Giving presentations and speaking as an expert at community events and local clubs is a proven method to market your agency and reach potential clients. And you can reach a global audience through webinars, conference calls, virtual meetings/events, conferences, and trade shows. But why does giving a presentation have to be so scary?
The Travel Institute is here to help with in-depth education! Our Certified Travel Counselor (CTC®) program contains a module dedicated solely to Presentation Skills: Psyching Up, Not Out. The following is inspired by this module. If you are looking to elevate your management skills, you will want to check this program out.
You may have heard that public speaking tops spiders, snakes, heights, and death on lists of the most common fears. Although you think you would rather die than give a speech, you really can and should give it a try! And it’s okay that your nerves affect you. You can use that reaction to your advantage!
Nerves Are Good
Nerves—and adrenaline—are good. That natural fight-or-flight mechanism makes you hyper aware and alert. It keeps you in top form and ready to take on the world! So, how can you overcome that dry mouth and twitchy tummy? Here are some tips:
- Practice. Don’t over-prepare to the point that you sound like a robot. But do practice out loud to see how your presentation sounds. If possible, record or film yourself to get an objective view. And time yourself to make sure your speech fits within the parameters of the meeting’s agenda.
- Prepare. Luckily this is not high school speech class. Here, you get to pick a topic that is dear to your heart—your agency and your travel specialty! If you are passionate and knowledgeable about your specialty, your enthusiasm will be contagious. Be sure you have current data, compelling slides or videos, first-hand experiences, third-party recommendations, etc. to make your points. And know your topic inside and out. That will allow you to…
- Anticipate questions. If you shift your viewpoint to your audience’s perspective, you can do additional research ahead of time. This will prepare you for questions that may crop up. But it’s okay not to know everything. Following up via email or phone gives you additional opportunities to reach out to people who obviously are interested in your topic.
- Embrace the nerves. They are a natural part of putting yourself out there. So, recognize them as your special energy and power. Then…
- Take three calming breaths. Those physical effects of nerves tend to go away in the first 30 seconds after you step behind a microphone. And you can banish them sooner with a few deep breaths to calm your nerves, lower your blood pressure, help modulate your voice and make you feel in control. It’s comforting to know that your audience won’t notice your nervous symptoms anyway, especially after the initial moments pass and you relax into your topic.
- Hold something small in your hand. It can be a paper clip–or even a small fidget tool–to transfer your energy to. (Don’t use a pen, so you’re not mindlessly clicking it. Your audience will focus on that instead of your words!)
- Have confidence. You can boost your confidence by remembering that you are the expert, and you have information your audience wants to hear. That gives you authority, respect, and interest.
- Understand that everyone is rooting for you. Your audience can appreciate that you are not a professional speaker but, in fact, are just like them—someone who loves travel and is willing to share knowledge, tips, and expertise with them!
- Look for a friendly face. As you speak, look for someone who laughs at your jokes, smiles, makes eye contact, or nods in agreement. This positive feedback and body language will boost your confidence and make the experience feel more like a casual conversation than a formal speech. And, the next time you’re in the audience, return the favor!
- Be a speech athlete! The most successful athletes will mentally prepare themselves by going through the game plan play by play, picturing themselves catching a pass or making the game-winning touchdown, and maybe being carried off the field on their teammates’ shoulders! It’s good to daydream a little and see yourself as a success. It can become a self-fulfilling prophecy!
- Keep dancing! What do performers do when they miss a step? They keep dancing, and the audience doesn’t suspect a thing. So, even if you stumble over a thought or word, keep going. Your audience won’t have time to register the fumble because they are focused on what you are saying NOW, not 10 seconds ago.
Enjoy the adrenaline that will put you in a high-performance state of laser-focus and control. The more you speak, the more comfortable you’ll become. You’ll establish yourself as a confident, competent expert. And that can only be good for business!
Public speaking tops spiders, snakes, heights, and death on lists of the most common fears. You may think you’d rather die than give a speech but give it a try! Use your nerves to your advantage!
