Helpful strategies

 

 

 

Source material, preparation and using notes

 

- prepare brief bullet-point notes, on cards, with one card per topic

- keep bullet points brief: mainly keywords or phrases as a reminder or prompt

- add information to amplify bullet points on the spot

- become familiar with notes and additional information, ahead of presentation

- look mostly at audience, glancing at notes for prompt

 

Using Powerpoint

- use bullet-point notes, with one card per powerpoint slide

- differentiate between what you say and what is on the slide, so that they're not identical

- keep written info on slides brief eg max five short lines rather than full sentences - these are better spoken

- look at slide as each new one comes up, look at slide when drawing audience attention to something only covered there eg a picture, graphic or table, otherwise don't spend too much time looking at screen

 

Body, breathing etc

 

Daily exercises help to promote calm, eliminate neck tension, chest tightness, back pain, stress and headaches, promote helpful breathing patterns etc:

 

- slow abdominal breathing : practice daily

- watch out for habit of holding breath in when tense: let breathe continue in a relaxed way

- Pilates or yoga class can be enormously helpful for this, eg weekly

- shoulder rotation exercises

- regular self-massage of shoulders and neck

- abdominal breathing and tension release exercises can also be used when feeling anxious

 

Cultivating positive thought patterns re presentation:

 

- audience generally wants you to succeed

- audience is generally unaware of what you're feeling internally eg nervousness

- focus your attention on audience rather than on own internal sensations

- think of nervous energy as potential excitement rather than debilitating nerves

- evaluate 'what could go wrong' more realistically - then put attention back on audience

 

Delivery

 - leave short gaps between points or between segments

- cultivate using meaningful pauses instead of ‘ums’