This past week my public relations program at Mohawk has provided me with both the most challenging and rewarding post-grad experiences so far. Not only was the week packed with more assignments and tests than any other, but some of those assignments included anxiety inducing presentations... and I survived! I want to share with you my experience, how I learned from it, and a few dos and don'ts to keep in mind when it comes to presenting and public speaking.
Let me take you back to November 11, 2014- The day we were assigned our Integrated Marketing Communications Plan project. I remember it well because I was excited as Tim read out the assignment to us. We finally had the opportunity to put most of what we had learned over the semester together in a real plan for a real (or completely made up) product. The product ideas were racing through my mind... until I heard Tim casually mention that these reports were to be presented INDIVIDUALLY to our class.
Cue panic.
I need to pick the coolest product to share with my class- I need to dress up- Can't drink coffee prior or I'll shake- Can't eat before or I'll be nauseous ~ Just a snippet of my the anxious thoughts being shouted by my brain prior to presentation day.
This is when I stopped and thought to myself- Self: you are in Public Relations. Communicating is what you are trained to do and to be an effective communicator you need to get over this fear. So I took to the Internet to find ways of getting over the fear of public speaking and found this helpful video.
This video informed me that I'm one of millions that fear public speaking and presenting. This gave me the idea to blog about and share my experience, as well as some dos and don'ts I've discovered when it comes to presenting. Some of them I looked up, some I made up. None of them took away my anxious thoughts but they DID calm the shouts to whispers. I am positive that reviewing them before future presentations and public speaking will give me the much needed confidence booster I need to stand up and communicate.
Do:
- Over-prepare: I found that in my state of anxiety I would rather come across as an expert on a topic than leave out any crucial information. Over-preparing made me confident that I knew my presentation topic inside and out and allowed me a good understanding of my product so that I could answer unexpected questions.
- Volunteer yourself: Not knowing when I was going to be presenting was stressful for me. Our professor Tim said that we would begin presentations on a volunteer basis- but when volunteers ran out he was going to start choosing himself. I made a deal with myself that the first time Tim had to ask twice for a volunteer, my hand needed to involuntarily rise. This was the best decision because while I stood in front of my class I knew that I had chosen to be there and wasn't selected against my will.
- Practise your speech: They say practising makes perfect, I say practising builds confidence. Practising what you have to say eliminates the awkwardness that comes with reading a passage for the first time. It also gives you a chance to make sure your message makes sense.
- Use aids: Even Tim encouraged us to bring a copy of our IMC plan up with us while we presented. Though you don't want to read your entire presentation off a piece of paper, I speak from experience when I tell you that nerves make you forget, and having cue cards or a written plan in front of you saves your presentation in these moments.
- Take Deep Breaths: I know this sounds like a load of bologna, but I promise it works! Taking breaths before speaking slows your heart rate and will make your voice sound clearer. Remember to breathe during the presentation as well. It will continue to keep you calm and will slow your rate of speech, which is a good thing because most people tend to talk quickly in front of an audience.
- Congratulate yourself: It never hurts to give yourself a pat on the back for a job well-done. The psychologist in me also feels that if you congratulate yourself and think positively about your performance after presenting you will feel less nervous about it in the future. Remembering that I successfully made it through two presentations last week gives me the confidence in myself that I need to make it through the two I have next week!
Don't
- Leave presentation preparation to the last minute: I feel this statement should be about public relations in general. I have learned over the semester that doing things when they are first assigned is the best way to make sure they are completed on time and done well. When it comes to presentations, you definitely want to prepare your speech and practice it well before your presentation date so that you have time to tweak it if you find problems or need to shorten or lengthen it.
- Practice alone: Some people suggest reading your presentation alone to a mirror to practice having an "audience"... I say your reflection is not an audience. While I would recommend reading your presentation over alone before sharing to look for mistakes, I also suggest practicing in front of real people because that's who your real-life audience will be.
- Lose sleep over it: This don't is two-fold. You don't want to lose sleep over a presentation because being tired makes unfortunate events more likely. You could be late for class, forget something important or not look your best, all over something that really isn't such a big deal. Also (the psychologist in me speaking again) sleep consolidates memories meaning that if you hoped to memorize your presentation, getting sufficient shut-eye can help with that!
- Be too harsh on yourself: Whether its your first time in front of a crowd or your 10th, don't be overly hard on yourself after your performance. It is okay to be critical in identifying where improvements can be made for next time, but don't beat yourself up over a mispronounced word or a slight stutter. You are human and mistakes are okay! As long as the overall message was not distorted small mistakes do not make you a bad communicator.
- Forget to smile: I should have just made this post about how psychology related to PR and public speaking... but in all seriousness, there is psychological evidence suggesting that smiling can actually make you feel happier. Even if it doesn't make you feel happy about speaking to a group, it will at least make you appear happy and confident to your audience!
So there you have it folks. These are the tips I will continue to reference when I am faced with the daunting task of public speaking. And lets face it- I am training to be a professional communicator, so this will be a frequent requirement for me. With added experience I hope we can all take our views of public speaking from the "no way" attitude to delivering an inspiring message.
Yours Truly,
Danielle
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