Public Speaking ranks high in the Top-5 of what people are most afraid of. And, yes, it can be frightening, standing in front of room filled with strangers who seem to see straight through you, naked, vulnerable and all alone.
There are plenty of Trainings and Courses available to improve on your Presentation skills. It’s kind of an individual thing which courses suit you best but with some trial and error you will something that works great for you. And even then, you should have this rush when walking up front, I prefer to call it “excited” as opposed to “nervous”. It’s about the same physical sensation. If that is not there when you go on stage, your presentation will probably end up being a flatliner, no impact. The most important prerequisite of course is, that you want to be there on stage. Second to that, be prepared like really, be grounded in your story.
Most of the Trainings and Courses on Presentation Skills lack the following concept/idea that I picked up during my years of Training with Landmark Education: Having at least one “committed listener” in the room makes a huge difference for you, the presenter. Somebody who listens for you, an anchor, somebody who takes everything that comes out of your mouth for gold. In larger rooms you preferably have multiple “committed listeners” spread out in the room, sitting amongst the audience, your customers. They should nod, smile, acknowledge and appreciate your story (no matter how many times they heard it) and confirm that back to you and to their neighbors, your customers. You should even appoint one of those somebodies as your “room captain“, one who knows your timeline (and the breaks!), one who can manage questions coming from your audience, one who knows your story, just so that you can focus 100% on your story.
When you are presenting, it is very likely that you have at least one of your colleagues present, or maybe another presenter at the same event. Don’t be shy and make them the request they fulfill that role for you. To put it a bit sharper: do not allow “your people” to sit in the back of the room doing other stuff. If they don’t make the effort to really listen for you, what is the effect on the rest of the audience, your customers?
Yes, it is a scary thing getting up on stage, I invite you to try this out a couple of times, I am sure it will make a huge difference.
HAPPY PRESENTING!!!