A lot has been written about the fear of public speaking and how to beat it. And of course, that’s because so many people share the dread of doing it.
So, if your legs turn to jelly every time you have to make a presentation to a group, you can rest assured that when it’s their turn, almost everyone else in the room feels like you do, even if they don’t show it.
You probably look much calmer than you feel. So even if for you, everything is amplified, your heart’s beating through your chest, your hands are shaking, and you can hear a tremor in your voice, most of the people present won’t know how your voice usually sounds and won’t be close enough to notice a bit of trembling.
Here are three things to keep in mind before you make your next public presentation:
- Public speaking can actually be good for you as it involves facing and overcoming fear – something we can all benefit from. Once you’ve given your first presentation or speech, whether it went as well as you’d hoped or not, you can draw on this experience to improve for the next time. And if you managed to conquer your fear of public speaking, what else can you tackle that you thought was beyond you?
- Public speaking is pretty hard to avoid at Uni, but this is all part of your preparation for the workplace and beyond. By developing strategies to calm your nerves and hone your presentation skills now, speaking to groups will gradually become less daunting, and you’ll boost your employability with another skill to add to your résumé.
- Even seasoned presenters experience pre-presentation butterflies. They’re simply an indication that you care about the outcome, and want to do a good job getting your message across.
Memorable public speakers have usually worked hard to appear at ease and confident. Knowing your subject matter obviously helps but so does gaining an understanding of the key elements of giving presentations.
So, if you want to develop tactics and tools to overcome your nerves, speak with confidence and inject captivating storytelling into your presentations, complete the online module available through Curtin Challenge.
