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3 Tips to Appear More Confident When Giving A Business Presentation

BY Rebecca | 27 April, 2016 | no comments

The number of people who feel nervous speaking in front of large groups or giving any kind of presentation would astound you. But for those working in professional business, giving presentation is just the nature of the beast. Because of this, it could be worth your while to ponder what you can improve upon to be better at giving your next business presentation. So to help with the most common things people should focus on, here are three tips that will help you appear more confident for future business presentations.

Don’t Be Afraid To Move Around

One outward manifestation of being nervous to speak in front of people is stiffness. When someone looks stiff while talking to a group of people, it soon becomes obvious to the audience that you’re uncomfortable addressing them. To alleviate this, MyCareertopia.com suggests for speakers or presenters to move around and make large motions with their arms and hands to convey more confidence in what they’re speaking about. These large motions will help to make you look more enthusiastic while simultaneously adding emphasis where needed.

Practice Eliminating Filler Words

For those who have ever spoken to a group of people and felt nervous, you likely know how easy it can be to get lost in filler words. According to Dana Bristol-Smith, a contributor to BusinessKnowHow.com, filler words are the small words you say that have no real meaning and therefore don’t add anything to your conversation or presentation. While there is a long list of words that could qualify as filler words, each person has their own set of words that they use when they’re nervous or thinking of what to say next.

To minimize the amount of filler words you use when presenting, have someone listen to your speech and count the amount of filler words you use. Then, try to practice your presentation again without using so many filler words. The hope with this technique is that you’ll eventually stop using filler words altogether.

Take Your Time

The last thing that can be a dead giveaway that you’re nervous and lacking confidence while giving a presentation is talking too fast. This could be due to wanting to just get the experience over with, especially if you have a fear of talking in front of people. To combat this, ABC News recommends for presenters and speakers to try hard to stay on task and slow down to calm your jitters. By taking your time sharing your ideas with your audience, you will both look and feel more confident.

If you’ve always struggled with finding your confidence when speaking in front of people, try the tips mentioned above to help you fake it til you make it.

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