BCSG, LLC

Feeling some nervousness before giving a speech is natural and even beneficial. But too much nervousness can be detrimental. Here are some proven tips on how to control your butterflies and give better presentations:

• Know your material. Pick a topic you are interested in. Know more about it than you include in your speech. Use personal stories and conversational language, that way you won’t easily forget what to say.
  
• Practice. Practice. Practice! Rehearse out loud with all equipment you plan on using. Revise as necessary.
  
• Know the audience. Greet some of the audience members as they arrive. It’s easier to speak to a group of friends than to strangers.
  
• Know the room. Arrive early, walk around the speaking area and practice using the microphone and any visual aids.
  
• Relax. Ease tension by doing exercises. Transform nervous energy into enthusiasm.
  
• Visualize yourself giving your speech. Imagine yourself speaking, your voice loud, clear and confident. Visualize the audience clapping, it will boost your confidence.
  
• Realize that people want you to succeed. Audiences want you to be interesting, stimulating, informative and entertaining. They don’t want you to fail.
  
• Don’t apologize for any nervousness or issue that arises, the audience probably never noticed it.
  
• Concentrate on the message not the medium. Focus your attention away from your own anxieties and concentrate on your message and your audience.
  
• Gain experience. Experience builds confidence, which is the key to effective speaking.