I don’t think I’m alone in saying that public speaking terrifies me. Sometimes it’s a good adrenaline pumping, exciting fear but usually it’s just a horrible dreadful feeling in the pit of the stomach fear.
What I find works best from turning that fear from dread into excitement is preparation. Presenter extraordinaire Jesse Dee reckons that a good one hour presentation will take you 30 hours of prep work and I completely agree.
I find too that presentation preparation is best spread over more than one day – at a minimum, two days prior is a must but it should really be at least a week. If you can, starting two weeks ahead is optimal. Not only does it give you time to research your subject and source your supporting graphics and create your slideshow, it gives your brain adequate time to think creatively and reflect.
Try to finish a draft a week or a few days before, to allow your brain to mull over it and practice! I know well the temptation to shove the presentation away where it can’t be seen so I don’t have to think about the stress of delivering it but a little bit of practice goes a long way (and also helps to pick up potential problems – like the presentation being way too long for its set time).
Check out Jesse Dee’s presentation on making great PowerPoint presentations:
