From shaky to stellar: Nail your next presentation with these tips

We've all felt the jitters before a big public speech — the knots in the stomach, cold sweats. It's all too familiar, even for me.

But relax lah, even the most seasoned speakers get nervous before stepping up. But they go out there and absolutely kill it, and so can you!

I used to fumble and stumble through my presentations, getting all kancheong even when speaking to a small group. But over time, I've picked up a few tricks to ease into it and feel comfortable on stage. Here are some tips to help you ace your next presentation:

Prepare smart, not hard

Preparation is everything, but how you prepare makes all the difference. No need to be so kiasu about it! Picture me back in school, relying too much on slides, memorising every detail, and even writing out a full script — which, by the way, spectacularly backfired as I fumbled through it. Sibei jialat ah.

Now, flashcards are my best friend. I jot down key points to give me prompts for each slide. They're my safety net for when my mind goes blank.

If you're in a situation where notes aren't practical, spend time practicing and memorising only the key points. Trust me, working smart like this is way less stressful than trying to memorise every single detail!

Calm down and breathe

Eminem's Lose Yourself sums up pre-speech jitters perfectly — sweaty palms, weak knees, heavy arms and all. It can get pretty jialat at times, but practicing breathing techniques can help calm down and put a stop to these nerves. This works by tricking your brain to think you're fine, which helps slow down your heart rate. My go-to is the 4-7-8 breathing exercise:

Inhale through your nose for a count of 4.

Hold for a count of 7.

Exhale slowly through your mouth for a count of 8.

After a few rounds, I'm a lot more relaxed. This little breathing trick has saved me in so many uni presentations when I was losing it before a make-or-break speech. A few breaths, and I'm ready to go!

Remember, everyone's human

Sometimes it feels like the audience is ready to nitpick every little mistake. But here's the thing — nobody's perfect. In fact, most people in the audience would be just as nervous if they were up there. Change your mindset from "I hope I don't mess up" to "I'm just sharing what I know". It makes a huge difference.

And if you mess up? It's really not the end of the world! I've tripped over my words plenty of times, but the audience just laughs along with me - as if they're bochup about it — and we move on. Moments like these remind me that we're all human, and most people are understanding by nature.

Act power - seriously

They say, "Fake it till you make it," and there's truth in that. You don't want to look shaky up there, so try using a "power position", as some psychologists say. Stand tall, shoulders back, feet slightly apart, and head held high.

Before going on stage, I'll find a quiet corner, take a few deep breaths, and focus on the fact that I'm prepared. Power posing like this can make you feel more confident and help you carry yourself like you mean it. Now's your chance to act power!

Converse with the audience

Presentations don't have to be one-sided. Treat it like a talk-cock sesh! Make eye contact, smile, and even throw in a few questions to keep things interactive.

When I was new to presenting, I avoided eye contact out of fear, but I found it got way easier once I started being more conversational. This approach helps you feel more connected with the audience and makes the presentation flow naturally.

Practice until it's almost second nature

Practice makes perfect, and that's definitely true for presenting. The more you practice, the less you'll need to rely on memory, and the easier it is to spot areas for improvement.

One thing I found very useful when practicing was to come up with different ways to explain your key points. That way, you won't sound too rehearsed, and you'll be able to fall back on your preferred ways to present as the presentation goes.

Focus is key

It's easy to get sidetracked wondering what each person in the audience is thinking. Are they interested? Are they judging? Truth is, most people are just listening, and they're probably rooting for you. So, instead of fixating on reactions, focus fully on delivering your message. Tune out the noise — it'll do you a world of good.

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This article was first published in Wonderwall.sg.