Public speaking is the process of speaking to a group of people in a structured manner intended to tell, persuade, or entertain the listeners. It is closely related to “presenting”. Public speaking and presentations can be very demanding. Whenever we have to get in front of an audience to speak, we usually have to go through a panic moment. Putting forth a good presentation demands a lot of courage, practice and preparation.

Every time you speak before crowd, you learn something new. With my 12 years of experience as a public speaker and trainer on public speaking and presentation skills I have several tips which would help many of you. These points would help no matter whether you are speaking at a large conference or giving an internal presentation to the co-workers. They can be used anywhere.

GETTING PHYSICALLY & MENTALLY PREPARED BEFORE YOUR PRESENTATION- The more you prepare, the more confident you would feel. Slowly and gradually when you become comfortable in public speaking you’ll unsurprisingly feel more confident and the need to prepare may be of lesser importance. Amateur speakers must spend more time in getting ready. But that does not mean that you make yourself go crazy. Just be comfortable with your material and keep practicing. If you are a first time speaker, you may consult a public speaking trainer and would be of great help. They will observe your style and suggest you some advice on addressing the crowd. For example they might advice you to:

* Speak slower.

* Talk to individuals in the audience.

* Take pauses and think before you speak.

Going over them before your presentation would help you to be more composed and confident. Some more ways to prepare yourself can be the following:

* Drinking a lot of water.

* Taking a good night’s sleep.

* Avoid drinking the night before.

* Breathe normally.

* Visualize a positive result.

* Talk to other speakers (if any). Ask them questions and for advice.

PREPARING MATERIALS TO SUPPORT YOUR PRESENTATION- The key to prepare your presentation is to remember that less is more. A few guidelines to a good presentation:

* Keep text to a minimum. Do not put more than 5 bullet points per slide. People tend to lose interest in what you are speaking while reading this stuff.

* Check for contrast and font size. Make sure that it is readable.

* Use pictures where possible to get your idea across. They can be remembered more easily.

* Keep the notes short and simple. Their purpose is only to serve as a reminder.

* Check the resolution of your presentation. To be safe, go for 800×600.

* Complicated charts and graphs should be avoided. Audience may get confused.

WHILE GIVING THE PRESENTATION- A few things to be remembered when giving the presentation:

* Be optimistic.

* Telling stories will make your idea clearer than charts, graphs and numbers. They also help in engaging your audience.

* Don’t read your slides or notes. They should only play the role of supporters to what you are saying.

* Keep your introduction short yet strong.

* Keep your speech or the presentation slow and steady.

* Don’t be anxious over mistakes. Don’t apologize. Stay confident and just move on.

* Take pauses at appropriate times. This would also give your audience time to absorb what you presented.

* Smile, joke and laugh when needed. Don’t try to overdo anything.

* Make your ending crisp, clean and powerful.

* Prepare yourself for interruptions and questions.

There are three places where you can live your life:

1. In the past – People who have regrets and are “stuck” thinking about things that cannot be corrected often experience depression. Some therapists believe that anger turned inward becomes depression. So, when you combine past hurts with anger but pretend that everything is okay you are setting yourself up for trouble! It is like trying to hold a beach under water. You put all your energy into trying to hold it down but that won’t last for very long. You can try to hold your emotions down but when they pop up everyone, including you will likely be surprised by their intensity.

2. In the future – Fear, control, perfectionism, worry and anxiety are all cousins. Sometimes people focus all their energy on what hasn’t even happened yet. Their fear causes them to want to control things and often leads to perfectionism, worry and anxiety. “What if… ?” is a frequent phrase used by individuals who tend to focus on the future.

3. In the present – Sometimes today is filled with boredom and loneliness. Sometimes it seems stressful and challenging. The best way to deal with the present, is to have all your wits about you so that you can choose interesting ways to address what is in front of you. When your thoughts, feelings and behaviours are devoted to the past or the future, you are robbing today! You cannot reach your potential and make good choices if you are trying to resolve issues from the past or predict the future.

Over the years I have watched people who get into trouble and realize that it is frequently because they have difficulty living in the present. Some focus on what “should” have happened or what “should” happen instead of on what “is” happening. They blame others for slights that occurred decades ago and unfortunately, they are usually the only one who remembers this. They have difficulty forgiving others or themselves and this prevents them from letting go and moving forward in a healthy manner.

Others think so much about all the things that “might” happen in the future that they are unable to enjoy what is going on right now. They expect the worst from relatives, the weather, government and a myriad of things that they not only cannot control but might actually never happen.

So how can you live in the present when you mind reverts to past injustices or future threats?
1. Create a peaceful environment. Organize your life in a way that incorporates positive blessings such as calm music, pleasant activities and healthy food.
2. Protect yourself from toxic triggers. Turn the television off so that you aren’t inundated with negative news. Maintain good boundaries with people who are always draining you. Don’t let their crisis become your crisis. Take breaks from the outside world by not always answering your phone or having your door open.
3. Say what you want (not what you don’t want). Write and practice using affirmations.
4. Seek professional help to get you on the right track!

As an expert, one of your greatest opportunities to build your market reach and client base is to get on the platform and give a “knock their socks off” presentation.

If you’re an entrepreneur, there are very few strategies that compare to getting on the platform in order to build your credibility, visibility, market reach, client base and revenues.

As an “expert” your job is to give the best presentation you possibly can. The long-term benefits of using speaking to build your business are beyond compare.

Three “must-do’s” for HOT presentations are:

• Know your audience
• Tell stories
• Give it your all

Know your audience

It’s all very fine to be a good, or even great, speaker, but even great speakers need to know who’s in their audience. The more you know who your audience is the more you can customize your presentation to their needs.

Knowing your audience requires time upfront. There are a number of ways to become familiar with your audience including a pre-event questionnaire, one on one conversations with a cross-section of the audience and studying the website of the group you are presenting to.

By taking time upfront to know your audience, it’s a sure bet you will stand head and shoulders above other speakers.

Tell stories

Facts and figures may be a huge part of your message, but stories make your points memorable. People love stories. If you’re not a good storyteller, put effort into learning how. The ability to be a storyteller will take you from an average speaker to a memorable speaker.

Keep your stories short and make a point with your story. Avoid starting your story with, “I’m going to tell you a story.” Simply go into your story.

Give it your all

When people give you their time by sitting in your audience, your job is to give 100% to the experience. To not do so is doing your audience a disservice.

• Make your audience feel as though they are the most important people around.
• Have fun. When you have fun your audience will to.
• Stay excited throughout. This doesn’t mean you have to jump around and bounce off the walls. It simply means be fully present throughout the presentation.

Regardless of what industry you’re in, if you want to be viewed as the go-to expert, presentations are, by far, the best way to do so. They are also the best way to sell books, information products and enroll clients into your high-end services.