yoza

Ive been on a team leader/management course for two weeks, Friday coming being the last day.

Ive done OK up to now, and think Ive learnt alot, I haven't struggled much with anything up until today. Today being 'Presentation/public speaking'. We were asked on Monday to give a 5 minute talk on a hobby/interest, or about yourself, where you live, etc. Easy enough I thought, but I wasnt looking forward to it, as I dont like public speaking. There are eight people in the group plus the lecturer and Ive got to know them all, so it wasnt as though I was speaking to strangers.

Anyway I prepared a speach on wristwatches ( What! you guessed. )
I set out my speach on a piece of paper using brief points and pictures to jog my memory, I also used slides in the OHP, and drew a few simple diagrams on a flip chart to show different watch movements. I also gave a handout to the group of a Rolex Submariner to show an example of a sweeping movement.

It went SH1TE.

As soon as I started talking I found my voice was trembling, and I couldn't do nothing to stop it. I was talking too fast, and was reading from my notes word for word like a feckin robot. I was stood infront of the projected pictures obstructing the groups view, and found myself talking to the flipchart rather than the audience.

Anyway I struggled through but felt like a ****.

After the presentation each group member gave a honest report on how you did. Everyone enjoyed the actual content but the presentation was cr4p, the overall reason for this was nerves and reading 'verbatin' ( is that the right word ? ) it was mentioned alot.

To the point......Ive got another presentation on Friday on a subject I am not passionate about (work related). There will be Managers there from each department who I dont know, and some who are my superiors. I dont want to make a **** out of myself. What should I do.

I see my main problem being my voice trembling, how do you fix that ?

Not turning up, isnt an option.

Cheer Yoza.

fitzscoob

its a confidence issue, best thing to do if possible, is to practice your speech in front of a group of people you know. Other than that, you will have to force yourself to not be nervous - not an easy task. Good luck, try not to put too much pressure on yourself, this will not help.

astraboy

I used to be dogsh1t at this too. It helps if you speak to the back wall of the room rather than the people in the room. Helps you project your voice too as you are talking to the wall you keep your head up.
Hope the next one goes better
astraboy.

RichWalk

drink usually works...........

I've regretably had to do loads of these presentations, some over a hour long, I always used cards with brief bullet points on them (slide plus no.) inserted where applicable. Concentrate on speaking clearly and at a level pace, try if poss to be interested in the topic (ie dont just stand their thinking this will be over soon!)
Maintain casual eye contact with all populated areas of the room (you can use this to slow your speach down if you practice) try to introduce some light but associated humour if poss, this will ease your nerves as well.

if you are really lacking in confidence, practice to some guys on the course for a few mins before hand, it is not an easy thing to do, however the more you speak publicly the easier it gets.

Good Luck.

bigsinky

few deep breaths, slow yourself down, and most importantly preparation. know your stuff. i train IT for a living and talking to a class for the first time can be quite daunting. it is something you get used to with practice. most people who have do this sort of thing on an adhoc basis with no formal training are much like yourself. trembly voice, reading notes from a page, no eye contact with class, body language all wrong. dont worry mate you WILL get better with practice. talking about something that have a genuine interest in goes along way. during my first training exam we had to give a 30 minute presentation on anything we liked. now i am into astronomy so i did a session on "we are all made of stars". used the moby song at the start as an ice breaker then launched in.

honest criticism can be hard to take but as long as it is constructive it will only make you better. did anyone mention "fillers", those little phases that you say all the time like "ok" "y'know" "hmmmm" etc etc. get someone to count your fillers and you will be surprised how many time you try to fill silences.

Try and get onto a certificate in training practice. that course will give you a great foundation in speaking infront of crowds of people.

cheers

sinky

drumsterphil

iTrader: (1)

I train people how to use a various pieces of software so have to talk infront groups ranging from 2 - 50. There is no substitute for practice and knowing your subject. I always used to get butterflies the night before a training session but I've done so many now that I hardly think about it at all (not necessarily a good thing).

