Research shows that public speaking is the most commonly shared top fear by about ahead of the curve (if you do suffer from fear of public speaking, be sure to check out my article on how to overcome and conquer your fear of public speaking here). (*add link to blog 1).

Public speaking is one of the most powerful ways to create a meaningful impact on large groups of people that inspire change and action. Those who take the stage with confidence are admired and often viewed as leaders. In fact, all the greatest leaders throughout history have shared the skill of public speaking that wins over audiences to facilitate change.

Despite the awe-inspiring nature of public speaking, most people are terrified by the mere thought of delivering a presentation.

For those of you brave enough to take the stage, this article will show you how to avoid the most common presentation mistake and how to use the best, little-known public speaking tactics to deliver amazing presentations audiences love.

The late great Steve Jobs for example, revered as a great speaker with an amazing ability to deliver seemingly effortless presentations that were inspiring and engaging to audiences, would spend days on end rehearsing before a presentation.

The reason Jobs’ presentations were so powerful was precisely because he spent so much time preparing and rehearsing that he could clearly convey his message and connect with the audience. Jobs knew the greatest secret to public speaking (and now so do you…) PREPARATION.

Being prepared for a presentation is the best way to overcome a fear of public speaking because when you’re well prepared you are much less likely to experience performance jitters. Even more importantly, when you plan and prepare for your presentation, your delivery is clear, concise and engaging for your audience.

You do have the ability to deliver amazing presentations if you are make the conscious effort to become a great public speaker and avoid the most common presentation mistake.

So what is the most common cause of boring, scattered presentations that challenge your ability to stay awake?

Simply put: Not preparing enough.

The popular delusion that “winging it” will reduce the fear of public speaking and result in a fluid and engaging presentation could not be further from the truth. It’s like the old saying goes, ‘when you fail to plan, you plan to fail.’

Remember, public speaking is not an innate talent, it is a learned skill.

The key to public speaking is to make it seem effortless to your audience – and that takes a lot of planning and practice.

A presentation that is planned and rehearsed always results in the most powerful public speaking performances because it gives you the ammunition you need to incorporate the two most important elements of engaging public speaking:

• conveying a clear message, and
• connecting with your audience.

These two components of presentations are what will set you apart from the crowd and delight your audience. As you prepare and plan your presentation, be sure to keep these two goals at the forefront of your mind.

The best public speakers prepare amazing presentations through the script writing process.

To start, identify the overall message of your presentation. Ask yourself: what is the most important takeaway for this presentation?

Ideally, you should be able to articulate your overall message into one clear sentence. If you have more than one sentence at first, don’t fret about it because more often than not, the message becomes more refined after you’ve written out your script.

The script writing process can seem like a daunting task because there are many ways to structure a script. An easy way to start is to use a linear organization to write out your script and worry about adding in the anecdotes and funny one-liners when you’re rehearsing.

With a clear message for your presentation in mind, build out your presentation by focusing on at least two main points.

Your main points are the overarching claims that take your audience from discovery of the topic to understanding your message. Be sure to provide proof of your main points. Do your research so you can reference evidence that supports your claims in your script. From here, write out a closing summary that reinforces your overall message and why it matters and you’re ready to move on to step two.

It’s important to understand that you do not need to memorize your script verbatim. Your script serves to provide a basic outline for your presentation so you can rehearse.

NEVER read your script on a stage! It’s just as important to avoid “winging it” as it is to avoid reading a script on a stage.

When you’re giving a presentation, you want to make eye contact with the audience to connect and hold attention. Reading off a script on stage gives the same lack lustre results as winging it.

Keep in mind that you don’t have to memorize your script word-for-word. The goal is to rehearse your script so you can memorize the flow of your script. Use the infographic below for tips on how to memorize the flow of your script for a presentation.

The key thing to remember is to rehearse your script until it becomes natural and fluid. Focus on the order of your script and main points to coherently take your audience through a journey.

Once you have the journey of your script down-packed, you can take the stage with confidence to deliver a concise, clear and engaging presentation audiences love.

Another crucial component to deliver a great presentation is body language.

In his popularized and famous study, Dr. Albert Mehrabian, author of Silent Messages, conducted several studies on nonverbal communication. He found that 7% of any message is conveyed through words, 38% through certain vocal elements, and 55% through nonverbal elements. Subtracting the 7% for actual vocal content leaves 93% to non-verbal communication.

So naturally, body language is a key aspect of any good presentation.

Non-verbal communication occurs on both a conscious and unconscious level. By preparing before a presentation, you already have a leg up as your unconscious non-verbal communication will reinforce your message and main points to your audience. You can take this even further to really engage your audience by consciously using body language to emphasize certain aspects of your presentation.

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• Posture: It is very important to maintain good posture on stage. This conveys a sense of confidence and trust-worthiness to your audience that demonstrates you are someone worth listening to. As an added bonus, good posture is shown to give you increased confidence and better mood.
• Facial Expressions: Facial expressions convey meaning to your audience. When you are rehearsing for a presentation, try to look in a mirror or record your rehearsal so you can review your facial expressions and make sure that your expressions and words are congruent with one another.
• Gestures: Use your hands to gesture meaning and emotions while you are presenting. Again, it is a good idea to watch yourself in a mirror, record yourself or get feedback from supportive friends or a coach before a presentation to find the right moments in your presentation that you want to enhance with gestures.

Once you have your script journey memorized, practice incorporating deliberate body language. By rehearsing your words, delivery and non-verbal communication, you have solid foundation to deliver a great performance for your presentation.

One word of caution about the use of visual aids: Many people fall into the trap of creating over-zealous slides that diminish the overall presentation. Focus on your body language as the main visual aid in your presentation and keep any additional visual props to an absolute minimum to enhance the meaning of main points or share funny anecdotal stories that help your audience connect with you.

When you prepare for your presentation it’s a smart idea to become familiar with the venue and audience. The physical space that you are presenting in will have an impact on how your presentation is perceived and received by your audience.

Whenever I am delivering a presentation, I always visit the venue beforehand to get a sense of the space and the room. I have even brought in my own décor and plants for a particularly cold event space to create more warmth in the room before delivering a workshop on confidence!

These things do have an impact.

You want to be able to visualize yourself on the stage delivering the presentation as you rehearse if possible so it’s a good idea to get a clear sense of the venue and the audience beforehand. Find out what the room looks like, how many people will be there and as many possible details as you can so you can mentally prepare for the real thing as much as possible.

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