Presentations skills and public speaking skills are very useful in many aspects of work and life. Effective presentations and public speaking skills are important in business, sales and selling, training, teaching, lecturing, and generally feeling comfortable speaking to a group of people. Show
Developing the confidence and capability to give good presentations, and to stand up in front of an audience and speak well, are also extremely helpful competencies for self-development and social situations. Presentation skills and public speaking abilities are not limited to certain special people - anyone can give a good presentation, or perform public speaking to a professional and impressive standard. Like most specialisms, this requires preparation and practice. The formats and purposes of presentations can be very different, for example: oral (spoken), multimedia (using various media - visuals, audio, etc), PowerPoint presentations, short impromptu presentations, long-planned presentations, educational or training sessions, lectures, and simply giving a talk on a subject to a group on a voluntary basis for pleasure. Even speeches at weddings and eulogies at funerals are types of presentations. Yet every successful presentation uses broadly the essential techniques and structures explained here. This article provides:
Fear of Public Speaking and PresentationsYou are not alone if the thought of speaking in public scares you. On the contrary. Everyone feels fearful of presenting and public speaking to one degree or another. Giving a presentation is very worrying for many people. Presenting or speaking to an audience regularly tops the list in surveys of people's top fears - more than heights, flying or dying. Here is a popular saying (which features in many presentations) about giving presentations and public speaking: "Most people would prefer to be lying in the casket rather than giving the eulogy." I first heard a speaker called Michelle Ray use this quote in the early 1990s. The quote is often credited to Jerry Seinfeld, although the basic message is much older. For example (thanks Dr N Ashraf) the ancient Tamil work Thirukkural (also called Tirrukural) includes the following words in its aptly titled chapter, Fearlessness in an Assembly: "Many are ready to even die in battle,
but few can face an assembly without nerves." Couplet 723, from Thirukkural/Tirrukural, also called the Kural - a seminal guide to life and ethics attributed to the Tamil poet Thiruvalluvar, said to have lived between about 200-10BC. I am grateful also to R Ersapah for an alternative translation of couplet 723, and below, a more modern literal interpretation: "Many encountering death in face of foe will hold their ground; who speak undaunted in the council hall are rarely found." In more modern language this means: "Many indeed may (fearlessly) die in the presence of (their) foes; (but) few are those who are fearless in the assembly (of the learned)." In a French translation, this is: "Nombreux sont ceux qui peuvent affronter la mort face à leurs ennemis; rares sont ceux qui peuvent sans crainte se tenir devant une assemblée." The title of Tirrukural's chapter 73 is: Not to dread the Council (French: Ne pas craindre les assemblees). Couplet 727 says, amusingly and incisively: "The learning of him who is diffident before an assembly is like the shining sword of an hermaphrodite in the presence of his foes..." (French: "Les connaissances de celui qui a peur des auditoires sont comme l'epee tranchante que tient l'eunuque en presence de son ennemi..." ) I am informed (thanks again R Ersapah) that all of chapter 73 fits the theme of public speech being one of the greatest challenges many people face in their lives. This is further evidence that speaking in public is not just a modern fear - this fear has been in humankind for at least 2,000 years. Incidentally the English translation of Tirrukural comprises various chapters such as: Domestic Virtues, Ascetic Virtue, Royalty, Ministers of State, The Essentials of a State. The English Translations are by Rev Dr G U Pope and Rev W H Drew. The French translation is by a Mauritian author M Sangeelee. I'm always keen to receive and share old examples of public-speaking-and-fear analogies - if you know any please send them. Understanding and Overcoming FearThe key to managing and controlling anything is first to understand it, especially its causes. The cause of fear is (a feeling of) insecurity and/or an unfamiliar or uncontrollable threat. In the context of presentations and public speaking, this is usually due to:
The effects of these are heightened according to the size of the audience, and potentially also the nature of the audience/situation - which combine to represent a perceived uncontrollable threat to us at a very basic and instinctive level (which we imagine in the form or critical judgement, embarrassment, humiliation, etc). This 'audience' aspect is illustrated by the following: "Most of us would not feel very fearful if required to give a presentation to a class of 30 five-year-old children, but we would feel somewhat more fearful if required to give a presentation to an interview panel of three high court judges. So audience size is not everything - it's the nature of the situation and audience too." As such audience size and situation are circumstantial factors which can influence the degree of anxiety, but they are not causal factors in themselves. The causes exist because of the pressure to command, control, impress, etc. Confidence and ControlThe two big causal factors (low confidence and control) stem typically from:
