Remember, the last presentation you delivered? Were you nervous? Be honest.

Mark Twain once said, “There are only two types of speakers in the world: the nervous and the liars.”

We all experience presentation anxiety. The real question is, how to reduce it.

Below are three methods you can use to reduce your anxiety:

Prepare Until Confidence Replaces Fear

Many engineers experience anxiety because they are unsure how their audience will react. Thorough preparation and repeated practice are the best antidote.

There is no more effective and time-efficient way to reduce anxiety than to practice your delivery. Brian Tracy said, “Practice doesn’t make perfect; it makes permanent.”

As you practice your delivery over and over, it becomes a permanent part of your memory. In practice, you will tend to deliver it the way you last rehearsed it.

Know your material beyond the slides. When you understand the “why” behind the data, you can speak naturally instead of trying to memorize every word. This cannot be overemphasized.

Earl Nightingale said, “Speak ideas, not words.” Know the subject thoroughly and speak in your normal conversational style. You will increase your credibility, engage your audience, and convey your material more completely.

Practice aloud multiple times before the presentation. Each rehearsal reduces uncertainty and increases confidence, making anxiety much easier to manage.

Use the following four-step practice method: (1) practice sitting down, (2) practice standing up, (3) practice in front of a mirror, and (4) practice in front of a practice audience.

The goal is to repeat this four-step practice many times so your actual presentation is the best it can be.

One way to reduce your presentation anxiety is to prepare until confidence replaces fear.

Another way to focus on helping your audience rather than performing.

Focus on Helping, Not Performing

Many presenters worry about being judged. Instead, shift your attention from yourself to the value you are providing to the audience.

Thinking about what your audience can use from what you are saying distracts you from anxiety. We also help ourselves when we help others.

Remember that the audience wants you to succeed. They are there to learn something useful, not to look for mistakes.

Your audience may or may not be paying money to see you speak. In every case, they are paying with their time. That time could be spent doing something else. Your job is to make their time with you valuable.

Think of yourself as a problem-solver rather than a performer. When your goal is to help others understand a concept or make a decision, nervousness often decreases significantly.

Always be yourself when you are presenting. You will be most credible when you deliver your presentation as you would in a one-on-one conversation.

Two ways to reduce your presentation anxiety are to prepare until confidence replaces fear and to help your audience rather than perform.

A third way is to use simple techniques to control physical systems.

Use Simple Techniques to Control Physical Systems

Presentation anxiety often creates physical symptoms such as a racing heart, shaky hands, or rapid speech. These reactions are normal and can be managed.

Before speaking, take several slow, deep breaths. Controlled breathing helps reduce stress and allows you to think more clearly.

Also, before you speak, take 5 to 10 seconds to observe the audience while you smile. Smiling is important. It is the first step in connecting with your audience.

Smiling also has an added benefit. When you smile, your audience members will also smile. They will want to hear what you have to say.

When presenting, pause frequently and speak slightly slower than feels natural. Pauses make you appear more confident while giving your mind time to organize your next thought.

Pauses are incredibly powerful. Anyone who doubts this should watch Martin Luther King’s “I Have a Dream” speech on 28 Aug 1963, delivered on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial. Search for it on YouTube.com.

Pauses cause the audience to consider more fully what you said before the pause. Sometimes, they need this short break to completely digest what you are saying.

Engineers can overcome presentation anxiety by preparing thoroughly, focusing on serving the audience, and using simple techniques to manage nervousness.

Presentation anxiety is not a sign of weakness; it is a normal response to being in front of an audience.

With consistent practice, confidence grows, and anxiety loses much of its power. Use that confidence to keep improving each time you present.

Call to Action

• Use the four-step practice method through a number of iterations: (1) practice sitting down, (2) practice standing up, (3) practice in front of a mirror, and (4) practice in front of a practice audience.

• Think of yourself as a problem-solver rather than a performer. When your goal is to help others understand a concept or make a decision, nervousness often decreases significantly.

• Before you speak, take 5 to 10 seconds to observe the audience while you smile. Smiling is important. It is the first step in connecting with your audience.

References

• Carnegie, Dale. How to Develop Self-Confidence and Influence People by Public Speaking. New York, NY: Simon & Schuster, Revised Edition, 1956.

• Gallo, Carmine. Talk Like TED: The 9 Public-Speaking Secrets of the World’s Top Minds. New York, NY: St. Martin’s Press, 2014.

• Lucas, Stephen E. The Art of Public Speaking (14th Edition). New York, NY: McGraw-Hill Education, 2023.

• Reynolds, Garr. Presentation Zen: Simple Ideas on Presentation Design and Delivery (3rd Edition). Berkeley, CA: New Riders Publishing, 2019.

• National Academy of Engineering. The Engineer of 2020: Visions of Engineering in the New Century. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press, 2004. National Academy of Engineering

Being a confident, engaging, and effective STEM speaker is a vital personal and professional asset. With more than 40 years of engineering experience and more than 30 years of award-winning public speaking experience, I can help you reduce your presentation preparatory time by 50%, overcome your fear of public speaking and be completely at ease, deliver your presentations effectively, develop your personal presence with your audience; and apply an innovative way to handle audience questions deftly.

Working closely with you, I provide a customized protocol employing the critical skills and tools you need to create, practice, and deliver excellent STEM speeches and presentations. Let’s connect and explore how I can help you become the exceptional speaker you were meant to be. Please reach out to me at [email protected] or 703-509-4424 for a complimentary consultation. Schedule a meeting with me at calendly.com/frankdibartolomeospeaks