10 tips to make it easier for you when you need to speak in front of a group

How to take control of the situation

1. Nervousness is perfectly normal. Practice and prepare.
Everyone experiences different forms of physiological reactions, such as a pounding heart and shaky hands. But do not associate these feelings with performing poorly or embarrassing yourself. Nerves are good, and we all feel them to varying degrees. The adrenaline rush that makes you sweat also makes you more alert and ready to give your absolute best.

A good way to overcome nervousness and performance anxiety is to prepare yourself. Take the time to review your notes. Once you feel comfortable with the material, practice until you feel at ease.

Tip! Try filming yourself or have a friend critique your performance. It’s an effective way to see what you can improve in your presentation.

2. Your presentation is about them, not you. Know your audience.
Before you start shaping your message, you need to know who the message is intended for. Learn as much as you can about your listeners. Often it’s about speaking to and inspiring the employees, so you probably know what you want to achieve and how you want them to feel. Knowing your audience well will significantly help you decide on your choice of words, level of information, and motivational statements.

3. Organize your presentation.
Create a framework for your speech. Write down the topic, what you want to convey, what your purpose is, and your main points to maintain a coherent thread. Then shape a presentation that quickly captures the audience's attention. Engaging the audience early increases the likelihood that their interest will be maintained throughout the presentation.

4. Decide what you want to say, then which visuals to use.
When creating your presentation, it’s important to also visualize the speech, not the other way around. First, determine what you want to say and then choose the visuals accordingly to clarify your message.

5. Capture attention at the beginning and have a dynamic conclusion.
Do you enjoy hearing a speech that starts with “Today I will talk to you about X”? Most people do not.

Engaging the audience early increases the likelihood that their interest will be maintained throughout the presentation.

Instead, use eye-catching statistics, an interesting anecdote, or a quote. Conclude your speech with a summary and a strong statement that your audience will remember.

6. Don't read verbatim unless necessary. Work from an outline.
Reading from a script affects your connection with the audience. By maintaining eye contact with those you are speaking to, you also keep focus on yourself and your message.

Use bullet points instead of memorizing a script. If you lose your place, it’s easy to forget everything, but remember that no one in the audience knows what you planned to say. Bullet points are sufficient to refresh your memory and keep you on track. Dare to improvise a little!

7. Pay attention to feedback and adapt to it.
Keep focused on the audience! With an overly rehearsed and stiff presentation without adjusting to the audience, you will surely lose their attention or confuse even the most devoted listeners.

Dare to use pauses to engage the audience, meet their gazes, note their reactions, and adapt accordingly.

8. Let your personality shine through. Be yourself.
Relax and dare to be yourself! You will create better credibility and gain more attention if your personality shines through. They will trust what you have to say if they can see you as a real person.

9. Use humor, tell stories, and use effective language.
Include a funny anecdote in your presentation and you will surely capture your audience's attention. A personal touch in a speech or lecture is generally appreciated. A story can provide just that!

10. Use your arms and hands effectively.
If you know that you tend to have shaky hands, you should avoid holding things like a piece of paper. It will quickly shake like a leaf as your nervousness increases. Therefore, try to use your hands well while speaking.

Non-verbal communication carries most of what you want to convey. Arms and hands are important aspects of body language when we speak and help us clarify or emphasize what we have to say. Use it effectively. Our communication can be simplified using arms and hands. It can be as basic as pausing and clearly pointing to something you want to highlight. Also, try to utilize the entire stage and move around to create dynamics in your presentation!