All eyes are on you expecting to hear a great deal of expertise among your pearls of wisdom. It can be daunting, right? If you’re like many people, your inner dialogue, or self-talk, might be taking little nibbles, (or maybe huge chunks), out of your confidence. Here are some suggestions that will serve to bolster your confidence:
Rehearse in your mind how the setting will look and feel. Take a look at the space if you have time.
A good confidence booster is to adopt an attitude of being sure of yourself. Standing up straight and not slouching is a good place to start.
Be prepared! Familiarity with your materials is key.
Less is more. You don’t need to reinvent the wheel. Keep your points succinct and to the point.
Have your material ready way in advance. If you feel rushed and frazzled that can cause a build-up of stress and nerves.
Rehearse your presentation at least a few times to smooth out any bumps and to feel familiar with what you want to say.
When you rehearse, be aware not to intersperse ‘Ums,’ and ‘Uh’s,’ etc.
If you feel you need a ‘crutch’ use it! In particular, I find that large index cards with the key ideas helps me feel confident that I’ll remember what I wanted to say. Make the print large enough and dark enough to see easily.
You’ve got this! Now relax and enjoy speaking about a topic you know so well.