Giving technical presentations to non-technical audiences; part 1: five ways to beat stage fright.

You can beat stage fright by taking the focus off yourself.

Whether you are standing in front of a large group of frowning managers or proposing a new idea to a group of people you know well, it can suddenly hit you: stage fright. All of a sudden, your throat dries up, your tongue feels like a solid piece of plasterboard, and your heart is tangled up in your vocal cords. Worse, you do not have a clue what to say. This tidal wave of terror has swamped the few thoughts you had planned to share.

Take heart. You are not alone. Studies have shown that fear of public speaking is still the greatest fear in America today. It may be a sad reflection of our society that we consider each other creatures to fear rather than to love, but that is another story, for another day. (And we will tackle it!) Right now, we want to beat that fear. Here are five ways to do it.

1. FOCUS ON A SINGLE MAIN MESSAGE. What do you want to tell these people--in one or two sentences? Think about that message, and determine to state it clearly and simply. The human mind can focus on only one thing at a time. If you are thinking about your message, you can not think about the fear.

2. STRUCTURE YOUR MESSAGE. Think of a firecracker bursting into the sky. Can you see that big explosion of light and color followed by a trail of stars? That is the structure of your message. Begin with the most important point you want to make: your main message. That is the big explosion. Then immediately follow it up with three key points that prove or explain your main point, and give an example of each. That is the trail of stars. This structure always works. Knowing that will help you beat the fear.

3. REMEMBER THAT YOU ARE THERE FOR THEM, NOT FOR YOU. Stage fright is simply fear that we will not come across as totally wonderful. Put differently, it is fear of looking stupid. People may not think we are clever, correct, amusing, entertaining, insightful, well spoken--whatever! There are thousands of qualities they may not think we have (and they may be right). The point is that it does not matter in the least, because the presenter is not there to shine. He or she is there for one single reason: to give the audience something of value to them. That is all. Leave your ego at the door, and concentrate on telling the audience something they can use. Again, you can focus on only one thing at a time. If you are eager to give them a message that serves them and meets their specific needs, you can not fixate on yourself. If you are not focusing on yourself, you can not worry about how you look to them.

4. LIKE THE AUDIENCE. Yes, there may be people in the audience who have criticized you previously or who regularly make life at work difficult for you. They may make up 85 percent of the audience. Here is the point. You do not have to dislike them. You have the power to choose how you will approach them; their behavior does not have to control your attitude. If you decide that for the short period of time that you are standing there talking to them you will like them, no matter what they have done or how they are looking at you now--it will pulverize that stage fright. We may fear enemies, but not friends. If we decide to like the audience, just because we want to, we stop being puppets on their strings. And there is another thing. It is very hard not to like someone who likes you. That is a basic law of human interaction. Like them--and it will be hard for them not to like you!

5. PREPARE FOR TOUGH QUESTIONS. One of the biggest components of stage fright is fear of hostile questions. The remedy is simple: prepare for them. Long before you give your presentation, imagine the most difficult people who may be in your audience. Take them one by one, and state your main message to each. What questions or objections will that person fling at you? Make yourself write them down. Then prepare an answer. You may have to do quite a bit of research to find an adequate answer--or you may not find one at all. Even if you have no good answer to a tough question, preparing for it can trounce the stage fright. You will be ready for it, and you will have a graceful, steady reply, based on thought and effort to be useful, instead of an unprepared gurgle. Preparation makes all the difference.

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ABOUT THE AUTHORS

Cheryl and Peter Reimold have been teaching communication skills to engineers, scientists, and businesspeople for 20 years. Their latest book, The Short Road to Great Presentations (Wiley, 2003), is available in bookstores and from Amazon.com. Their consulting firm, PERC Communications (phone: [phone], e-mail: [e-mail]), offers businesses consulting and writing services, as well as customized in-house courses on writing, presentation skills, and on-the-job communication skills. Visit their web site at www.allaboutcommunication.com