All I would say is just relax as much as possible and try and enjoy being the center of attention. If you can make your audience relax by making (for example) a few light-hearted comments then all the better, though steer clear of innuendo etc unless you know them very well.

Good luck
Phil

yoza

Thanks, keep em coming.

Bear in mind todays talk was the practice for Fridays delivery.

Today was infront of people I know, at my level, talking about something I have a passion for.

Friday... talking about a work related item, Im not totally confident with, and talking to strangers and superiors.



I like the 'drink' advice upto now.....

Hammy Hamster

It's a confidence thing, as already said.

Be passionate about your subject and believe that everyone you are talking to are equally as interested in the subject matter as you are.

Your posts on here are always a joy to read and I'm sure you can project that same style of delivery verbally.

Aside from the obvious preparation of your material, most of all, enjoy it and assume that your audience are enjoying it too.

Good luck. Break a leg!



.

Tiggs

im sure many will disagree but i think this is either a can or you cant. you may be able to teach people over time but i have found that rubbish speakers are always rubbish. i present to large groups (50+) for my job and always found it easy.

sorry.....you're buggered!

cant all have the same skills though- that would be borring!

douglasb

I had to do a presentation to 80 people last week (all of us work for the same company. There were several people from most major countries and some senior International Head Office types as well).

What I did was to prepare the presentation in PowerPoint, then print out PowerPoint Notes pages with my own bullet points on them. I then ran through this several times on my own until I had pretty much memorised the important points and worked out how to get from one bullet point to the next. I timed myself on each run-through as they were going to be strict about a half hour cutoff (so 25 minutes to talk, 5 minutes for questions).

Lunchtime before the presentation, a quick scan through the presentation again. I made some notes on an A4 sheet with some of the slide numbers and points that must be raised on that slide (I didn't require these notes for all the slides).

During the presentation I found that I could explain the points on the slide. When I reached the last point on the slide, a quick glance down to the A4 sheet to check that I hadn't forgotten the important points and I could then mention that point if needed before going on to the next slide.

I got away with it . Things that helped were plenty of time to prepare the presentation, so I could research the important facts and figures. This meant that I was confident of my facts and nobody could hit me with a question like "You mentioned 22,000 retailers. I thought it was only 10,000?".

So, Prepare, Practice, Know your facts.

Good Luck.

Doug

HankScorpio

I used to do training on scientific instruments and I found that practicing the actual speaking part made a big difference, even if it's in an empty room or to the dog/cat. Just saying things out loud was much better than reading/writing notes without actually saying things. You feel like a plonker the first time but just getting the words from your brain to your mouth makes a difference, well, it did for me anyway.
Sounds weird but it get's you used to hearing your own voice too.
Good luck.

Jerome

I think Tiggs is right, some people will never make good public speakers or presenters.

However, it sounds to me like your problem is simply nerves.

The main thing I would do is study the material that you are presenting on, as much as possible, so you know your subject better.

Another extremley useful method is to rehearse, preferably to an audience who can give you constructive feedback (at the end). Give the whole presenation from start to finish numerous times. It's amazing how many potential problems you iron out that way.

For your notes, just have single words/phrases or short sentences to serve as a reminder for the next thing you will talk about. Avoiding having copious notes will hopefully avoid you reading them out verbatim.

Eye contact is also very important. Try and be constantly looking round your audience making eye contact briefly with as many people as possible. Avoid staring at one audience member throughout (unless you want their phone number afterwards ).

As if you haven't got enough to worry about, try and raise and lower your voice to avoid being monotone. Also try and avoid lots of erm's - one of my main problems.

Brit_in_Japan

Yoza, good advice above.

- Preparation is key, with a short presentation you should be able to write out and memorize everything you want to say.
- only a 5 minute talk, so keep the number of slides to no more than say 5 or 6.
- I would say do not write out notes on cards, you won't need them simply use the overheads as the prompts.
- Spend the first 20 seconds by telling them what you are going to tell them. Then give them the meat of it. Then spend the last 20 seconds with a prepared roundup/conclusion.
- Practise it until you know it in your sleep. Keep a record of how long the presentation takes. Add or remove info to make sure you don't underrun or overrun
- Pace yourself, don't be afraid to take your time.
- Make eye contact with people and smile, don't be too cheesy though You will be surprised how at ease others can make you feel by a smile back or a small nod of the head.

