If public speaking often makes you feel uneasy and nervous, you should know you are not alone. Or maybe, you’re quite comfortable with public speaking but are always looking to enhance your skills or receive some helpful, relevant feedback. Regardless of the case, we’ve pulled together some great tips and tricks to help you improve your public speaking, specifically at corporate events.
Know Your Topic
If you’ve been asked to give a presentation or speak in front of a large corporate audience, it’s typically because you have strong knowledge and expertise in a certain area of interest. Having a thorough understanding of the topic of concern is critical in delivering an effective presentation. You want to make sure you know the content inside and out, and that the way your presentation is catered to your audience. Preparing a slide deck or providing optional handouts are extremely useful for your audience as well! If it’s a more technical topic, providing collateral will help everyone understand and follow along, which will help relieve any nerves or stress you may be dealing with while presenting.
Be Prepared for Any Questions
It is very common to have a Q&A session after presentations, specifically at corporate events. If there isn’t one scheduled in the agenda, you should still definitely prepare, as we can almost guarantee that someone will ask you a question regardless. The best way to prepare for this scenario is to brainstorm potential questions that may be asked, or present to someone you feel comfortable in front of, who had little knowledge on the topic. It’s not a very good feeling to have a question thrown at you that you may not know the answer to, or that throws you off and you are left without an answer. By considering and practicing questions ahead of time, your confidence will skyrocket.
Practice Often
It’s very important to practice your presentation or speech before the event. They aren’t lying when they say practice makes perfect. The more familiar you get with the content, the more confident you will be. This will make the delivery of your presentation much more natural and should help with any stress or nerves you may be experiencing. It is also a good idea to practice your presentation in a distracting environment. This way, during your presentation, you will be able to tune out the small distractions whether doors opening and closing, glasses clinking, individuals on their phones, or otherwise.
If public speaking often makes you feel uneasy and nervous, you should know you are not alone. Or maybe, you’re quite comfortable with public speaking but are always looking to enhance your skills or receive some helpful, relevant feedback. Regardless of the case, we’ve pulled together some great tips and tricks to help you improve your public speaking, specifically at corporate events.
Know Your Topic
If you’ve been asked to give a presentation or speak in front of a large corporate audience, it’s typically because you have strong knowledge and expertise in a certain area of interest. Having a thorough understanding of the topic of concern is critical in delivering an effective presentation. You want to make sure you know the content inside and out, and that the way your presentation is catered to your audience. Preparing a slide deck or providing optional handouts are extremely useful for your audience as well! If it’s a more technical topic, providing collateral will help everyone understand and follow along, which will help relieve any nerves or stress you may be dealing with while presenting.
Be Prepared for Any Questions
It is very common to have a Q&A session after presentations, specifically at corporate events. If there isn’t one scheduled in the agenda, you should still definitely prepare, as we can almost guarantee that someone will ask you a question regardless. The best way to prepare for this scenario is to brainstorm potential questions that may be asked, or present to someone you feel comfortable in front of, who had little knowledge on the topic. It’s not a very good feeling to have a question thrown at you that you may not know the answer to, or that throws you off and you are left without an answer. By considering and practicing questions ahead of time, your confidence will skyrocket.
Practice Often
It’s very important to practice your presentation or speech before the event. They aren’t lying when they say practice makes perfect. The more familiar you get with the content, the more confident you will be. This will make the delivery of your presentation much more natural and should help with any stress or nerves you may be experiencing. It is also a good idea to practice your presentation in a distracting environment. This way, during your presentation, you will be able to tune out the small distractions whether doors opening and closing, glasses clinking, individuals on their phones, or otherwise.
We hope that these tips and tricks help you prepare for your next speech – remember to breathe and smile!
We hope that these tips and tricks help you prepare for your next speech – remember to breathe and smile!