Feel The Fear And Say It Anyway

Many of us will experience standing up and speaking in front of a crowd at one point in our lives. Whether that be an idea pitch at work, educational presentation for school or even a karaoke night at your favourite bar. Whichever one it is, you will likely fear it at first.

We at Peak are starting to give health talks on various subjects to help spread our purpose further afield. Of course, this means one of us has to deliver it. Lucky for us we’re all team players, so we all get to tackle this fear together! Fun!

Having recently done my first talk with a degree of success, i’d like to share a few bits of advice that could help a first timer like they helped me.

Sort your speaking voice out.

There’s no point speaking to a room full of people if half of them can’t understand what you’re saying. Speak slightly slower than usual and make sure to project your voice so those in the back can hear it too.

Know the room.

Make sure you know the type of people you are speaking to. Different types of people will look to take different things from your talks/presentations, and will often take more if they are engaged correctly. Try to predict what they’re there for and tweek the material accordingly.

Don’t fear silenceSilence can be very daunting when you’re the one that’s supposed to fill it. Pausing can feel like it lasts an especially long time when in reality you’re likely only silent for a few seconds if any. Intended or not, use the silence to make sure you’re on track and to gather your thoughts. The audience really won’t mind.

Practice practice practice!

I know this one is obvious but it really is important when standing up and giving a talk/presentation. Having confidence in your knowledge allows all of the above to happen a lot easier and you will command a lot more attention.

Failure to prepare is preparing to fail.