Public speaking anxiety
Discussion
Hi All,
Work in IT, hands on position. Currently in a medium-ish company (5,000 employees or less). All of IT are in one office and it's common to do presentations to the wider teams on what you are working on or have achieved.
This obviously helps with a bit of self promotion, etc.
However, I am terrified of public speaking! As I move up, this will be more and more of a limitation. What's the best way to overcome this?
Work in IT, hands on position. Currently in a medium-ish company (5,000 employees or less). All of IT are in one office and it's common to do presentations to the wider teams on what you are working on or have achieved.
This obviously helps with a bit of self promotion, etc.
However, I am terrified of public speaking! As I move up, this will be more and more of a limitation. What's the best way to overcome this?
I provide a bit of coaching on presentations and public speaking so PM me if you need anything beyond the following:
First off, everyone is rooting for you because they are happy you are up there and not them.
Know what you are talking about. The more you know, the better your talk will be. Don't wing anything.
Related to the above point is to avoid using notes - not even as a prompt. If you are using slides then the slides will be your prompt. This has a number of benefits. Firstly, you spend your time looking at the people you are speaking to which builds a relationship with them. Your delivery is more natural. If you have notes, you end up reading them so your talk becomes simply you standing up 'reading to the class'. It also conveys to the audience that you have full authority over the subject you're talking about. And because of all this, your confidence is boosted which improves your presentation.
Project your voice and much of your attention to those sitting furthest away.
Don't worry about getting the shakes, stuttering or any other issue as the audience will not be able to see this.
If you have the opportunity and you don't already know those you are speaking to, try to speak to them one to one before your slot. When it's your turn, you'll then be 'chatting to some mates' rather than speaking to a bunch of strangers.
Slides: Put as little information on each slide as you can get away with. Use pictures, illustrations and photos wherever you can instead of words. Take time to make the presentation look nice and produce to the format of the screen it will be projected on (16:9, 4:3, etc). And always use 'Presenter View' on the day so you can see the next slide coming up.
The more you do of these, the easier they become. Public speaking is a very powerful tool for personal and career development and one that is all too often overlooked.
HTH and good luck.
First off, everyone is rooting for you because they are happy you are up there and not them.
Know what you are talking about. The more you know, the better your talk will be. Don't wing anything.
Related to the above point is to avoid using notes - not even as a prompt. If you are using slides then the slides will be your prompt. This has a number of benefits. Firstly, you spend your time looking at the people you are speaking to which builds a relationship with them. Your delivery is more natural. If you have notes, you end up reading them so your talk becomes simply you standing up 'reading to the class'. It also conveys to the audience that you have full authority over the subject you're talking about. And because of all this, your confidence is boosted which improves your presentation.
Project your voice and much of your attention to those sitting furthest away.
Don't worry about getting the shakes, stuttering or any other issue as the audience will not be able to see this.
If you have the opportunity and you don't already know those you are speaking to, try to speak to them one to one before your slot. When it's your turn, you'll then be 'chatting to some mates' rather than speaking to a bunch of strangers.
Slides: Put as little information on each slide as you can get away with. Use pictures, illustrations and photos wherever you can instead of words. Take time to make the presentation look nice and produce to the format of the screen it will be projected on (16:9, 4:3, etc). And always use 'Presenter View' on the day so you can see the next slide coming up.
The more you do of these, the easier they become. Public speaking is a very powerful tool for personal and career development and one that is all too often overlooked.
HTH and good luck.
I would try and break down what is causing the stress, is it literally just being in front of people, or is it something else? Are you worried your colleagues will catch you out with questions you cannot answer for example? If you can narrow down what bits you are concerned about you can look to address them.
Lots of people are unnecessarily anxious about public speaking, chose not to be one of them. When you are up there just pretend or convince yourself that you are enjoying it. As you give your talk, picture in your mind Adolf Hitler addressing the assembled massed at a Nuremberg rally; he keeps it simple, not too fast a pace and has full command the audience who are so captivated that he could be talking about any subject and they'd just love it.
Google [bot] said:
As they say: this!I've witnessed a few people who were quite scared of public speaking and generally speaking to others in groups at social events. They have definitely turned things around and even seek public speaking opportunities!
StevieBee said:
Know what you are talking about. The more you know, the better your talk will be. Don't wing anything.
