Ways to Look Confident During a Presentation Even if You Feel Otherwise
When doing a presentation in front of many people or people of high posts in a company, it is understandable for you to feel nervous. You might look good with your chosen attire, but you are a mess inside.
It is normal to feel that way. Anyone who is not used to public speaking and presentation will also have the same reaction. However, you cannot let anyone know about it. Calm your nerves and appear confident. These are some tips to help you.
Look at people in the eyes
Some people would tell you to look at a straight line without necessarily looking at anyone’s eyes if you are nervous. It allows you to avoid seeing people’s reactions. It might be effective, but it also shows you did not connect with the audience. If you want to feel confident, you need to see people in the eyes. Look at how they react to what you say. Sometimes, a nod or a smile can encourage you to perform better.
Think about what will happen after
You worry now because of everything that is going on. It helps if you picture out what will happen once the presentation is over. Think about how your success could also spell the success for the entire business. Imagine yourself being congratulated by your colleagues, even those who doubted you will make it. If you want that to happen in reality, you need to push harder and do your best during the presentation.
Study your presentation
Some people worry about being humiliated because they did not prepare well for their presentation. If you want to avoid that feeling, you need to research well. Make sure that you take your time to read the details of your presentation. Prepare for possible questions. When you can respond to inquiries without looking at your reference, it means that nothing can stop you.
Highlight important ideas on your notes
When you use a guide to deliver the information, you need to highlight the ideas that you think are crucial. If there are questions coming from the audience, they will most likely be from those points you highlighted. It is easy to refer to it when you know where to find the idea in your notes.
Imagine that everyone in the room is pretentious
You keep worrying that people will question you and make you feel like your ideas are worthless. The truth is that a lot of them also have no idea what they are doing. They pretend to be experts when they are not. Therefore, it helps if you think that the people there are dumb to prevent you from getting nervous. Besides, it is not a competition. You also do not have the entire day to interrogate you. Just respond in the best way you can and move on.
With these tips, you can cover your fear and show that you are an expert.
Photo Attribution:
1st and featured image from https://www.ethos3.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/iStock-636780250.jpg
2nd image from https://bestlifeonline.com/confident-at-work/
