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I remember clearly being ten years old, and given the “big reading” in my school play. I was genuinely shaking, nerve-wracked, blustering and so on. My teacher told me to plant my feet solidly, hold my script and read out loud and proud to the back of the row. Looking around now I see many professionals still addressing their audiences like that today!

Now I have written many articles, and continue to train many people in speaking publicly and there is one absolute basic that we all need to master when speaking and that is remembering to breathe. Simple of course, but when nerves get involved basics often go out of the window so I am writing this article to offer anyone who find their sentences tailing away a couple of techniques to help a nervous speaker find the space to breathe.

First, have a clear introduction, more than any other part of your presentation, super rehearsed. Knowing absolutely how you plan to start will really help your confidence levels, and increase the chances you will breathe at this point in the presentation.

Have a glass of water on stage. Use it as a prop, and dare yourself, again early on is good to get into the habit, to finish a sentence, and take a sip. Don’t say you are going to take a sip, don’t excuse yourself just do it and allow yourself to understand the audience will accept this. As you do this, you’ll be breathing.

When possible invite comments or questions during the session. Perfect timing to breathe as others talk. This is so easy to do when you know how… Pretty much any topic in many situations will allow you to ask the audience for their opinions first. Or you can invite your audience to discuss a question or a point of view you have given them, before taking their feedback. I do this often early in a presentation when I am sometimes particularly more energetic, and a “breather” is important.

Make use of natural breaks, whether for an exercise you are giving, or for comfort breaks, to get some air. It really helps. If you are a smoker you are probably used to dashing to the exit for your quick fix, but this is a great habit for speakers anyway. Go and get some air.

Our nerves kick in, and we often breathe not so well, in newer material, or those areas where greater discussion or audience disagreement is likely, so be kind to yourself and “wrap” these areas with material you know really well. And consider using a co speaker. Or decide to show a film.

Finally practice the pause. The pause is great because you don’t need more content, you just stop speaking. You allow yourself to calm. You help the audience to calm. You will transmit a really knowledgeable air of authority. Everything will just seem much easier. And during this time guess what? Yes! You are breathing. People usually worry about explaining every last pause. Trying to “keep the flow” of talking,but actually we appear so much more knowledgeable and informed when we allow the silence to speak for itself. Audiences have time to consider what you have said, they make more links on their own minds, and it helps with retention and comprehension too… Imagine stuffing a meal down, all seven courses with no pauses for anything – you would barely digest it would you? And that is how many speakers carry on. So pause and allow your audience to digest what you have been saying and you to breathe.

All the best… Keep bating because promise it’s better for your health than not!

Negotiating is one of those skills we all have and use every day. Some are better than others but we all engage in negotiations all the time. Negotiating is not limited to your day job but comes useful in every situation you want something of somebody and includes when you’re talking to your boss, co-workers, spouse and children.

When most people think of negotiation they think of it in business terms or dealing with a salesman, but in fact a negotiation can be as big as two hostile countries sitting down and talking or your child asking you if they can borrow the car.

Before you enter into any negotiation you need to be prepared and there are 3 areas in which you have to be prepared every time. They are:

Yourself – Knowing yourself and knowing what you want is the most important factor. It will take you some time and thinking to clearly define what you want out of life but once you do your confidence will be increased and your negotiation skills will improve. Preparing yourself also means knowing your strengths and weaknesses.

The other person – As soon as you find out who you will be negotiating with it is very important to research that person. This offers a couple of advantages that can save you a lot of time and make the negotiation go smoother e.g. by doing your research you will have found out what authority this person has and therefore you will not ask for impossible things the person can’t offer, also on the other hand you will know for sure if they are claiming they don’t have the authority.

Knowing a little about the other person also has some social benefits. You can build rapport from the start by showing you know a fact or two about the other person. In situations such as an interview this can work wonders because it shows you took the time out and did research.

The Industry – You need to know about the industry you are working in. Strive to constantly learn about what is going on in your industry so you stay updated. Whenever you are going to be negotiating in an unfamiliar industry make sure to do the research so you know the players and the issues.

There are few opportunities when you get to interact with your higher management other than meetings, hence you should make use of this and show your communication skills as well as prove your understanding of the business. The most effective tool you can use to communicate to people in the meeting is through presentations even if it is remote, as you have audio and video in this too.

Giving a remote presentation is not very different from the real one except for the fact that you are not physically facing the people you are talking to, however they can see your visual so give an effective speech using the following tips which also apply for real meetings.

• It is well known that people are more attentive when watching visuals so make sure that the presentation you have prepared contains a few pictures along with text to explain yourself.
• You obviously have knowledge about the subject matter that you will speak about but it is important to do a thorough research on it before the meeting so that you can deliver your speech with confidence and are ready to answer any questions thrown at you.
• Knowing a little bit more about the people you will be addressing will help you to interact with them and involve them thus keeping the attention level high and your presentation appreciated.
• Do not overdo with charts or graphs that people will not pay the slightest attention to. Share only those graphs or charts that you will refer to during the meeting.
• Speak within your limits. If you know that you have limited knowledge on a subject do not tread too deep into that topic.
• Planning is important in all spheres of life and so while preparing for the meeting make sure you are clear on how you will begin and end that is your presentation should have an introduction followed by the main context or subject matter, then a brief summary followed by a good closing.
• Check your system,devices and also whether you have all the files or data ready to share online before the meeting because time is precious and the reason you are doing a remote presentation is that all participants are busy and you cannot make them wait online while you search for some some lost file.