- Remember that you know more about the topic (wristwatches) than anyone else in the room. They are putty in your hands !

Good luck.

yoza

Right, Ive read all the replies and I have taken it all on board, thanks.

I dont agree with Tiggs were he says, if your a bad public speaker then thats it your buggered. Good public speakers are not born good public speakers, they learn their trade.

Anyway Ive prepared my bullet points and slide show, now Im going to practice, its only 5 mins FFS.

As the other half has just said, 'Whats the worst that can happen ? If you crash and burn will anyone die ?'

Now where's the cat.........

douglasb

Yoza - As a matter of interest, how many slides are you planning on using? The advice I was given before last week's presentation was to work on each slide taking two minutes. For a 5 minute slide, maybe a title slide, 3 "content" slides, then a "Goodbye and Thank you" slide should be plenty.

Doug

Pete The Biker

I agree with douglasb (and the others too!)

I hate the thought of giving presentations, but I comfort myself with the thoughts:-
a) most other people do too
b) they are glad that you are talking, not them
c) i have done my preparation, so i know my subject better than them
d) bollocks to them

I am not usually a talkative person, but on my pet subject I usually run out of time!


Good luck!!

Pete The Biker

J4CKO

iTrader: (1)

Yoza, try and get a couple of gags in early on, I am not saying do a standup routine but a couple of pithy one liners or a good watch anecdote will help get them on your side and put you at ease, as an awkward 13 year old I had to do a presentation in front of the whole school and all of the teachers, spent ages on it and made a few knowing jokes at the expense of some teachers and canvassed my uncle who is a teacher for some gags that teachers would find funny, it worked, I got a lot of kudos off the other kids and some of the teachers noticably warmed to me.


Dont go overboard or tell blue jokes, also practice them on someone else.

Do a search on Google for 'watch jokes', might not be relevant but I find most jokes are easily adaptable for the intended audience.

Audi-Boy

Yoza, even though your a scouser, I fully sympathise.

All the above is good advise but if you cant get past the mentle block of it, you will be at square one each time.

I DONT DO public speaking, not for the queen, not for anyone. (had a bad expirience like yourself )

Im not sure mate but GOOD LUCK!

You only know if that will happen when you get to the front, everyone stairs at you and your guts drop out, thats when you know and Ive no idea how you will be able to fix it.

YES it is.

EDIT to say, I did one and got into it and It was fully worth while and I enjoyed it, once I'd found my place and warmed up but if you start off on a bad foot, eg stammering (shouldnt laugh cos Ive done it, but its quite funny when you look back) it will put **** thoughts in your mind and the worst case is you will gain no confidence. The only way to get good at it is do it all the time then the fear will subside, but is the ridicule worth the mastering of public speaking? I think not.

AB.

22BUK

Best tip I ever had was to imagine the entire audience is sitting in their underwear. Really calmed me down!

Spoon

Wear your flip flops and they will be loving it, loving it, loving it.

mj

Yoza - are you any good at dancing at wedding receptions in front of strangers?, do you like it or hate it?, or is it a neccessary evil?

You seem to say what you think on SN, the presentation *should* be no different,after all, most of us are strangers in real life - internet or not.

You won't fluff it, be , I've never met a scouser yet that didn't like the sound of his own voice

BexTait

Just practice is all I can say. My job is to take people on guided tours, so I'm talking to groups of between 2 and 40 odd that I've never met before. I was ****ting myself before the first one I did alone, but the more I do it the easier it has become. Having said that, the one I was the most nervous on was the one with several family members on as well as members of the public! Also remember than you know more about what you are talking about than they do (in most cases), so you already have an advantage.
Bex

mart360

at last we've found Yoza,s achilles heel.....

must remeber next time we have a concern!!!!!

get yoza into the meeting to present your side of things!!!!!

blimey yoza i'm surprised.... internals are usually easy.....

its the one's with your business manager one side / directors the other, and

the oem at the other end of the table....

