How to Deal with the Stress Before the Presentation

The “before presentation” time is always critical for every person. Even if you have delivered thousands of speeches and presentations earlier, the stress is always there before starting it, every single time. Here are few tips that you can follow, before as well as during the presentation to reduce the tension and make your presentation an outstanding one:

1) Rehearse: Rehearsing the presentation repeatedly, makes you more prepared and self-reliant. The confidence is indeed necessary to reduce the pressure. When you are confident, there are only a few chances of you getting nervous, before the presentation. It will be better if you practice your presentation, at least once at the venue, where your presentation is scheduled. It makes you comfortable with the environment. Also, practising in different positions, like sitting, standing on one leg or playing with your hands, can help you concentrate on the presentation more than any other thing.

2) Channelise your energy: Before starting the presentation, you need to stay focused and calm. You can listen to some soothing music or exercise a bit, to make sure that your mind stays fresh and concentrated. It will help you overcome the nervousness and keep your mind light. Exercising will help you feel energetic throughout the presentation. You can also have some energy drink prior to the presentation, to stay more enthusiastic and active during the presentation.

3) Interact: When you communicate with the audience, you make the presentation more engaging, and the audience stays active during the presentation. It boosts your confidence and helps you know the mood of the public. People like it when the presentation is not just about the speaker, but, the speaker also cares about its audience.

4) Breathe: Controlling your breath can be helpful in many aspects of your life. Now, if you keep taking deep breaths before your presentation, it will help your mind to stay peaceful, lowering the stress level. Also, even if you take pauses to breathe during the presentation, these stops provide you with a few seconds to go through the content and retain the highlights of the presentation.

5) Drink water: When you are nervous, it not only shows in your behaviour, but your body also gives proper signals. The nervousness makes your mouth dry frequently. So, you need to start drinking water hours before your presentation to avoid such a situation. It is necessary for you to stay hydrated. Also, during the presentation, to keep your voice at a proper pitch and your body at a healthy state, you also need to take water at certain time intervals.

6) Smile: When you are happy and meet everyone with a smile, you receive a positive response, in return. It gives you energy and encouragement, reducing the stress level. Even, during the presentation, if you are having a smiley face, the audience gets attracted to you and listens to you with proper attention. This energises the whole presentation, and the environment is filled with positivity.

Following the above steps won’t be enough if you have not prepared a flawless presentation and analysed the main topic properly. You must keep your facts clear and must research about the topic thoroughly before the presentation.