LH AGENDA > public speaking

public speaking

It is hard to believe that I was once so shy and introverted that many friends were surprised when I chose to work in the business world as an accountant after graduating from university. They wondered how my sensitive, introverted nature would cope with corporate life.

Indeed, the most difficult aspect of corporate work for me was speaking in public. Mostly, I cleverly managed to avoid having to do it – though of course I didn’t avoid the fear, worry and anxiety surrounding it.

Then I moved to a more senior role in the charity sector as an accountant in the head office of the Red Cross South Asia regional delegation. Although one might imagine ‘charity work’ as less pressurised, this certainly wasn’t the case for me as part of my remit was presenting the financial situation of each project in the region at six-monthly meetings!

These meetings, in most beautiful parts of South Asia, used to ruin my life. Not only would I worry about them well in advance, hoping for success, I would berate myself for weeks afterwards for ‘failing’ yet again. All this turmoil while knowing that very soon I would have to go through it all again.

Then, there was the one time that I gave a better presentation. I had no idea how it happened; it just seemed to be lucky chance, and I never managed to replicate. Now, many years later, as a voice and communications expert, I can see that I had happened to alight on some of the strategies I now recommend to my clients who are seeking to improve their public-speaking skills. I would love to share them here so that you, too, can learn to give a successful presentation.

1. Let go of perfection

So what was different about this regular six-monthly meeting? I had been chatting and laughing with colleagues during a break when my boss asked me if I would give my presentation immediately following break rather than later in the day as planned. Without thinking, I said yes, of course – and within seconds the familiar sensations of panic came.

I had not prepared all my visual material, so with shaking hand, I quickly wrote some notes on a flip chart in the few minutes before everyone reassembled.

My boss introduced me and thanked me for agreeing to speak early, with no notice, even though I hadn’t completed my preparations. This somehow gave me a freedom and released me from my perceived obligation to be perfect.

Now, I can see that the need to be perfect locks us up. If we have decided we need to ‘get it right’, part of our mind is constantly monitoring our performance, checking in to see how perfect or how ‘right’ we are. When we let go of perfection, all of that energy that was spent checking up on us is available for the presentation.

2. Don’t lose you

Often when we give a talk, we get ‘lost’ in the audience. Sometimes, just looking at and seeing all those faces is enough to disorientate us.

What I came to realise more recently is that when I was to give a presentation, I would be really focussed on it for an hour or two beforehand, even while others were presenting. I would be wondering what everyone would say, to my face and behind my back, when I gave another ‘bad’ presentation and all the while hoping I could somehow avoid it!

But not this time. Rather than anxiously ruminating, I had been laughing and joking with everyone at the break and I still had that energy with me when I went to speak. I was somehow still connected to the authentic me, and hadn’t had time to invent the ‘me’ who gives important presentations.

To help stay or reconnect with yourself, plant your feet firmly on the ground, maybe a little bit wider apart than you would normally and breathe deeply into your abdomen. This has the effect of making sure you are really present and grounded and keeps you with your own experience.

At the same time as this, I would recommend expanding outwards so that you are aware of what is going on beyond the room you are in. This allows you to be present, without getting overwhelmed by all the people in the audience.

3. Be playful, be you

As I said, I had just been talking at the break, laughing and joking with the national and the international staff and I brought this somewhat playful energy into the presentation.

I’m not suggesting that you start making jokes, particularly if your subject is serious. It is more about avoiding the tendency to adopt a different persona when we give public talks, which can make us sound a bit like a textbook or our mother or even our father!

Nowadays, I suggest asking a simple question, “Who am I being?” when you find yourself suddenly sounding like your mother or your schoolteacher! This question ‘brings you back to you’. Of course, you are good at being you, so your presentation is likely to be successful.

4. Stay connected with the audience

I was able to keep my connection with the audience from the break and into my presentation. A lot of people in the audience were really supporting me. I could feel them ‘rooting’ for me when I started and almost celebrating with me as I spoke so much better than usual.

Often when people give talks, they choose one of two ways of being, neither of which is particularly effective. When people are nervous, they tend to not be very present with their audience – understandably, as they would rather be anywhere else other than up front! This lack of presence makes it hard for the audience to engage with what the speaker is saying and sometimes even hard to hear the speaker.

The other approach that many people choose is to ‘push’ what they want to say at their audience. This tends to be tiring for the presenter and it often leads to resistance and even ‘tuning out’ in the audience.