I dont relish them either, with the old butterflies starting, but as soon as its

my turn to speak, I switch on the supplier speak and roll


dont worry i made a 5 min presentation to a large uk automotive manufacturers MD and then at the crucial moment.. opened the box (literally) and watched it fall over.....

he and i saw the funny side....

you,ll be fine.....



Mart

mattstant

They're all talking bollocks THE best way (if your partial) is a gentle puff on a ahem "herbal cigarette" .

Seriously though this did wonders for me as i have a natural tendency to talk in a fast and slightly garbled manner even when I'm not under stress !! when i did my bride groom speech everyone was genuinely surprised they understood it just a quick puff mind so you get that initial hit only.

yoza

Ive practised the speel for half an hour. Im happier with subject matter and my dry runs have been between 6-7 mins. But I cant do it without reffering to my notes. I do look up every now and again when Im on a roll. But Im still nervous and its just me and the cat.

I now need to knock up 2 or 3 slides for the OHP, and practise maybe 1 or 2 diagrams to enhance what Im saying on the flip chart, and Im away.

The cat is bored sh1tless, and I was rudely interupted by Bartez being sent off.

Just one more question, what are you supposed to do with your hands ?

Ive tried putting them behind my back, looks all wrong.

Ive clasped them in front of me, but then I look like a doorman.

If I leave them by my side, I look like a gorrilla.

If I hold a pen or marker I will fiddle with it, and talk at it.

Chopping them off is not an option.

Cheers Yoza

mart360

as you talk forget about your hands,,,

if your doing ohp,s use your hands to emphasize specific points...

oh and dont give any material out before or during the presentatrion,

it encourages questions!!!!

just state as you start,,, handouts at the end, and if you have any q,s we will have a q& a session at the end....

stops smartarses jumping in...


mart

drumsterphil

iTrader: (1)

I'm generally animated with my hands as it's a sign that I'm passionate about the presentation - just stay clear on T.Bliar hand movements.

The bottom line is be yourself - don't try to be someone you're not.

Buzzer

Yoz

Dont think about your hands and on no account hold a piece of flimsy paper coz everyone will see the paper shake and you will notice them noticing your shaking hands which will make you more nervous and make your hands shake more

Better to rest the paper on your ironing board spoiler (knew it would come in handy one day)



Good luck mate, be yourself, you know it makes sense

David Lock

You do get better as you mature. I hated public speaking at first but for whatever reason I am now much more relaxed now that I am (much ) older. I think this was mostly the realisation that they weren't all cleverer than me. One trick I learnt was to imagine you are just talking to one person. I bet you could easily manage that and the fact that there may be 50 people doesn't mean there is 50 x more knowledge about the subject - it's still 50 individuals. It is important to smile as they will naturally empathise with you and you need to do this with what seems an exaggeration and do speak slowly and, again, this will seem forced to you. Lots of practice but this should include actually saying the words out loud so you are comfortable with them. Notes - that's a personal choice. I jot down some key things not to miss and glance at them from time to time. All the best. DL

Jolly Green Monster

iTrader: (4)

The other thing you can look into which is nerves..

you are more likely to mess it up if you are worrying about it..

I always find working out what the worst thing that can happen if you **** it up is.. then you know what the worst outcome is and can stop worry about what might happen.. worst case being they think "No point getting you to present stuff to customers" that is probably what you want.. unless you are a saleswoman and sell things to a company and have to talk about what you are selling to a crowded room you are not going to HAVE to do it again... even make a joke of it.. "I do appologise for my nervousness and I admit I don't feel comfortable talking to a large group, but you trhink I am bad now you should have heard me before this course.."

Relax.. the worrying does nothing but make it worse so why worry?

Easy to say and difficult to do but I seriously find it so much easier if I work out the worst case in a situation, otherwise you start worrying what that might be during the presentation and you are not thinking straight and blow it out of the water.

JGM