Talking confidently wasn’t top of mind last year when we weren’t communicating in person. Now that the masks are being removed and the distance is diminishing, some professionals are struggling to regain their confidence to present, report and speak in public with others. No need to worry that you won’t be able to get your “communications mojo” back. Here are some simple tips to keep in mind to help restore and strengthen your confidence in oral communications:
1. focus on content: Focus on what you have to communicate. Give yourself a break from worrying about the judgment of others. Focusing on getting the content right will naturally help your performance. This is not acting; you have to back up what you’re saying.
two. Have clear, high-level messages: Don’t make your audience struggle to figure out why they should be listening to you. Make sure you have clear and concise messages that you trust. If that means there are only one or two high-level messages, that will be enough as the basis for your talk.
3. stay in the moment: Don’t worry about completing someone else’s time frame or meeting someone else’s performance expectations. Don’t try to make a 15-minute briefing last half an hour. Build in flexibility (such as allowing more time for q and a) and opt for brevity rather than trying to fill the space.
Four. Play to your strengthsTip: If you’re good at storytelling, practice finding a good (short) one to work into your briefing or presentation. If you’re someone who sticks to a script, cut back on your material until you can deliver a high-level shortened version. If you like to use materials, try to make them as visual and simple as possible. It’s better to have your audience involved at all times than to wonder why you’re repeating yourself.
5. Be realistic: Give yourself some time to rebuild the trust you had or discover a new trust. That comes from your connection to what you’re saying and your knowledge of why your audience needs to hear it. It doesn’t come from memorization or fear of not being perfect.
Be kind to yourself as you “take the public stage” once again, strengthening that “performance” muscle you may not have been exercising in the past year. Your performance and confidence will increase with practice. In the meantime, remember the words of Franklin D. Roosevelt: “Be honest, be brief, sit down.”