What I now recommend is different from what most people do and that is to ‘pull energy’. You can do this by imagining a thread from behind your audience, through your audience, through you to behind you. Doing this keeps your audience engaged and makes it easy for you to connect with them.

Don’t worry if this sounds a bit strange or mysterious. It is something that many great performers do naturally and is something that you can learn.

I hope that these strategies that I stumbled on accidentally are useful to you in creating the success you desire and deserve with public speaking and with your career.

Fiona Cutts is a communications coach, linguist and facilitator for Right Voice for You, a special program by Access Consciousness. During her career as an accountant and auditor, Fiona struggled with an intense fear of public speaking and presentation delivery. As a Right Voice for You facilitator, she draws upon that experience to help others liberate themselves from fear and judgment, and unleash their confident and authentic voice. You can learn more at www.fionacutts.com.

As some of the world’s most prominent female leaders gathered for KPMG’s annual Women’s Leadership Summit, on June 28^th, it was clear that after decades of campaigning for equality, women are at last ‘seen’ in the upper echelons of business and politics. But, how well they are being heard?

In a world where lower pitched male voices are still seen as conveying more power, women may well be fighting a losing battle when it comes to seeking vocal equality because the average female speaking pitch is 20% higher than the male. Dr Kayes, a prominent voice coach, explains that this is due to physiological factors such as size of larynx and length and thickness of vocal folds, which differ between the genders in adulthood.

And according to research, she goes on to explain, political leaders with lower voices tend to be perceived as more dominant and attractive.

This equation of: lower pitch = perceived testosterone = power, may be highly frustrating, from a gender equality perspective, but according to Dr Kayes, there is plenty that women can do to make good use of their own innate pitch range for influencing others when in roles of leadership.

To see this in action, she takes a look at these videos of the leadership summit’s three keynote speakers, and analyses how they use their own pitch range effectively: Condoleezza Rice (former US Secretary of State), Lynne Doughtie (Chairman and CEO of KPMG) and Ginni Rometty (Chairman and CEO of IBM).

The first similarity you notice between these three powerful women is the musical pitch of their voices. When you listen to the pitch of someone’s voice you are listening for two main things – the resting pitch range (the ‘notes’ where their speaking voice mostly sits) and the larger pitch range (the range of notes used for expressive purposes or calls to attention). It is that combination which leaves us with an impression of that particular voice and, therefore, that person.

When you speak, you use different pitches or notes in your speaking range. In voice research studies, this element is called ‘frequency range’ (frequency in this instance meaning the number of vibrations per second that your vocal folds make, which is roughly equivalent to pitch.) Using acoustic analysis, means, upper and lower frequency ranges can be measured.

Everyone has a small set of notes that they speak on regularly, and a larger set of notes that they may use for emphasis (both higher and lower than their regular speaking range). Sometimes these are defined by our voice type or the size of our vocal folds, and sometimes this is dictated by our environment, cultural background and so on.

Both Doughtie and Rometty have very low speaking pitches – both use the notes between low D and G (below middle C on the piano). Rice has a higher speaking pitch (from the G below middle C to the D above) but Rice’s bottom note, is towards the lower end of female speaking pitch averages.

Returning to the aforementioned equation of lower pitch = perceived testosterone = power, Doughtie, Rometty and Rice all speak on a relatively low pitch, but each of them also uses a wide pitch range. This is a particularly useful strategy for women. Using a wide pitch range not only helps to keep listeners interested, allowing them to engage with you, it also avoids the pitfall of ‘higher is louder’, an acoustic fact of the voice in which pitch and volume co-vary. So if the overall pitch is higher, using volume for emphasis might cause people to hear the speaker as shrill and hysterical.

The wide pitch range is most noticeable in Doughtie’s video for Business Insider UK. As we listen to her description of the difference between a mentor and a sponsor, her voice jumps well over an octave up to the F above middle C. That large jump in pitch alerts the listener to the fact that “a sponsor” is exciting and worth having. In that one minute interview Doughtie covers almost two octaves in her speaking voice. This is a flexible voice which demonstrates that she is involved in what she is sharing, eliciting a sense of empathy from the listener.

There’s no such thing as a ‘bad’ pitch range–it is all about context. For example, Hillary Clinton was criticised during the 2016 presidential election campaign for being ‘shrill’, and falling into the trap of shouting out her message instead of letting the microphone do the work for her.

