Dear Yogesh,

I have been working in the IT industry for the last two and a half decades. Through presentations are a part of our regular work routine, I am still terrified of the same. I fumble for the right words during the presentation and I just rush through the presentation to get over with it. I even have a feeling that my audience is not much impressed with my presentation and may get aggressive with me. I get a feeling of running out of time and am apprehensive about not being able to answer any question posed by the audience.

I cannot say NO to anyone, and hence without beating around the bush, I tend to be more direct in communication. Because I feel I am high on energy, I get excited and anxious before a presentation. I am still comfortable if it’s a group presentation where I will just be a co-presenter. But if it has to be done all by myself, it gives me sleepless nights.

Can you please suggest what I can do to control my anxiety and nervousness?

Akaash

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Dear Akaash,

A nervous person usually remains nervous, as some people just cannot get comfortable with presentations. After years of experience working with Corporates, sometimes I still get butterflies in my stomach when I have to do a big presentation. It is called the Wave. It starts the day before and rides the nerves until the presentation is over. I hardly get any sleep the night before any big presentation.

The fear of the presentation will not kill you, but then the key is to “not to let it control you.” It is a fact that those who fear giving presentations feel that it should be easy because many people make it look easy. But it is not that easy for anyone and especially for people who care about being organized, coherent and useful. It indeed is a skill that is learned and honed over the period.

First, we need to remember all the right words and then prepare and rehearse. You need to speak out loud so that you are sure about the words coming out of your mouth with the right voice throw, intonation, and impact. You can take your own time to walk through the slides. You might have stored it in your mind, but it is not enough unless you speak out loud, as you would during the presentation. It is important to figure out the key points, and it would do well if you could take printouts of the slides and write the key points against each slide.

You need to anticipate the kind of questions that may be asked, depending on the previous patterns. You can prepare a FAQ type of list which will make things easier for you. If you are stuck on a question for which you don’t have an answer, don’t hesitate to compliment the person who asked that question and admit that you had not anticipated it and that you would research and get back through an email to all participants. You need not feel awkward for not knowing the answer to a particular question. After all, you are only human. Trying to beat around the bush and giving a sketchy answer is not a good option, as they would be able to see through it. It is better to be honest in such sticky situations and tell them that you will work on the solution and get back later on the issue.

You should also plan the timing so that you have enough time for a question and answer session, which can make the presentation more lively and interactive. Ideally, your presentation should take only 55% of the allotted time, leaving the rest for questions.

You also mentioned that you are generally high on energy, because of which you tend to rush through things. A better way to combat it would be to meditate or do yoga or any form of exercise before the presentation so that your energy is channeled properly and you feel calm. Whenever you are anxious about being anxious, it causes an excess release of adrenaline and cortisol. It can be disastrous, and hence you should be able to calm yourself down first.

In case you are so afraid of forgetting points, revise your notes 15 minutes before the presentation and remember to keep the hard copy with you. It’s ok to refer to notes while presenting. Also, before starting the presentation or entering the room (virtual nowadays), take some deep breaths, hold for 2 or 3 seconds, and release. You will be okay.

Let me know how it worked.

Best,

Yogesh

This blog is an adaptation of a blog written by Madeleine Homan Blanchard on March 27th, 2021 - https://resources.kenblanchard.com/blanchard-leaderchat/nervous-and-anxious-about-work-presentations-ask-madeleine.