This, this, and even more this.I give presentations semi regularly at work. If I haven't prepared and attempt to wing it I absolutely tank. Probably sweat profusely and sound like I've never spoken English before.
If I do a bit of prep into what I'm talking about, make a few notes on the presentation and develop points to talk about "off screen", then I am significantly more relaxed, and find myself talking for much longer. I now try and limit myself to a very low word count on slides but have plenty of notes / prompts on the side and use presenter view. People certainly engage more with you as a presenter if they're not just reading off the slides themselves which in turn makes you feel they're actually interested in what you have to say.
Z064life said:
Hi All,
Work in IT, hands on position. Currently in a medium-ish company (5,000 employees or less). All of IT are in one office and it's common to do presentations to the wider teams on what you are working on or have achieved.
This obviously helps with a bit of self promotion, etc.
However, I am terrified of public speaking! As I move up, this will be more and more of a limitation. What's the best way to overcome this?
I’ve been in IT over twenty years and one thing is true. The very best IT people are generally a bit socially awkward, reserved, sometimes shy, perhaps suffering undue anxiety or lower self esteem. Maybe even perhaps due a diagnosis?Work in IT, hands on position. Currently in a medium-ish company (5,000 employees or less). All of IT are in one office and it's common to do presentations to the wider teams on what you are working on or have achieved.
This obviously helps with a bit of self promotion, etc.
However, I am terrified of public speaking! As I move up, this will be more and more of a limitation. What's the best way to overcome this?
The best of them.
So if the above is perhaps you, just remember, you aren’t some polished up snake oil salesman, your an IT guy. Perhaps a bit geeky, perhaps a bit more reserved. But you are better than the sales team types that talk buzz words. Better at IT than most of those management types that look down on you.
Don’t hide, worry or procrastinate. Stand up and be proud of your inner geek. Your fellow true IT geek colleagues will recognise you and will understand how you feel in the spot light. They won’t care if you ramble or mumble a bit. All the rest can go **** themselves.
Some good advice here:
- prepare a lot, practice in the mirror
- visualise as much as you can beforehand, exactly where who etc. like a video in your mind
- do it as often as you can to get better at it.
My favourite tip for confidence is, before going on, to imagine you’ve already done the talk once and they absolutely loved it, and have asked you to do more, ie imagine you’re doing an encore! Gives you the right energy I find.
- prepare a lot, practice in the mirror
- visualise as much as you can beforehand, exactly where who etc. like a video in your mind
- do it as often as you can to get better at it.
My favourite tip for confidence is, before going on, to imagine you’ve already done the talk once and they absolutely loved it, and have asked you to do more, ie imagine you’re doing an encore! Gives you the right energy I find.
vtecyo said:
I give presentations semi regularly at work. If I haven't prepared and attempt to wing it I absolutely tank. Probably sweat profusely and sound like I've never spoken English before.
More seriously OP, it’s just like learning to ride a bike; get on and keep practicing! In no time, you’ll be coaching others I’m sure.
If however, and this is entirely all right, you don’t aspire to higher office and don’t enjoy public speaking, declare that to your line manager and seek support not to be forced in to it.
vtecyo said:
StevieBee said:
Know what you are talking about. The more you know, the better your talk will be. Don't wing anything.
This, this, and even more this.I give presentations semi regularly at work. If I haven't prepared and attempt to wing it I absolutely tank. Probably sweat profusely and sound like I've never spoken English before.
If I do a bit of prep into what I'm talking about, make a few notes on the presentation and develop points to talk about "off screen", then I am significantly more relaxed, and find myself talking for much longer. I now try and limit myself to a very low word count on slides but have plenty of notes / prompts on the side and use presenter view. People certainly engage more with you as a presenter if they're not just reading off the slides themselves which in turn makes you feel they're actually interested in what you have to say.
If you use someone else's slides make them your own, don't try and present them as they were given to you, change and reorder them until they present the message the way that you want to deliver it. And don't feel bad about it, you're the one standing at the front so you get the last word on the way that the message is delivered.
Hi guys,
So a few things:
- Definitely knowing your topic inside out is a big one, especially something as technical as IT. I've seen some talks go awry as the presenter got asked questions he or she could not answer.
- In my later years at high school onwards, presentations weren't really required, which I was thankful for, but means I did not develop this skill , perhaps.
- There may be some self consciousness around quality of speech as I had speech therapy at a young age but I can speak fine at work and seen others in this company with speech impediments present.
