Most people would regard a successful communication as one that “gets the message across”. Whilst this is true, it is not the whole story. In business, a successful communication has to go much further.
Not only does the message have to be put across, but the audience also has to react positively to that message. In short, we can sum up the definition of a successful communication as: “One which modifies the behaviour of the audience so that they do something in your favour that they would not have done had you not spoken to them”

Whether giving presentations is the thing you dread most, or just another day at the office, it’s skill that can always be improved. Dawn Smith gathers some tips and advice from public speaking gurus on how to overcome stage-fright, engage the audience and make your presentations shine.

The New York Times famously reported in 1984 that speaking in public was most people’s biggest fear, ranking higher than death. For a trainer, presenting to delegates is likely to be daily bread.

However, even those experienced at talking to groups can choke when faced with an unfamiliar scenario. “Most people are capable of presenting one-to-one, or even one-to-ten, but various things can conspire to make them nervous,” says Gavin Ingham, a speaker and author who also teaches “Powerful Presenting” courses for Britain in Business. The fear-inducing factor may be how important the event is, how many people will be there, who else will be listening, whether it’s being recorded, or even (gulp) televised.

Whatever sets the nerves jangling, getting over them is the key to successful presentations, says Gavin. “70 - 80% of giving a good presentation is down to mindset,” he says. “Get that right, and you can make the most of the communication skills you already have.

”Power of the mindset The reason state of mind is so important is fairly obvious - a nervous presenter is likely to flunk the delivery, and that’s going to fatal for the message. “Poor delivery = poor retention + little action,” says Elizabeth Clark, founder of presentation skills training company Rapport Unlimited.

She believes presenters should work on the entertainment value of their sessions. “Imagine your presentation is a TV programme,” she says. “Would you want to watch it?” Knowing that your nerves are getting in the way of a powerful performance can pile up the pressure even higher, so how do you break the vicious circle?
Of course, practicing the real thing is the best way to boost confidence and improve performance: our gurus are agreed on that. “There is no substitute for flying hours,” says Khalid Aziz, chairman of training company The Aziz Corporation, and author of presentation skills book.

But until the hours have been built up, anxiety busting-tactics could be called for.

Visualize success: Stephen Palmer and Cary Cooper, in their book How to Deal with Stress, point out that “prior to stressful events people tend to have negative images or pictures in the mind’s eye about how they are going to cope - or, to be more accurate, not going to cope.” This imagery can be replaced with something more positive.

The trick is to think about the aspects of the situation you're most worried about, decide on ways to deal with them (for example, how you're going to handle difficult questions) and then “slowly picture yourself coping with each anticipated difficulty as it arises”. Then keep practicing that positive imagery prior to the event.

Rehearse the scary bits: Practice walking up and standing in the space that you'll present from, until you feel easy about it, says Gavin Ingham. In his training courses, he asks people to stand in front of an imaginary audience, and then stand in front of a real group of people - but without saying anything. “A lot of people are not comfortable with that,” he says. “It’s important to hold them there until they are comfortable - because that’s the worst thing that can happen: getting up there and not having any words.”

Breathe: Slowing your breathing combats the physical symptoms of nerves. There’s a deep breathing exercise for warming up before presentations on the Aziz Corporation website. See below some of the golden rules for any presentation:1. Give yourself time to prepare
2. Research your audience
3. Consult your colleagues
4. Play to the overlap
5. Prepare bullet point notes
6. Use prompt cards
7. Follow the Rule of Five
8. Allow one minute per card
9. Emphasise benefits, not features
10. Avoid acronyms and jargon where possible
11. Explain on first use if you need to use jargon
12. Use plain English13. Use active not passive verbs
14. Avoid double negatives
15. Jokes — if in doubt, cut it out!
16. Visual aids must be “visual” and must be “aids”
17. Apply the necessary and sufficient test/the Fresh FishRule254 Presenting to Win
18. You must rehearse
19. Arrive early and check the room and equipment
20. Project the right image for you and your organisation
21. Use de-stressing exercises if necessary
22. Ensure that your hands are in the home position
23. Start confidently — pause, eye contact, smile
24. Hit the ground running
25. Don’t apologise, unless absolutely necessary
26. Be interactive
27. Respond to feedback
28. Choose appropriate gestures
29. Be yourself
30. End positively — summary, “what that means to you”,call to action.

Action Steps
The best contacts and resources to help you get it done

Tips & Tactics
Helpful advice for making the most of this Guide

• Presentation skills / Communication skills