Only one thing can make a person more comfortable with speaking in front of a group.

Not becoming more polished, more knowledgeable or funnier.

The only courage that it takes to hit that presentation out of the park is to be yourself in front of others.

This is no small thing because most of us have lapses of confidence even when we are not standing in front of a group of people.

• Spend every effort to speak to a group the same way you would speak to someone one-on-one.
• Never spend a moment worrying about “what ifs” such as “what if I forget what I wanted to say” or “what if my face gets flushed and everyone sees it”.  “What ifs” are the moments of sabotage we do to ourselves when we are fearful.  They have no useful place in my mind.
• Talk to the people you will present to or speak to in advance of your talk if possible.  Wander out and shake hands.  They will put you at ease and you will feel more confident and accepted when you address all.
• And if you do forget what you were going to say, don’t panic, just review some of the points you have made so far.
• Before speaking, think about what people like about you in one-on-one situations (good listener, real, funny, sincere) and channel some of that when you start speaking.

Shakespeare said one of my favorite things, “assume a virtue if you have it not” so before you begin your talk or presentation, say “I have earned the right to be the best speaker on this topic today”.

And good luck.  You’re going to want to do more speaking from now on.

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