Listening to some of Ms Clinton’s speeches during the 2016 election campaign, including the Detroit Speech referred to above and her Victory Speech in Iowa, you can hear that whatever her resting pitch range she tends to use volume for emphasis, rather than pitch variation. And–worryingly in both these examples–you can hear an underlying ‘rasp’ that indicates she may well have been pushing her voice to create volume.

Ms Clinton would have benefitted from some advice on hydration and regular vocal warm-ups to keep her voice fit for delivering speeches day after day. Varying her pitch range would have enabled her to take the pressure off her voice and maintain vocal stamina throughout the campaign.

But it’s not just about pitch. In studies investigating vocal charisma in leading public figures, people in positions of leadership were noted to vary their voices within a single speech, in order to appeal to a wide range of listeners: different ages, genders and cultural backgrounds. Researcher Rosario Signorello of UCLA also found that the same politicians might use different pitch ranges for different situations.

So how do we adopt these learnings into day-to-day life? Dr Kayes shares her expert insight.

Addressing large groups

Aim to set an inspirational tone: use a wide pitch range and vary it often for emphasis and interest. You can easily find your personal ‘resting pitch-range’ by reading a few sentences from your planned speech aloud and then reading it again but with your lips closed. It’s an excellent way to hear your own pitch. Putting a hand over one ear will also help you hear your pitch range internally. Now read the sentences again, in exactly the same way but this time exaggerating the up and down movements of your pitch. Now read aloud in a normal voice but still using the exaggerated pitch range. Record yourself–how did you sound? Where would you like your pitch to go up and where would you like it to go down? Soon you will become more comfortable with using your voice in this expressive way and it will feel more natural to you.

The business meeting

In an important meeting with colleagues you won’t want to sound too excitable, so use a smaller pitch range and a generally lower speaking pitch. To access that lower pitch, say “uh-huh” in as natural a way as possible. Closing the lips always helps to increase our internal awareness of pitch, so now make the sound “mm-mm”. Making the same sound do a small nose-dive in pitch downwards is if slightly sceptical. Slightly is the key-word here. If you want to access some higher pitches, make a slightly surprised “mm-mm”. Then practise using these more moderate pitch changes in some key sentences such as “well, that works for me” or “I think we’ll need to discuss this further”.

The informal interview (radio or TV)

In the informal interview it’s important that use your normal comfortable pitch range, so that you sound spontaneous and natural. Change of pitch can also alert your listener to the most important point you want to make. Refer to Doughtie’s textbook example above.

If you are feeling a bit nervous about the interview make some low-pitched buzzing sounds on a ZZ or VV to get your breathing centred. Aim to let go of your belly when you need to breathe in and to gently pull your belly inwards when you make the ZZ or VV.

Remember that the female voice has its own powers of persuasion! Learning to use it properly will ensure we are both seen AND heard.

Dr Gillyanne Kayes is a Voice Coach for ITV’s The Voice and CEO of Vocal Process. She has worked with some of the world’s leading actors, singers and West End artists, helping them to get the best out of their performance. The ‘1 Minute Voice WarmUp’ app, a collaboration between Dr Kayes, voice guru Jeremy Fisher and app developer www.speechtools.co, is now available to download on IOS and Android.

Public speaking is the number one skill that’s guaranteed to position you head and shoulders above the competition, so why do so many people avoid it?

Gerald R. Ford said, “If I went back to college again, I’d concentrate on two areas: learning to write and learning to speak before an audience. Nothing in life is more important than the ability to communicate effectively.”

It’s the top skill that will place you miles ahead of your competition, yet it’s frequently overlooked as an essential marketing skill. My own take on having the ability to speak well in public is that it’s probably the single most powerful thing you can learn to do that gives you the ammunition to say “If I can do that, I can do anything”. Once you can confidently stand up in public and give a great presentation, you’ll never fear anything again.

If you’ve ever marvelled at the abilities of a great presenter, the clever use of words to draw pictures, the confidence and charisma that exudes from the platform and the awe in which they are held, you’ll agree with the above statements.

So why is it that when it comes to attending training courses, presentation skills aren’t always the first port of call? Could it be to do with that oft-quoted (and probably misquoted) statistic that speaking in public is feared more than death? Let’s not go into an examination of how ridiculous that would be if it were true. After all, how many of you would really swap places with the guy in the coffin if you were asked to speak at a funeral?

