Five Tips to Help You Shine While Presenting

Posted on 27. Apr, 2010 by Natalie in Entrepreneurs, Featured, Inspiration & Motivation, Marketing & Sales

This is a guest post by entrepreneur Janice Tomich who coaches presenters to shine in the spotlight. I recently spoke at the first ever Ignite BC event – think Ted Talks on speed. She kindly stepped up to provide me with some last minute tips that helped me to speak with much more confidence on the evening.

Do you think public speaking is scary and not for you? But deep down know that you need to increase your profile?

As an entrepreneur, speaking engagements are a sure fire way to increase your profile with your potential customers. Whether it is at local associations, pitching to clients, or as a keynote speaker; public speaking is the key to increasing your profile with your target niche and beyond.

When you own a business you wear many hats and need a variety of skills, yet that doesn’t mean you’re an expert in every area. These five strategies will help you look like you’re an expert speaker and present with confidence and style.

Take the leap. Get your face out there!

These Five Tips Will Showcase Confidence

Tip 1: Open Up

Yes, the need to protect ourselves goes back to our primal roots. We are all familiar with the fight or flight response. Part of the fighting response is protecting our vulnerable bellies by holding our arms close or crossing them at our chest.

Rather than looking weak and vulnerable, stand with hands and arms relaxed at your side in a neutral position.

When you have important points to stress use your hands and arms to demonstrate them. You’ll likely feel that you are being overly dramatic but from the audience perspective you will look passionate.

Tip 2: Stand firm

Don’t place your weight on one leg as this makes you look off balance (aka pushover) Stand with your weight balanced on both legs so you look (and feel) strong and confident. Hold your place and own it.
And, as your mother told you, shoulders back and head held high.

Tip 3: Walk with purpose

Don’t be that frantic person who paces back and forth across the stage. You are not an eccentric science professor. When making a point, walk with confidence towards an audience member.

Tip 4: Engage the Eyes

With each phrase, connect your eyes with one person from the audience until you feel the electricity of connection.

Feels over the top or a little too focused? Not at all – you’re creating one connection and then moving on to make another which leads to an engaged audience. Surprisingly, this puts your audience at ease which in turn makes you feel comfortable.

Tip 5: Don’t forget to breathe

It is easy to get trapped into shallow breathing, taking breaths from the top part of your chest. The result is in mid-sentence you find yourself out of air.

Powerful speech needs to be fully loaded with deep breathing know as breathing from the diaphragm.

Place your hand above your belly button and take deep breaths that make your hand move up and down. Your strong voice will emerge when you fuel it with a tank full of air.

A confident speaker stands strong, takes advantage of big arm gestures, moves with purpose, isn’t afraid to look audience members in the eye, and speaks so the back row can hear them. Take the leap and let the passion for your business be heard.

Janice Tomich is the principal of Calculated Presentations, a Vancouver based company that coaches presenters to shine in the spotlight. Her goal is to eradicate “Death by PowerPoint” by teaching presenters how to shake up and engage their audiences through evocative public speaking skills, strategic content, and wow factor supporting visuals. And yes, the thought of public speaking can be scary but with honed skills anyone can present like a pro.

Special Treat for Vancouverites

For those of you that don’t know Northern Voice, a Personal Blogging and Social Media Conference, is taking place at UBC, Vancouver on May 7th and 8th.

Janice has one ticket to give away for both days valued at $90. To be in to win just sign up for her newsletter at http://janicetomich.com and she’ll pick a winner on the 5th of May.

If you’re heading to Web 2.0 Expo in San Francisco next week then let me know via @womanzworld and we can meet up. I’m excited to say I won a scholarship to attend the full conference – lucky indeed.

• 2009 Was The Year To Shine #best09
• Coaching Tips To Become a Successful Entrepreneur

Tags: Death by Powerpoint, Janice Tomich - Calculated Presentations, Overcoming fear of Public Speaking, Presentation Tips for Entrepreneurs, WomanzWorld presents at IgniteBC