5 Tips for Public Speaking

I used to be an engaged member of a local Toastmasters club until I was promoted to management and haven't managed to fit the meetings back into my schedule. I sometimes give presentations for work, but I miss practicing my public speaking skills every week at regular Toastmasters meetings. I'm less fluent in my public speaking skills and it's now more critical that I'm poised and able give a coherent presentation. I've found these tips help me and hopefully they can help you, too :-)

1. Prepare and practice. That goes without saying, but if you're short on time, focus on your introduction and conclusion. A powerful and confident first statement can give you the confidence and energy to maintain that presence, and even if you don't, you made a great first impression and that will be what the audience remembers. Wrapping up with a solid conclusion reinforce the impression that you gave an excellent presentation, even if there were a few fumbles throughout.
2. Calm pre-presentation jitters. Take slow steady deep breaths in through your nose and out through your mouth anytime you feel anxiety creeping in. Hand holding releases relaxing brain chemicals and it works almost as well if you hold your own hand, so try it! Talk to yourself in the third person, it helps you step outside of yourself and be less emotional. It seems silly, but this simple change in perspective can be a huge help.
3. Visualization. Visualize yourself executing the presentation perfectly, exuding confidence and charisma. Visualize every detail that you can think of. Picture yourself standing up and walking to the front of the room, what will it feel like with a room full of faces looking up at you? Walk through your entire presentation and watch how entertaining you are and how much the audience is enjoying what you're sharing with them.
4. Body language. Powerful body language will enhance your feeling of confidence and enhance the perception of confidence for others. Did you know that when you don't feel confident, simply standing with a posture of confidence can actually make you start to feel confident? Something you can try is doing something to make your body feel as big as possible for just 2 minutes prior to a presentation. It sound silly, but give it a try! For more detail on confidence and body language, definitely check out Amy Cuddy's Ted Talk.
5. Slow down. It's tempting to rush through what you have to say when you're thinking a mile a minute and you don't want to forget anything. However, slowing down gives your audience time to think and makes you look more poised. Speaking fast makes a person look nervous even if that isn't the case. Slowing down will also enable you to breathe more and maintain a calmer demeanor inside and out.