Presenting with confidence is about centering the audience.
When we centre what the audience needs most, we put our insecurities to the side and deliver value.
YOU wiLl LEARN
In this module, you’ll learn how to present with confidence, in a way that resonates with the person you’re speaking to.
We’ll cover:
Why nerves are a natural part of presenting
Techniques to mentally reframe a fear of presenting
Storytelling structure and techniques
What your presentation persona is
What to do when things go wrong
KEY CONCEPTS in this module
Let’s get started.
The five principles of presenting.
Deciding how you’re going to present helps you manage the highs and lows of adrenaline when speaking. Here are five principles I personally use and teach to help myself and students confidently put their best foot forward.
These are:
Put the audience needs first. By focussing on what the audience needs to have a positive experience, you’ll be able to deliver even greater value.
Fail privately to succeed publicly. Invest time in practising in private, so you can really ‘wow’ the people you want to impress.
Own your authentic style. You don’t need to change who you are when you present; instead celebrate how you communicate and get feedback on what resonates best.
The pros do the basics. Practising the basics is the best way to improve.
Presence over perfection. You don’t need to be perfect, instead focus on being present when you communicate, as it will convey authenticity.
Managing nerves when presenting.
It’s estimated that approximately 75% of people experience some form of anxiety or fear of speaking in front of an audience.
Nerves are not a sign of weakness. They show you care. When you feel nerves cropping up (nervous tummy, shaky voice, or the sweats), it’s your adrenaline getting ready.
When we reframe nerves for excitement, and focus on the audience-first, we transform our experience.
Case Study - Reframing Nerves for Excitement
As both anxiety and excitement are states of arousal, we’re able to use our adrenaline and put it to good use. In a study by Harvard Business School, participants who re-appraised fear for excitement and said “I’m excited” in place of “I’m nervous” performed 17% better in public speaking and karaoke, and 22% in maths tests.
The next time you present, instead of telling yourself to ‘get calm’, try ‘get excited’.
More on Managing Nerves
Owning your authentic style.
What’s your Presentation Persona?
Leaning into your authentic style helps the audience trust you.
By building on what you already do well, you can help your audience receive even more value.
Download accompanying materials
different presentation styles
What do you notice about these different presentation styles?
Structuring your presentation.
You don’t need to have a script to have a compelling presentation. But knowing where you’re going, and what key points you want to share will help you remember what to say on the day.
download accompanying materials
Signposting gives audiences certainty.
Audiences relax when they feel they are in safe hands. Equally, audiences crave to know what to expect.
Whether you’re presenting a short update in a virtual meeting, or providing a presentation to a large audience, you can let the audience know what you’re going to talk about with a tool called ‘signposting’.
Signposting is when you tell the audience what they can expect.
Examples include:
Sharing an agenda.
Letting people know when they can ask questions and whether it will be recorded.
Outlining what people will walk away with as a result of your presentation.
Discussing the top facts you’re going to share in your update.
Show the audience you have an intent and plan for your session and watch them relax.
This might look like:
If it’s a short update in a virtual meeting, outlining what you’re going to cover and how it’s relevant to the audience.
If it’s a training programme, sharing an agenda, whether there are group exercises or individual reflections, and whether you expect interactivity or listening along.
In a formal presentation, introducing key themes and perhaps telling a story and linking it to what it means to the audience.
Asking someone else to introduce you to give context.
Regardless of what you’re going to talk about, or to who, by outlining clues as to what the audience can expect, instantly they’ll relax knowing they’re in safe hands, with evidence you have a plan.
Signposting is also useful for when audiences go off track.
If someone takes you off topic, or it moves into a different discussion, you can also use signposting to bring the conversation back. For example, letting people know you’ll document a question to answer another time brings you back to the conversation while acknowledging the audience.
more on signposting
What to do when…
“I’ve run out of time to present my talk.”
Meetings can and will run over time, even when you’re the main speaker!
That’s why having a ‘5 minute version’ of your presentation up your sleeve can be helpful to be able to present key takeaways for your audience, if needed, on the spot.
Before presenting, prepare a handy checklist that outlines:
If there were three key points that were non-negotiable for this audience to know, what would they be?
What do I want the audience to think of, or about, following this meeting?
If I needed to ‘plant a seed’ for this audience, what would that be?
What does this audience need to walk away from this connection knowing or having visibility across?
A short, powerful, simple presentation goes a long way in helping people understand. If you only have five minutes to present, or a shorter version to present, don’t be disheartened; it’s actually a good thing. You’re able to focus on the essentials and follow up with a longer background should it be valuable.
‘Shift’ happens.
Your tech stalls. The projector stops working. The internet cuts out. Even the most experienced presenters have stories like this to tell.
The only way around it is to accept that stuff ups happen and to always have back up plans.
Here are examples:
Having a print out of your presentation in case the projector turns off.
Writing down your key points in case you forget your words.
Having a backup device hot spotting to your phone in case the internet is wobbly on your other device.
Having a colleague manage the tech function while you present to take your mind off what could go wrong.
Verbally stepping an audience through a presentation if the worksheets didn’t print.
Using tools such as Slido or Mentimeter to engage audiences in addition to your own technology as a back up.
Knowing how to do your presentation with zero tech because you know your content that well.
As a personal example, I had a presentation where none of the tech worked. But, because I had worksheets, I could use those as my talking points and still get a great result.
The most important thing is that the audience is always in safe hands. So, having a tech and a non tech version of your presentation and the confidence to get on with it should ‘shift happen’ will give your audience a positive experience.
Resist the temptation to freak out and stall. Instead, acknowledge if there is a delay and let the audience know what will happen next.
And remember: no one knows what you’re going to say next, only you do. So if you do edit your presentation on the day, the only person that knows is you.
Looking for more?
READ: 7 Tips on Presenting with Confidence - Happiness Concierge