Doing talks remotely i.e. to my team over Skype or something is not too bad, I'm fairly used to this.
It's just the nerves of being centre of attention (so I guess to mitigate that, doing a talk in a duo may help).
So a few things:
- Definitely knowing your topic inside out is a big one, especially something as technical as IT. I've seen some talks go awry as the presenter got asked questions he or she could not answer.
- In my later years at high school onwards, presentations weren't really required, which I was thankful for, but means I did not develop this skill , perhaps.
- There may be some self consciousness around quality of speech as I had speech therapy at a young age but I can speak fine at work and seen others in this company with speech impediments present.
Doing talks remotely i.e. to my team over Skype or something is not too bad, I'm fairly used to this.
It's just the nerves of being centre of attention (so I guess to mitigate that, doing a talk in a duo may help).
StevieBee said:
I provide a bit of coaching on presentations and public speaking so PM me if you need anything beyond the following:
First off, everyone is rooting for you because they are happy you are up there and not them.
Know what you are talking about. The more you know, the better your talk will be. Don't wing anything.
Slides: Put as little information on each slide as you can get away with. Use pictures, illustrations and photos wherever you can instead of words. Take time to make the presentation look nice and produce to the format of the screen it will be projected on (16:9, 4:3, etc). And always use 'Presenter View' on the day so you can see the next slide coming up.
The more you do of these, the easier they become. Public speaking is a very powerful tool for personal and career development and one that is all too often overlooked.
HTH and good luck.
Every presentation that I do at work, whether to the team I'm in (<15 folk) or to hundreds of people at international conferences, I am absolutely bricking it beforehand. And every time afterwards I think "I'm glad that I did that". There's almost a buzz. It's a bit addictive actually. So I volunteer for everything that I can - I really think that practice helps.First off, everyone is rooting for you because they are happy you are up there and not them.
Know what you are talking about. The more you know, the better your talk will be. Don't wing anything.
Slides: Put as little information on each slide as you can get away with. Use pictures, illustrations and photos wherever you can instead of words. Take time to make the presentation look nice and produce to the format of the screen it will be projected on (16:9, 4:3, etc). And always use 'Presenter View' on the day so you can see the next slide coming up.
The more you do of these, the easier they become. Public speaking is a very powerful tool for personal and career development and one that is all too often overlooked.
HTH and good luck.
One of the most natural presenters that I ever saw was a guy running some management and conflict training at my last job. He was so personable, knowledgeable and easy-going. I came in early one day for the course and he was in the room, with mood music on, running through his lines! I was amazed and had such respect for him because he clearly put so much effort into making it all seem effortless. That's really stayed with me.
So I'd echo the thoughts above, and also:
Bizarrely for me, if I can do the presentation sitting down it doesn't half help with the stress. Presumably it's because I'm not using the legs that are wobbling from nerves to try and hold me upright!
You should learn to pace your presentations - all the best presenters (TED talks, Obama, Ted Allen) have mastered pacing. They stop and take a drink (and a fag in Dave's case) - they control the audience's expectations this way. Put pauses into your slides and in your mind. Really helps.
If you do nothing else at all, even if you completely bomb, please don't put the words that you're speaking on the slides. That is the cardinal sin. You may as well email everyone and stay at home. This seems very prevalent with non-native speakers, which I understand, but no one else should countenance this thought.
So prepare well, practice, and good luck!
Can only echo the above: know your subject, and practice practice practice. Public speaking is a skill that very, very few people have naturally and you'll find that all the best and most natural-sounding speakers will have rehearsed the hell out of what they're saying. Just speaking off the cuff will almost never work.
It'll feel weird to start with but practice your presentations in front of the bathroom mirror, in front of your dog, in front of a friendly colleague, in front of your partner if they'll let you. It 100% does become easier over time and that's coming from somebody who still has quite a bad stammer at times, and now works in in a customer-facing technical sales role where presenting is a fact of everyday life.
It'll feel weird to start with but practice your presentations in front of the bathroom mirror, in front of your dog, in front of a friendly colleague, in front of your partner if they'll let you. It 100% does become easier over time and that's coming from somebody who still has quite a bad stammer at times, and now works in in a customer-facing technical sales role where presenting is a fact of everyday life.
Gassing Station | Jobs & Employment Matters | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff