People fear speaking in public even more than dying.  << Go Back

(I’ve seen both things happen simultaneously in my workshops)  I have a theory based on my own speaking experiences. When I know the material, when I know everything about the material, I’m a pretty good presenter.  But, when I’ve memorized the presentation, then I’m nervous.  There’s a big difference between knowing and memorizing.  I get to know the material by discussing it, reviewing it, reworking it in rehearsals and presenting it over and over again ---without a script---until I know it in my bones. I focus on the opening, because if I can get past that smoothly, the rest is cake. You can’t avoid being nervous when giving a presentation, but you can feel very confident knowing the material better than anyone else in the room.