Mastering The Art Of Confident Public Speaking

Picture this. You're standing before a captivated audience and you're delivering your message with so much conviction that it resonates with everyone in the room. They're smiling, they're nodding their heads. They're fully focused on you and what you've got to share.

As professionals, entrepreneurs, executives, leaders, and speakers, our ability to communicate with passion, power, persuasion, and precision is the cornerstone of our success.

I've spent most of my career as a performer, so I know a thing or two about stage fright, about nerves, and how they can affect your ability to perform. And, just because I've spent most of my life on the stage, it doesn't mean that I don't get nervous anymore, but I've been trained as a performer. That means, I've learned methods to control the fear and even turn it into positive energy.

I firmly believe that nervousness belongs to going out in front of an audience. Some people might disagree with that, but here's the catch.

There are good nerves and there are bad nerves. Good nerves are more like the butterflies that you get in your stomach. It's a kind of nervous excitement.

The bad nerves are the ones that prevent you from functioning. They block your throat. They're going to stop your thoughts from being clear. They're going to stop that natural body function. Things are going to go haywire and they're going to prevent you from showing up as your best version of yourself.

I want you to think of it this way, you're going on a first date, you're on your way to meet this new person who hopefully you're attracted to because that's why you're going on the date in the first place. You've got butterflies in your stomach. You might even feel a bit sick. That's a nervous excitement.

It's a good feeling. You're not dreading the date. I hope not. But you're looking forward to it. It's kind of, a happy, nervous state. So why is that then any different from the nervousness that you feel when you're going out in front of an audience? Well, let's talk about these different nervous states and I want to give you some positive techniques that can help you to combat this nervousness head on.

The anxiety that creeps in when you face a crowd, is known as stage fright in the performing world. I get it. And as I said, I've been there and I've learned that even the most seasoned speakers with all the experience still get it, but you know what? You can learn how to control it, minimize it, and turn it into something positive.

Now I'm sure you know this, but a lot has to do with the way you think it's your mindset in your subconscious. You're probably afraid of being judged or having something go horribly wrong or generally making a fool of yourself, losing your credibility. Now imagine this as a shift in your narrative.

Instead of fretting over the thought of being judged, focus on the unique value that you're offering your audience. Your message is a gift and when you share it, you're enriching other people's lives. You're enhancing their knowledge. You're giving them an experience. Now I know some of you are going to be thinking, but that doesn't apply to my business presentation when I'm sharing, let's say my monthly review, but that's where you're wrong.

Your presentation has a purpose. There are people in the room who don't have your knowledge on the topic, your team, or your stats. They want to hear what you have to share. They're not there to judge you. They're eager to hear your knowledge, to get your opinion, to get your ideas. But when you fear these presentations, You don't, and you won't present the information in the best light.

It won't come across. And that's when the eyes will be on you and you will be judged. So here's what you need to do. You need to go from a state of fear to a state of purpose. So let me give you some actionable strategies that will help you to turn those nerves into fuel for your success. So here's the pointers.

1. Preparation is KEY

The first one, preparation. If you're not prepared, you're obviously going to be nervous because you don't know your content. Even if you think you've got all the knowledge, when you're thrown a curveball, you're going to crumble. The ultimate armor against anxiety is preparation. I'm spelling it out for you.

                                  P-R-E-P-A-R-A-T-I-O-N

2. Practice Makes Permanent

Now the second step, to preparation and it comes hand in hand is to practice, practice, practice. And the performing world, we call it a rehearsal. And I'm sure you already know that. When you know your material inside and out, you're ready to conquer any stage. Now I have these discussions with my mentees all the time.

You should never skip out on this step if you expect to go above and beyond being an average presenter.

3. Visualization

Now the next step is positive imagery, and visualization. Our minds are powerful tools before stepping out on that stage or into that moment of presentation. Take a moment to visualize captivating your audience.

Create a movie in your own mind. Picture the audience fully engaged. And focused on you and your content, they're nodding their heads. You're delivering with unwavering confidence. It's like setting the stage for success before you actually hit the stage. Speak to yourself in positive language, and use positive affirmations.

I'm a great speaker.

I can do this.

I've got knowledge.

These people want to hear.

I'm enough.

I'm looking forward to sharing.

Setting your mind in a positive state is setting you up for success. If you focus on all the things that might go wrong, then they most likely will go wrong because you've put yourself in that negative state.

4. Controlled Breathing

The next strategy is controlled breathing and relaxation techniques. I can't emphasize enough the power of breath. You need to master effective diaphragmatic breathing techniques that will support everything from your nerves to your voice, to keeping your thoughts clear, to even delivering your message with impact.

The magic of a deep breath. Before you go out to speak, practice controlled breathing.

You inhale the calmness and you exhale all of that anxiety. You inhale and you exhale. Trust me, this really does work. It's going to keep you calm. It's going to keep you focused and get you ready to deliver a killer presentation.

5. Connect With Your Audience

Strategy number five in my toolbox, connect with your audience. You're not an actor. You're not on stage to deliver a monologue.

You're engaging with your audience in a dialogue. I'm not saying that your audience needs to speak back to you during your presentation. If you ask a rhetorical question, you're not necessarily expecting them to answer, but if you want them to have the feeling that you're having a conversation with each and every one of them in that room personally, then you need to speak in a conversational tone and engage them in the conversation.

Picture them as supporters. They're eager to learn from you.

6. Embrace imperfection.

Perfection isn't your goal, and it shouldn't be your goal. It's okay if you fumble, if you stumble, if you have a pause or if you say a few ums and ahs. I remember countless performances where I made mistakes as a singer, pianist, songwriter.

I hit the wrong key on the piano or I forgot a line in the song. Now, in hindsight, when I think about it and reflect on this, these mishaps usually happened when I took my focus away from the moment and I started to worry that I might make a mistake. And that's when the mistakes happened. Usually the audience never even noticed.

It's only when you show that you've made a mistake and you make a big deal out of it that everybody notices. And even if they do notice, then all you need to do is brush it off and keep going. That's the sign of a true professional. Those moments that are unscripted, make you human and they create a real genuine connection with your audience.

Trust me, audiences love vulnerability more than you would ever believe and understand. So think of it as the real you shining through that spotlight.

Take Time To Reflect

My last strategy is to take time afterwards to reflect. When the curtain goes down, when you leave that stage and you've got some time to think back, reflect on your performance, on your presentation, on your delivery, celebrate the stuff that you did really well.

You should always give yourself a pat on the back and reinforce the positives, but then also take some notes on the things that you can improve on so that you continue to learn and continue to grow.

Every step, every misstep. It's all part of your story.