Whether your audience is 50 or 500, there are some simple things you can do to help yourself feel comfortable prior to stepping up to the microphone. Arrive well in advance of the time you are to speak. Test all A-V Equipment so that you are not caught by surprise with technical difficulty. Always have a back-up plan in case technology fails you. This is critical. Could you give a stellar presentation without Powerpoint if you had to? Make sure you sleep well the night before so that you are well rested. Staying up all night studying your notes won’t necessarily help you. It could work against you.
Be prepared well in advance. Have your presentation done at least a week in advance. That way you can put it away for a couple of days and come back to it. After taking a break from it, you will have a fresh perspective and can fine tune it in a highly effective way. Another way to be prepared is to have a meeting with the person who has enlisted you for the speech so that you are both clear on the goal and you have an effective understanding of the audience. They may ask you for a typed introduction of yourself. Just write a brief paragraph that describes who you are and your expertise. Your host will read this prior to bringing you up on stage.
Eat something, but not a lot, prior to your speech. Make sure a glass of water is available. Above all else remember that the audience cannot see the butterflies in your stomach so don’t highlight or announce that you are nervous. The audience is looking forward to what you have to say. They want to be informed and entertained and they want you to do well. They have the right frame of mind to receive. Now stand up and deliver in the brilliant way that only you can do.
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