Help with nerves during a presentation

Bebsie

I hope I am posting in the right place. Please help, I am presenting some findings to some consultants (medical) next month. I kn ow my facts but the problem is I get so nervous, I can litrally feel my heart pounding against my chest, does anyone have any idea how I can over come this. It really gets me down.

SugarSpun

The only thing I found to help was practice.

I do a lot of presentations and talks, and the more I do it the less it frightens me. I do still get a moment of utter panic a few minutes before I start, but once started I'm able to keep going till the end without being visibly nervous.

What exactly is it that you're nervous of? If it helps, I gave a talk to a roomful of psychiatrists last month, complete with slides and some interesting information and data. Half of them were so busy with their laptops that they didn't spare me so much as half an ear, half the rest were glazed over, and the others were really positive about what they were hearing. It seems that lots of audiences are made up in those sorts of ratios, and it's win win win all the way - the ones who don't care aren't listening, and the ones who do are on your side.

Pollycat

I agree with SugarSpun.
Practice is all important. Run through the whole presentation in front of the mirror, even down to the 'welcome' speech, at what point you'll accept questions, safety issues (fire drill etc) if that's appropriate.

You say you know your stuff so you're well on the way.
Have you thought about what questions you might be asked? Anticipate those, if you can.

Is your presentation something that your audience is interested in? This might sounds daft but I've sat through loads of presentations where I wasn't particularly interested. You know the thing, half of your company is sat in a big hall while the big boss is droning on about (yet another) reorganisation. :rolleyes:

One of my colleagues got herself into a right state about doing presentations, she went to Holland & Barratt & got some herbal stuff. She said it helped but I'm not sure that I would have risked it.

hope it goes well.

supersmith

I agree with the others! I do a lot of presentations and still get nervous. I practise a lot - the cats get very bored of the sound of my voice! Just saying it all the way through helps to remember it and get used to how long it takes to say everything. Deep breaths beforehand - take a breath slowly through your nose to a count of 5, hold your breath for 5, let out through your mouth for 5. Repeat quite a few times - it sounds odd but really does help calm you down.

thescouselander

I do quite a few of these presentations, often to nearly 100 people. I agree with the others, the secret is practise practise practise.

I dont think anything will get rid of the nerves completely but if you have practised you will find it a lot easier to get into the presentation and after a minute or so in, you should start to feel a lot more comfortable.

Make sure you know your presentation inside out, if the computer / projector etc goes down you will be in a lot better position to carry on. I've had this happen to me on a couple of occasions but as long as you know what you need to say it shouldn't matter if the IT goes wrong. Also if you know your presentation will it will stop you needing to look round at your slides (or at prompt cards) all the time.

epsilondraconis

I agree with the previous posters. Practise is definitely the key; however so is having a positive mindset and a clear understanding of what you are trying to say.

Ensure the information you are providing is in manageable chunks so that people can quickly and easily understand the points you are trying to convey. There is nothing worse than people making it known that they don't understand what you are trying to say.

I think having a positive mindset is also very important. Being a little nervous is good, the thing is, don't build this up in your head to be bigger than what is really is. Try to think of it as a challenge - relish the fact that you are moving outside of your comfort zone. Get angry with yourself and say "I'm not going to mess this up, I'm not going to let myself down, I'm going to give a good presentation and be proud of myself at the end of it". I play a reasonable amount of golf and if I walk up to a shot thinking that I'm going to hit it badly, you can bet what is going to happen. When you interview greats sports people such as Tiger Woods, they don't go into a shot or a round with a negative attitude. Having a positive mindset helps them become the best at what they do.

So, practise a lot, positive mindset and information dissemination in manageable chunks.

You'll be fine...

Pollycat

On a practical point of view, and following on from the previous poster's comment re information in manageable chunks, don't make your slides too 'busy' i.e. too much information on them. The whole idea of presentations is for you to give out information - not to provide your audience with loads of words to read that you're going to speak anyway.

Also, I'm sure you know to face your audience rather than keep looking at the projection screen. That's a lot easier now with PCs, rather than acetates and OHP.

thescouselander

Another thought - dont try to put in too much information - people just cant absorb too much (also you dont want to have to remember too much). I normally go with this format:

1) Tell them what you're going to tell them about
2) Tell them
3) Tell them what you have just told them

If that makes sense.

myrnahaz

The best way I found of combatting nerves was to pretend to be someone else. It sounds bizzarre but it works for me. I have plenty of confidence usually, but when I have to do any public speaking my throat closes up, I perspire and my knees knock together (even with small groups when I know every person in the audience).
What I do is pick a person I know who has bags of confidence and is well liked and I pretend to be her - I act a part, I suppose. I don't even like the woman I copy, but she seems to have a way with presenting info.
I once told a colleague to use this method; she gave it a go and (like me) she chose someone she didn't actually like - she acted like her hated stepmother. She was really taken aback that it had worked. She said she thought I was trying to make her look stupid, but she was such a mess before her presentation that she didn't think she could make it worse.
Another method is the one Princess Diana used when she spoke in public. PD had been told to make sure she spoke the first and last letter of each and every word clearly (ie, don't drop any letters); this made her concentrate on the words rather than the presentation so she forgot her nerves.
Don't be tempted to use alcohol as a crutch.
Scouselander's advice is good - say it, say it and say it again. Gets the message across well.
Good luck.

Bebsie

Wow - thanks so much for the fab replies! You guys are great!

B2B-2008

I used this on my wedding day and for a sales pitch.

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