There’s no doubt that public presenting or pitching can get the palms sweating. But given the benefits you’ll get when you can do it well, you can’t afford to let this stop you. Let’s examine what these barriers really are, so you can lay your fears to rest and get this most important of abilities added to your list of “things you MUST perfect,” shall we?

First, examine why you’re nervous. There’s always a reason for nerves. Examine what the reasons are so you can deal with the cause and go a long way toward eliminating the symptom. Note that I say “go a long way toward eliminating,” the chances are that you’ll always feel some nervousness but nerves are your friends because they keep your senses sharp and prove that you want to do well.

Even seasoned performers suffer from stage fright. Some had it so bad they could barely perform! Fortunately, the thought is usually worse than the task. Once you get started, you’ll often find your nervousness will disappear. I liken it to knowing that you’re about to tackle a drive round London’s Hyde Park Corner or Paris’s Arc de Triomphe in rush hour. Thinking about it really freaks you out but when you’re in the middle of it, you’re too busy concentrating on not hitting anyone and it’s only afterwards you get to think “Wow, I made it in one piece, and you know what? It wasn’t as bad as I’d expected.” It’s true that the thought is usually worse than the activity.

Some of the most common reasons I’ve found for people suffering from nerves are these:
– Worry about forgetting what you’re going to say
– Worry that the audience will think you’re a fraud
– Worry about saying the wrong thing and offending somebody
– Worry that someone will ask a question to which you don’t know the answer
– Worry that you’ll get a dry mouth or get tongue tied
– Worry that you’ll finish too soon or run long

Some of the less common ones I’ve heard were “I’m worried in case there’s a fire alarm halfway through my talk” and “I’m worried that the hem on my trousers will unravel in front of everyone during my talk” and “I might fall off the stage.”

I could dismiss all these are “silly” or “invalid” and tell you that none of them will ever happen, but the fact is that they often will. (Yes, even the trouser hem thing’s happened to me, and I watched someone tumble off the stage just last week!). Looking down the list, you can see that there’s a lot you can do to avoid these situations occurring: being well prepared, stating your qualifications in your introduction, knowing your subject matter inside and out, timing yourself several times during rehearsals, and so on (sorry, I don’t have a magic wand to disable fire bells during speeches).

But so what if any of them still come to pass? What’s the worst that can happen? Well, it’s not life or death, you know. You have to learn to keep your fears in perspective. And remember, the audience wants you to be good because nobody enjoys sitting through a bad presentation.

Do what you can to be prepared and don’t let fear of speaking stop you from gaining that most revered of all skills, the one that will impact every area of your personal and business life. Give yourself the very best opportunity of succeeding and you’ll find the rewards are massive.

Maria Davies is a top sales presenter & success coach who works exclusively with women. Her presentation skills training will show you how to increase the audience share for your product or service by as much as 91%.

Good presentation skills require organisation and confidence. If these two essential items are not ticked off, then it’s time you looked at developing presentation skills. This type of personal development work will really assist you to develop first more confidence, which is the key. Then, by you getting organised, well presented and ultimately building self-esteem, those dream jobs will appear and your ambitions will be realised!

Being well presented in the workplace – in a presentation, in a meeting, during a discussion with a colleague or client is essential. If your career matters to you – develop your presentation skills!

A presenter or staff member is given an added advantage over someone who is less than polished in public speaking (i.e. someone who actually avoids it like the plague), when he or she can get up and deliver a well-constructed, confident presentation in front of a group of colleagues.

Superiors notice the confident approach, which translates into other parts of their role. Staff who are highly skilled in their area of expertise, but hate public speaking, will still be appreciated, but they may just get more kudos and more accolades if they can articulate their approaches and knowledge in a more confident manner.

“Being well presented in the workplace – in a presentation, in a meeting, during a discussion with a colleague or client is essential. If your career matters to you – develop your presentation skills!”

Presentation and public speaking skills are “learnt” skills – by working on these skills, the quiet and shy person can learn to present with confidence and evidentially “Find their voice”.

Where do Presentation Skills have an impact in the Workplace?

Presentation skills will help in the following workplace or professional circumstances:

At interviews, as the interviewer or interviewee
At meetings, face to face or in a conference call
At networking functions, meeting new people or getting to know ones you already know.
Speaking to colleagues and staff
Delivering a presentation to clients detailing a technical topic or selling a product
Presenting at conferences
Speaking at large internal meetings
Speaking at Chamber of Commerce or Rotary promoting your business
Speaking with suppliers
Speaking with clients
Presenting training
Attending training

And so on …

Presentations are Part of the Job

Yes, it’s true. Professionals are expected to give presentations as part of their job. But surely with their education, whether at university or other colleges, delivering a presentation is straightforward? Well, no!

