And no, it’s NOT by imagining your audience naked.
First of all, no one wants to see all that. I mean, we aren’t getting any younger and it’s typically not pretty!
Second, thinking of your audience as vulnerable and you as powerful is the exact opposite way to have a positive effect in a presentation.
The best way to go from nervous to calm and confident is with a single word… EMPATHY. What does your audience need? Here’s 3 quick ways to apply empathy, and simultaneously calm your nerves:
1 – Remember, your audience are people too
This is the hardest concept for many presenters to grasp. Why?
Because we’re all human beings focused on our own survival, and therefore our crazy brains typically want to focus on what WE have to say.
But just like caring for another person helps us to do sometimes superhuman things (have you seen this video of a brother running in front of a car to save his little sister? ?), the same thing can happen for you in front of a room.
Focus on the needs of your audience/client. Your brain will have much less room left for you to worry about whether you’re saying everything exactly right.
What are they concerned about? How can you help? Get excited about the opportunity to do that. Now, you’re talking about a conversation that is natural and easy to have rather than stressful.
2 – Keep it simple
You may have loads of info to share, and for good reason. PLEASE….Don’t do it.
That may seem harsh, but the truth is, your audience is human (remember that?), and the human brain’s ability to retain information and ideas is limited. In fact, after 3 important ideas, retention drops off dramatically.
If you want to give your audience the gift of actually remembering your message, limit your content to 3 big, impactful ideas that address THEIR issues!.
3 – Use stories that you’ve lived
Technical jargon and boring processes cause more conference table naps than nyquil.
They suck for the listener because… SNOOOOOZE.
They suck for the presenter because they’re hard to remember and easy to screw up.
What’s not hard to remember? Stories.
Think about someone sharing about when she stepped on a nail and her foot swelled up like a puffer fish and she had to go to the ER because she didn’t have a tetanus shot.
That’s SO much more powerful than simply saying “You should wear shoes in the driveway.”
Your daily work/life is filled with fascinating stories. Like the time you had an unexpected budget cut and had to get your project within budget. The way it made you feel, your reaction, and the specific actions you took to come up with a solution, what those creative solutions were.… That’s a great story.
And the very best part? It proves you know your stuff better than all the technical jargon in the world.
Stories are human. They are your own authentic experience. They build trust.
Stories are magical.
Have you tried any of these ideas, and noticed a difference in your nerves? I’d love to hear about it!
