3 Tips to Get Your Trainees Talking During Presentations

Presenting in front of a group is no easy task. Many people suffer from some degree of fear of public speaking. As a result, many people will avoid situations where they have to speak in front of others. Unfortunately, this can prevent people from reaching their full potential in their career. Fortunately, there are things you can do to become more confident talking in front of others. Whether you are looking to advance your professional career or you simply want to become a more confident speaker, here are some tips to help you overcome your fear of public speaking and improve your presentation skills. 

Visualize Success

When you’re afraid of something, you often overestimate the likelihood of bad things happening. What if you forget your speech or the audience doesn’t like you? What if you fall, or your technology stops working? When you focus on the negatives, you are only exacerbating your stress and anxiety. Instead of worrying about what might go wrong, focus on everything that can go right! Imagine yourself walking on the stage with confidence and delivering a powerful and dynamic presentation. Positive thoughts can help decrease your speaking anxiety and allow you to begin talking freely. 

Improv Exercises

You don’t begin piano lessons by asking the student to perform a song in front of an audience. Instead, you begin teaching them the basics. The same is true for presentation training. You do not need to begin by asking trainees to speak in front of the entire class. Rather, get them comfortable talking with one another through a variety of improv exercises. For example, trainees could practice by telling a partner or small group a little bit about themselves. They could also take turns giving directions on cooking their favorite food. Once they get comfortable talking in small groups, they can work up to speaking in front of the class. 

Encourage Personality

The best speakers are those who are authentic and genuine. Encourage trainees to let their personality shine through when speaking to others. Let those unique quirks or passion and energy be part of who they are as a presenter. If people feel confident with who they are, they will be more likely to speak freely in front of others. So, celebrate personality and encourage trainees to infuse that into their presentations. It will make everyone feel more relaxed and engaged.