A Gallup poll found that 40% of the population have a fear of speaking in public. It doesn’t matter how big or small the group, there are some people who struggle to give presentations. Does this have an impact on their work? Potentially, yes.

So what are the areas that are important in the workplace, with respect to presentation skills?

“Presentation skills and public speaking are a “learnt” skill – by working on these skills, the quiet and shy person can learn to present with confidence and evidentially “Find their voice””

1. Know Your Audience

Understand what the audience wants to get out of the presentation. You need to be mindful of the people in the meeting or in the conference room. This is so your presentation will meet and exceed the audience’s expectations, and so your audience gets what they came for.

2. Plan your Presentation

Planning the structure of your presentation – and knowing what structure works for your audience – is very important. For your audience to absorb your information, it needs to be delivered in an easy-to-follow format.

3. Make it Interesting

Attention spans are not long, no matter how advanced the audience is. Make sure you’ve included some really interesting points, and vary the type of interest points, as this will help to keep the attention of the meeting.

“A Gallup Poll found that 40% of the population have a fear of speaking in public … Does this have an impact on their work? Potentially, yes”

4. Dress the Part

Your appearance in the workplace matters. Not only are you meant to be a thought leader in your chosen presentation topic, you are also in competition with others wanting to advance. If you are not well presented, with respect to clothes, hair, shoes, paperwork, etc., people will notice and it will have an impact.

5. Show you Care

Your enthusiasm for the topic is essential. If you seem disinterested in the topic you are talking about, your audience will pick up on this.

6. Be Organised

Your audience will appreciate you being organised for a meeting or a presentation. If there are little changes or hiccups, your audience will understand. If you are unorganised and you appear to have not put in an effort, the attendees will not sympathise, and they will get annoyed.

“Make sure you’ve included some really interesting points … this will help to keep the attention of the meeting”

7. Discuss the “Elephant in the Room”

If there is an issue, if something isn’t working, you are experiencing a problem, then make a mention of whatever it is and then move on. If we hold back from discussing something important (which may not have an impact on the meeting topic), then get this discussion done, and then move on. If you don’t, the attendees will be thinking about that rather than the actual topic at hand.

8. Get a Grip on your Nerves

Handling nervousness and building confidence is important – you will struggle to get your message across if you struggle here. Being mindful of how you present at work will really help with your interactions with colleagues and clients. This will ultimately impact on whether you get that important raise, or that desired new job.

Featured Photo Credit: citirecruitment via Compfight cc

Adrienne McLean
Adrienne McLean is the Founder of The Speakers Practice, which offers Presentation Skills training program for business people, individuals, teenagers and groups. Adrienne is an Internationally Accredited SpeakersTrainingCamp Instructor and is a Distinguished Toastmaster. Adrienne has studied marketing with Michael Port the author of the Top Business and Marketing book – BookYourselfSolid.

Adrienne, with her experience of growing up in a family business, working in the corporate and small business sector plus building her own business, gives an enthusiastic and practical approach to the benefits of presentation skills development, learning to promote yourself and building a successful business. She is a regular presenter, blogger and a contributing author in four recent business publications.

Follow her via Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter and Google+

Have you ever been delivering a presentation and noticed your audience losing interest or their body language showing they don’t get it? Maybe you have just felt that what you were delivering was not something you believed in or just did not sound right to your own ears.

Now imagine delivering a presentation where your audience is fully engaged and you feel great, as you know you have delivered a truly captivating presentation. We have all seen someone deliver a presentation like this and we wonder what is their secret.

The first thing to understand is that there is only one secret to delivering a great presentation and that is to believe in yourself and be yourself.

Ok, sounds simple enough but how do you create enough confidence in your own skills and abilities to present with total assurance? Start with reminding yourself that you are in charge of your own presentation destiny. You decide:

• What you will say
• What tools you will use
• How it will be delivered

You are also always in charge of your mindset, so take a moment before you begin your presentation to engage in some positive self talk.

I suggest selecting 3 things you want to be during your presentation and make it your personal mantra, such as Calm, Clear, Confident. Then pause, take a breath, and only start when you are ready.Your story is what makes you interesting. So be true to yourself and others will be drawn to you

Now for the important preparation, so what are 5 great tips to increase your authenticity and impact?

