While presenting you also want to be observant of your habits. Do you talk with your hands? Do you use filler words like "ummm", "ohh", "or like"? Be cautious of using filler words as well because they distract the audience from what you are trying to say.

    Finally, if you are standing for your presentation you want to ensure you have a slight bend at your knees. This will help maintain blood flow throughout your body and it will help your nervous heartbeat. To conclude, presenting is a difficult task and it requires a lot of time and practice to excel at it. But if you remember the important tips, you will excel with enough time and practice.