By Kristy Carruthers
I started my public-speaking career as a nervous introvert with absolutely no prior experience. My first live presentation was on a Disney Cruise ship in a theater that held 800 guests (and one panic-stricken presenter). I vividly recall trying to convince other crew members to push me down the steps because I was sure that if I had a broken leg or twisted ankle, they couldn’t make me do it. In hindsight, I can see how silly that was.
They would definitely have still made me do it.
I honestly remember very little about that first presentation. I seem to have blocked the entire memory. But I do remember the overwhelming fear before I started talking, and the intense relief when I was done. Clearly, public speaking was not a natural talent for me.
So, that is why you can be sure that when I say that you can overcome your fear and become not just a competent speaker, but an excellent one, no matter who you are, it’s absolutely true. If I can do it, you can definitely do it.
There are some tricks and techniques I learned over the years that made the entire process easier, and less stressful, that you can use to make public speaking an (almost) enjoyable experience.
Related: 10 Tips to Beat Your Fear of Public Speaking
They say that knowledge is power, but I would suggest that knowledge is confidence. Here’s what you need to know.
1. Know Your Material
The biggest fear hurdle for most people is that they will forget what they were supposed to say. So, write it out, practice it, write it out again in bullet points, practice it, write it out again in even shorter form, practice and repeat. You want to keep doing this until you have just two or three words, per bullet point, that will guide you through your entire presentation.
