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Any nervous presenters? How do you overcome this?

I am an infrequent lurker on this board, but I have a work related question and thought you ladies would have some input. 

I am in a new position at my job for an insurance company, and it is a QA position that will involve giving some presentations.  I am a very shy person and just not that confident.  I think that even though I put myself together well, this is the impression that my management has of me, that I am meek and not a good speaker. They are right!

If you have overcome this problem, how did you do it? The only idea I have come up with is Toastmasters.  What else would you suggest?

Re: Any nervous presenters? How do you overcome this?

  • Honestly, it takes practice. I took a public speaking class in college and it really helped me get used to speaking in front of large groups. Now, it doesn't bother me at all.
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  • Practice! You can start small, like making a point to speak up and contribute to group meetings. Over time, you will become more confident!

    Also when I am nervous about a presentation I tend to go over it again and again until I basically know it by heart, particularly if the material isn't something I normally would breath in my sleep.

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  • Preparation is critical.  I always feel more comfortable if I know the subject matter really well. Imagine that you're just explaining the subject to one person.  Also, I try to predict the questions people might ask and plan the best response.  Do you have a trusted co-worker you could ask to serve as a test audience and give you some feedback?
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    If practice alone doesn't get you more comfortable giving presentations, or you want to improve your speaking style, I strongly recommend Toastmasters. 
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  • I am usually just a lurker, but wanted to weigh in.  I hate making presentations, too, but my job requires that I do it quite a bit.  I don't think anyone knows that I HATE public speaking and totally dread it, because I always get feedback about how well I do and how confident I seem.  The trick?  I write down everything I'm going to say in the entire presentation in a "conversational" tone so it doesn't sound rehearsed.  Then I basically memorize the entire presentation in the "conversational" tone and practice until its perfect.  Its very time-consuming, but in a position where you're expected to do presentations and do them well, its been invaluable. 

     

    Good luck!

  • Knowing the material like the back of your hand is really helpful.  I was a terribly nervous presenter for the first few times I presented on a specific topic, but when I realized- I'm the one who is the expert, and they are learning from me- it helped a lot.  I taught people of much higher rank than me, but by presenting the information in a clear an concise manner after quite a bit of practice- I felt confident in my abilities- and THAT is what made all the difference. Just having faith in myself and my knowledge of the subject matter.
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  • Thank you, everyone.  I will definitely try some of these suggestions.  Good tip. VA.
  • I dread presentations as well! I actually tend to do the opposite of VA. I don't like to go by a script because the majority of the time I get so anxious that I forget a line and instead of moving on I go into panic mode.

    I do my best to learn the information that I am giving in depth, then I give myself point form talking points to go off of. I know generally what I'm going to say without actually writing it all out word for word.

    I agree with the person that said to build your confidence gradually by forcing yourself to participate in other group conversations. You might find that your ideas are very much appreciated and that you bring a new perspective to the conversation.

    Who are the people you are presenting to? Do you know them at all? Is it a casual or formal presentation? 

  • Practice & preparation are the keys.  So is breathing. 

    Good speakers are made not born.

    Toastmasters is a wonderful idea.

    The best tip anybody ever gave me was if there's a problem act like that was supposed to happen.  Nobody but you will notice a mistake.  You can go back if you need to.  Just don't point it out by saying something like "oops I forgot".

    If you can't make eye contact look the the audience's foreheads.  From their perspective it will seem like you did make eye contact.

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