Top 10 Public Speaking Tips for Nervous Presenters

I was asked to deliver a keynote speech for a top-tier accountancy firm from the big end of town. It was a privilege to be invited and I was really excited to have been chosen. It was a big event for them (and me) and due to the event selling out, they’d organised for the speeches to be filmed and live streamed to their offices in five different countries. The pressure was on.

I’d arrived early and did my customary venue check. I found the sound guy and asked him to do a microphone check with me. He fobbed me off as he was having technical issues with the camera and said he’d do it later. I waited, and waited, and waited. I button-holed him again to insist on it but he shook his head, “I’ve got no time but you’ll be right. I’ve checked them and they’re fine.”

I start to protest but it’s too late. The crowd take their seats, the MC takes the stage and introduces me. I stand up on stage and guess what? The microphone doesn’t just not work, it screeches so loudly the entire audience hold their hands to their ears to shut out the noise. It only got worse from there. That’s one presentation I would rather forget.

Why do I tell this story? Because it demonstrates that it’s often the basics that trip us up. It’s the basics that get forgotten that cost us dearly. I have been presenting for 30 years and yet even I, who knows all the tips and tricks, can still get it wrong.

I’ve written this eBook to remind you of the basics of how to present with confidence. It outlines all the ‘basics’ we have forgotten about and identifies the ‘danger points’ so you can avoid making the costly error I made.

You'll learn how to: