Don’t panic! Presentation skills empower you to communicate with calm & authenticity
Photo by JESHOOTS.COM on Unsplash
Tell me, what exactly are presentation skills?
Presentation skills are tools that can help you avoid feeling like the woman in the picture above! (Which, let’s face it, we’ve all been at one point or another!)
I believe Presentation Skills are fundamentally about three things:
Breath
Body
Voice
ONE. Breath:
The breath is first & foremost, and for 3 key reasons:
NERVES: Presenting can be a nerve-wracking experience. Knowing how to use the breath to bring calm & balance is a powerful tool.
CONNECTION TO THE BODY: The breath also brings you 'into your body' which is key to tap into presence. When you breathe, you can feel the difference in your body as you inhale (lungs expand) and exhale (lungs contract).
CONNECTION TO THE VOICE: Lastly, your breath supports and powers your voice, so your message can be heard.
TWO. Body:
Your body language is communicating an extraordinary amount of information to your audience, whether you're aware of it or not. Your posture, eye contact, use of gesture, stance, way of moving through space... all of these things are telling a story. But your body language may not be telling a story that supports what you're saying!
By bringing attention and awareness into the body - and being intentional - you can transform how your message is received.
THREE. Voice:
Lastly, but definitely not least, learning to tap into the power of your voice is essential for your words to be heard. Freeing physical tension from your voice, ensuring your breath is supporting you and playing around with pace, rhythm and even silence - ensures you are communicating & presenting effectively.
To summarise:
Whether you are presenting to 1,000 people or 10 people
Whether you are speaking in-person or on-camera
Whether you are pitching to your dream client or firefighting a challenge with your less than favourite client...
Possessing strong presentation skills empowers you to:
Navigate emotional hurdles with calm
Communicate wholly & fully with authenticity and empathy
Confidently connect to your audience with composure and ease
That is the power of presentation skills.
(these words originally appeared as a post on my Instagram)
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