1. Your slides are NOT your notes. That means less is more on your slide. In fact use more pictures and short bullet points that highlight what you are saying. That way you are in control of your slides not them of you. There is nothing that tells the audience you’re unsure more than having a slide packed with information that you have to read. You lead and the slides follow.

2. Ask yourself if you really need slides? No matter what tool you’re using, begin with asking if slides are necessary and if they are use them …… sparingly. People are engaged by other people not the props, so if you have a good story to tell maybe you don’t even need a slide pack.

3. Don’t use language that is not in your everyday conversations, certainly don’t use buzzwords. Simpler is better in the world of presentations. When people talk in ways that they don’t normally they often trip up or show us they lack confidence. People who use big words to impress just do the opposite.

4. Prepare for the presentation sweet spot. That means you will need to practice, just don’t over practice. The risk of knowing your presentation too much is that if you make the smallest deviation or error from the script you may just crumble! Just practice enough that you understand and know what you have to say, but not too much that it sounds contrived. Ensure to leave room in your presentation for you to make spot changes or make a quick change. Be prepared, yet stay flexible and you will find the sweet spot.

5. Be yourself and tell your stories. People are always interested in the person and most importantly great presenters are confident with who they are and that is what makes them engaging. If you think of great orators they all deliver in a different way, often with a personal touch and a personal story. So you can too. Your delivery style is your style. Your story is what makes you interesting. So be true to yourself and others will be drawn to you.

So next time someone is referring to a great presentation they went to, maybe just maybe they will be talking about the one you delivered. You will be that someone who made an impact and delivered an authentic presentation. And if you deliver with these tips in mind maybe you will be saying that about yourself too.

photo credit: jdlasica via photopin cc

Sarah Derry
Sarah is the principle of People Reaching Potential, an organisation which focuses on creating opportunities for organisations and individuals to reach their “full potential”. She has worked extensively in the hospitality and tourism industry and has developed expertise in coaching, learning and development, keynote speaking and recruiting the best. Prior to founding People Reaching Potential, she was the Regional Director of Human Resources for a large multi – national company. For more information on Sarah, please see www.peoplereachingpotential.com.au

They say the nation comes to a stand still for the Melbourne Cup. Millions of people around the world watch the race on TV, listen on the radio or for a lucky few, are able to dress up and attend the event. Before the race, the nerves of the horse owners, trainers and jockeys must be on a knife edge. We mere mortals, who bet on the outcome have dry mouths and hold our breath until the very end – hoping against hope that it’s our day to celebrate.

For some of us, it’s not a dissimilar experience to public speaking. Just before you go out in front of the crowd, your nerves are on a knife edge, you have a dry mouth, you want a great outcome and you’re probably holding your breath! Confidence is often a little lacking.

Well, here’s five tips to help make public speaking easier for you:

#1 Know your topic

I know this sounds like Public Speaking 101 and it should be. Knowing your topic back to front gives you an inner satisfaction that no matter what happens or whatever is question is asked, you’ve got it covered

#2 Practice, Practice, Practice

Ah, Public Speaking 101a do I hear you say? Well, you would be right. But have you noticed that when you practice, you often sound flat and uninspiring. You put it down to the fact you are practicing and all will be fine at the time. Here’s a tip I read somewhere and I found it extraordinarily helpful. Buy books like In Our Time – The speeches that shaped the modern world and Speeches that changed the world. Pick a speech you know and read it out loud, then read it again with more passion and then do it again. Choose another – get the idea? It teaches you rhythm and passion.

#3 Speak in stories

We’re wired to learn by stories, it’s happened since we were children. Whatever points you feel are particularly important – weave a story around it.

#4 Less is more

When we’re passionate about something we want to tell people every little detail about it. Like anything stylish – less is more.

#5 And the final tip – Breathe

Nerves are natural but to manage the pounding heart and dry mouth, remember to keep breathing.

Pop your content around these 5 points and smile throughout, your confidence will soar and when you hit the finish line, you’ll feel like a winner.

Good luck but I don’t think you’ll need it!

Glenise Anderson

Glenise is the Chief Confidence Chick at Self Confident Women, a personal development company helping women around the world create a better life. She is also the Director of SR Group Pty Ltd, a training and development consultancy assisting corporate companies.

Best Sellers

By Category

Career

Business

Lifestyle+Mindset

Resources