If we have a bad memory which is triggering a fear response, then it is likely that the original situation we recall, which prompts our feelings of anxiety, resulted from one or both of the above factors. Preparation and rehearsal are usually very manageable elements. It's a matter of making the effort to prepare and rehearse before the task is upon us. Presentations which do not work well usually do so because they have not been properly prepared and rehearsed. Experience can be gained simply by seeking opportunities for public speaking and presenting to people and groups, wherever you feel most comfortable (and then try speaking to groups where you feel less comfortable). Given that humankind and society everywhere are arranged in all sorts of groups - schools and colleges, evening classes, voluntary groups, open-mic nights, debating societies, public meetings, conferences, the local pub, sports and hobby clubs, hospitals, old people's homes, etc, etc - there are countless groups everywhere of people and potential audiences by which you can gain speaking and presenting experience - this is not so difficult to achieve. So experience, is actually just another manageable element before the task, although more time and imagination are required than in preparing and rehearsing a particular presentation. Besides these preparatory points, it's useful to consider that fear relates to stress. Stress can be managed in various ways. Understanding stress and stress management methods can be very helpful in reducing the anxiety we feel before and while giving presentations and public speaking. Physiology, Chemistry, StressFear of public speaking is strongly related to stress - see the causes of stress and stress management. A common physical reaction in people when having to speak in public is a release of adrenaline and cortisol into our systems, which is sometimes likened to drinking several cups of coffee. Even experienced speakers feel their hearts thumping very excitedly indeed. This sensational reaction to speaking in public is certainly not only felt by novices, and even some of the great professional actors and entertainers suffer from real physical sickness before taking the stage or podium. So you are not alone. Speaking in public is genuinely scary for most people, including many who outwardly seem very calm. Our primitive brain shuts down normal functions as the 'fight or flight' impulse takes over - see FEAR under the acronyms section (note: there is some adult content among these acronyms for training and presentations). But don't worry - every person in your audience wants you to succeed. The audience is on your side (if only because they are very pleased that it's you up there in the spotlight speaking and not them). All you need to do is follow the guidelines contained on this page, and everything will be fine. As the saying goes, don't try to get rid of the butterflies - just get them flying in formation. Incidentally, the origins of this famous public-speaking/performing butterflies metaphor are typically given as "There is nothing wrong with stomach butterflies! You just have to get them to fly in formation!" - see the attribution information for the butterflies metaphor on the inspirational quotes page. So, how do you calm the butterflies and get them flying in formation? The answer (where butterflies equate to fear) is clear and simple in the following maxim: To calm the butterflies you must be relaxed. To be relaxed you must be confident. To be confident you must be prepared and rehearsed. Good preparation is the key to confidence, which is the key to being relaxed, and this calms the butterflies,(i.e., overcomes the fear). Put another way, according to logical ' cause and effect':
And so this is the most important rule for effective presentations and public speaking: Prepare, which means plan it, and practise/rehearse it. Then you'll be in control, and confident. Your audience will see this and respond accordingly, which in turn will help build your confidence, and you even start to enjoy yourself too. And remember that there is a cumulative effect: Every successful presentation that you create and deliver generates more experience and confidence for you, which makes every future presentation easier and more successful for you, and so it goes, until every last butterfly is calmed. Tips for Effective Presentations
Tips for Using Visual Aids
Preparation and Creating Your PresentationThis is a sequential step-by-step process - a list of the main action points - for creating and preparing a successful and effective presentation - large or small. The process includes preparing, creating, checking, rehearsing, refining and finalising the presentation.
Delivering Presentations Successfully
SummaryCreating presentations: Step-by-StepThis is the basic sequence of actions for creating and preparing a presentation up to the point of actually delivering the presentation to an audience:
And in a little more detail.. Prepare the PresentationConsider:
Consider the more detailed nature of:
Create and Design the Presentation
Deliver your Presentation
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