Public speaking and giving presentations tops many people’s “I flaming hate and fear that shizz” list.
But unless you are living in hoodoos (and even hoodonians need to present sometimes), chances are you will be asked to express your unique ideas, thought provoking opinions and persuasive points.
And too right, you’ve got something to say and we need to hear it!
Here are 3 super quick easy ideas to help you keep the nerves under wraps so your audience can hear you, engage with you and bask in your charm and charisma.
01 | SSShhhh Technique
Before the presentation go somewhere private, unless of course you really want to put yourself out there, and take a nice long deep breath in through your nose and exhale out through your mouth making a loud “ssshhhhh” sound. Repeat this 3 or 4 times. This kind of breathing uses up the nerves icky energy and replaces it with a lovely calming energy…ahhhhh.
02 | The Rehearsal
The night before the presentation, interview or date try and relax. Close your eyes, take nice long deep breaths and then visualise the presentation from beginning to end. Imagine it going exactly, harmoniously, yummily and scrumptiously how you would like it to.
Everybody is engaged and enthralled by what you are saying. You are speaking confidently, calmly, your voice is steady and you are getting across everything you would like to. The audience is hanging off your every word and you are having a blast. Bathe this visualisation in a golden/pinky light -the brain just loves these colours – and repeat this delicious vision as much as possible. Dwell and indulge in the glory of you- charming and engaging your audience as a super master speaker, an expert in your field and someone worthy of attention.
This is what professional athletes do before the big race – they visualise it in as much detail as possible: the audience, the track or course and they see themselves executing every move perfectly. The mind doesn’t know the difference between an imagined or real experience which makes this technique really powerful, creative and fun!
03 | Let Loose your inner Brando or Streep – (Disclaimer: substitute with any actors that you forget are acting you’re that into it)
Think about your presentation as a play, film or art exhibition. The talk is your monologue and you are playing “Your Name- the intelligent, confident, charismatic, engaging hero” in your own movie. I call this the ‘play at it until you feel it’ method.
And remember the most engaging, memorable presentations and talks are the ones that aren’t perfect. So relax, have fun and allow yourself to shine!
