The fear of public speaking 😱(Glossophobia — add it to your word of the day), is one of the most common phobias.

It's a skill that may appear to come naturally to some, but requires a lot of practice 🫡to get it right and develop a personal speaking style.

Whether you're talking in front of a handful of people or a crowd of hundreds, there are numerous techniques and tricks you can adopt to become a more effective speaker.

This week we’re bringing out the big guns so that even outside of your usual creative medium, your creative excellence is apparent and translates ✨*seamlessly***✨.**

Get into it for 9 ways to put your best foot 🦶🏾forward during your next presentation!

1. Go Prepared 🤓🤓🤓

First and foremost, go prepared 📝.

You can expect to be a whole lot more confident and at ease when you've got a great understanding of what you're talking about.

Simply having done the work beforehand puts you in a great place 🙌🏿.

There’s less of a chance you’ll be babbling on stage or end up a nervous pile in the center of it, simply because you know what you’re talking about.

Those who do the work reap the merits🏆.

1. Practice As Much As You Can 🗣🗣

The cliché rings true: practice makes perfect 👌🏿.

This helps to ensure your arguments are coherent, and your pace matches the allocated time for the presentation.

Look at the best speakers you know. Their confidence exudes from the way they pace themselves; unrushed by nerves or what ifs.

Do you know how they achieved this?

Practice.

Practice.

And again, practice.

The only thing separating you from the greats is how much you 🫵🏿 show up for your craft.

That’s literally it.

1. Follow An Outline ✅✅✅

Sticking to an outline, no matter how simple it is, will ensure that you don’t come to a clumsy close, and you don’t have a rough opening.

You know what’s coming, and you know what should follow 👉🏿👇🏿👈🏿.

A sure sequence can also contribute to stilling your nerves, as it’s something you can be certain of and rely on 🫡.

Communicating the agenda with your audience can also help them to stay engaged with you and follow the course 🏃🏽‍♀️ your talk is taking them on.

In this way, everybody wins! 🎖

1. Arrive Early ⏰⏰⏰

Put simply, the early bird gets the worm 🪱.

You want to have every possible opportunity to get this right.

Coming in early gives you a chance to read the room, clear any grey areas you have with the host, and coordinate audio-visual (AV) support beforehand.

Often what goes wrong with a presentation has nothing to do with the presenter themselves 🧍🏿‍♀️🧍🏾‍♂️, but some kind of technical difficulty that wasn’t looked into or checked on beforehand.

Come in early, ensure everything is up to scratch so that all that is left is for you to WOW 🤩 your audience.

1. Work On Your Pauses ⏸

You’ve got the outline, you’ve absolutely smashed the creation of your topic, and you know everything you’re going to say.

But that’s not it ✋🏿.

Work. On. Your. Pauses.

Your nerves can get the best of you and make you rush through your presentation.

It's easier said than done, but remember to take your time, pace yourself, and take a deep breath 😮‍💨.

You’ve got this! 💪🏿💪🏿💪🏿

1. Engage The Audience 🤪🤪🤪

You’re on a stage, and they’re in the audience.

Honestly, although it may feel like you’re worlds apart — you’re not ❌.

A lot of the most fun and interesting presenters make a point of bringing their audience members into the actual presentation.

Why do all the hard work alone when you could have your lovely ☺️ audience pitch in every so often?

Forget the rules you were originally taught — Presentations don't always have to be one-sided🧍🏾‍♂️.

You are welcome to ask the audience what they think, and encourage them to ask questions. It helps them feel like a part of the conversation and it will help you to feel connected with them.

1. Drink Water 💦

With humans being over 70% water and you preparing to talk on a stage for a significant amount of time, drying out your mouth in the process, it’s probably a good idea to keep a large water bottle handy water 💧.

Getting cottonmouth 🤭 is very common when you're talking for a long time.

It always helps to have a bottle of water at arm’s length while presenting to keep you hydrated ✅.

1. Focus On Your Audience Not Yourself 👥

This is one of those tips that are easier said than done.

Imagining being on a stage you feel like you’re in the spotlight (—you probably are🤭), the whole world is waiting to criticise you and there are 101 things just waiting to go wrong.

Wrong!

Most audiences are more sympathetic than we expect 🤷🏿‍♀️.

If you start overthinking things, just know there's always someone rooting for you in the moment 👏🏿.

Everyone in that audience is every bit as human as you.

Get out of your head and simply enjoy the moments you have of holding everyone’s attention — right now, you’re the star ⭐️.

1. The Less Text On Your Slides, The Better 😶

An outline is useful — great even 🤩.

But overly detailed and wordy slides are an absolute distraction to both you and your audience.

You don't want your audience spending all their time reading the slides instead of listening to you 👂🏿.

And you certainly don’t want to be the kind of presenter whose eyes are timidly glued to the slides instead of confidently roaming the room, engaging with their crowd.

Remember to boil it down to the key 🔑  points —

you have everything you need to say and share in that wonderful big brain 🧠 of yours.

Part of being a creative is stepping outside of your comfort zone often**.**

Public speaking is one of those things that a lot of people shy away from, but honestly, those who master it make it work for them.

Don’t stop at what you’re good at, keep going until you have all the skills and can make every and any medium work for YOU 😉.

Imagine being a creative with public speaking in their bag 🎒too — it’s sounding a lot like an untouchable genius to us 👑👑👑…

For more hard-hitting tips and posts tailored specifically for our Creative Geniuses be sure to head over to the New Comma page on Instagram @new.comma 🫶🏿🫶🏾🫶🏽

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