From Stage Fright to the Spotlight
— 10 Tips to Embrace the Stage and Improve Yourself
Disclaimer:
- I DO NOT consider myself a role model for public speakers!
Q: If that’s true, why am I writing about public speaking?
A: Ten years ago, I would avoid speaking on stage in front of live audiences at all costs. Now, even with all the anxiety, fear of messing up, and rushing heartbeat, I look forward to it and consider it one of the exhilarating parts of my role.
With that being said: I DO consider myself a good example for those who want to feel less anxious in front of a live audience and maybe—even enjoy it to the point of wanting to get better and do it again.
So, I’ve gathered 10 tips to help you through every step of this journey.
— Working on Your Mindset
Addressing the mindset shifts and initial hurdles that can transform your approach to public speaking.1 | Your Show? Not Quite!
2 | Don’t Compare Yourself to Others— Before the Show
After we tackle the mental barriers, we’ll dive into the preparations and practice strategies that will equip you to deliver presentations confidently.3 | Find a safe place to start
4 | Know Thy Topic
5 | Know Thy Audience
6 | Become a Slideware Ninja
7 | The Power of Preparation— Showtime
Finally, we’ll personalize your presentation and connect with the audience, ensuring that you leave a lasting impression and enjoy the process.8 | Make it Yours
9 | Breathe
10 | Stop & Smell the Roses
Are you ready? Let’s go!
Working on Your Mindset
1 | Your Show? Not Quite!
Let’s start with one of the toughest challenges, and perhaps the most transformative. Overcoming this mental obstacle might change your life.
So listen to me very carefully…
They’re not here for you. This is not about you.
Sorry!
The room in front of you is filled because of your topic. Sure, you might have friends or family in the audience who are rooting for you and notice how cool your trimmed beard looks, but the vast majority are there for your valuable insights on “Using AI to Automate Your Email Responses with Perfect Snark”…
So, shift your focus from yourself to the content you are delivering. The audience is eager to learn and be inspired by what you have to say. Embrace it — it will take the pressure off you and redirect your energy. Remember, you are there to serve your audience with your unique perspective, knowledge, and expertise.
Focus on the message, and let your passion for the topic shine through.
You’re not the Queen? That’s OK.
If you feel self-conscious about your English or your delivery, you’re not alone. There are two sides to this. First, continuous improvement.
You have to practice. Read aloud, use Duolingo, watch TED Talks, take classes — do whatever it takes to raise the bar. Second, remember that communication is about conveying ideas, not perfect English. Articulation is important, but so are tone, pitch, speed, volume, and body language.
I know people whose English is far from perfect, yet they deliver incredibly engaging talks. They know their stuff, they’re passionate about it, and with experience, their English has improved. The takeaway is this: work on that English, but don’t wait until it’s perfect, because perfect is not a thing and also because no one really cares. The audience cares about understanding you, not whether you talk like Peppa Pig.
Working on Your Mindset
2 | Don’t Compare Yourself to Others
You’ve seen that one colleague present to a huge audience, and she was amazing — what a performance! You wish you were that good but fear you’ll never come close…
Here’s a secret: there’s no such thing as a natural-born public speaker! All these great public speakers were once awkward mini-humans who could hardly pronounce a single word, let alone deliver a coherent and engaging live presentation. And guess what? So were you.
That might sound harsh, but trust me, I come from a place of love—consider this your motivational slap — meant to wake you up to your potential! Every impressive speaker you know has put effort into making it look easy. They prepare and practice; they learn from their mistakes — and so will you.
That doesn’t mean you can’t learn from them, though. Pick their brains, ask them about their modus operandi, take notes on their style, where the h*ll they place their hands when presenting, and how they engage with the audience.
Whatever you do, avoid direct comparisons. Everyone has their unique style and journey. Comparing yourself to others won’t help you grow.
Focus on your progress and celebrate your improvements.
Before the Show
3 | Find a safe place to start
When you’re starting, practicing in environments where you feel supported and safe is important.
Your family and friends can be your first audience. They are more likely to be encouraging and less judgmental, providing a safe space for you to practice and refine your skills. Gather a small group and present your topic. You will build confidence and receive honest feedback in a nurturing environment. Leave that one uncle out of this, he doesn’t have it in him to be supportive. You know who I mean!
Professionally, start by presenting in internal company meetings and forums — volunteering for smaller presentations or taking the lead in discussions or meetings. You’re surrounded by colleagues who understand your work context and can offer constructive feedback. Practice your delivery, experiment with your style, and get comfortable speaking in front of a group. The stakes are lower, but the experience is priceless.
You can also find a coach. They can provide personalized guidance, help you identify areas for improvement, and develop strategies to overcome your specific challenges. A coach can offer a safe, one-on-one environment to practice and refine your skills before you step onto a larger stage.
Finally, find communities dedicated to helping people improve their public speaking and leadership skills. There, members give speeches, receive feedback, and progress through speaking projects designed to build confidence and competence. Look them up — Toastmasters, for example.
Before the Show
4 | Know Thy Topic
No secrets here. If someone else chose your topic for you, being a subject matter expert (SME) is a bona fide way to feel confident about it. If you’re not an SME, remember — you’re not an SME yet!
You have homework to do until that presentation.
What if the topic is left for you to decide? Perhaps you want to contribute, to teach something to your community, but all the interesting topics have already been taken. And maybe you’re not the biggest expert in the room.
I’m not going to lie — experts easily grab everyone’s attention. They know stuff others don’t, and everyone can learn a lot from them: how to use bleeding-edge technology, do things the right way, trade Dogecoin to become filthy rich…
However, people tend to overlook another angle frequently — one that everyone is interested in. Their unique point of view, their experience!
You can talk about your wonderful personal experience refactoring legacy code written by people who left your company and what you’ve learned. How hard using high-code was now that you know OutSystems (I know, I know, it’s a shameless plug!). Or perhaps the challenges you faced throughout your career and how you overcame them.
Sharing your journey, the mistakes you made, the lessons you learned, and the unique insights you gained can sometimes be just as valuable as the happy-ending business case, or development best practices. The audience can relate to your experiences and learn from practical examples. Remember, authenticity and relatability can make your presentation compelling and memorable.
Before the Show
5 | Know Thy Audience
Understanding your audience is essential — tailoring your presentation to the interests, and level of understanding of your audience can make a huge difference.
First, consider who will be in the room. Experts in the field, beginners, a mixed group? Knowing their background allows you to adjust the complexity of your content and, for instance, remove technical jargon when presenting to business-centric roles.
Next, think about what your audience wants to gain from your presentation. Are they looking for practical tips, theoretical knowledge, or inspiration? Aligning your talk to meet their expectations will keep them engaged and ensure they walk away with valuable insights.
Additionally, be mindful of cultural and demographic factors. What might resonate with one group could fall flat with another. Adjust your examples, humor, and references to be more inclusive and relatable. Remember, not everyone will appreciate how difficult it is to gather every Dragon Ball…
A presentation is not just about delivering information; it’s about connecting with people. Know your audience so that you create a more interactive, relevant, and impactful presentation that resonates with everyone in the room.
Before the Show
6 | Become a Slideware Ninja
When it comes to slide decks, they should enhance your message, not overshadow it. Lean but engaging decks make a world of difference in keeping your audience’s attention.
Do not overload slides with text. Each slide should support your speech, not serve as a script. Instead, aim for clarity and simplicity. Use bullet points — it makes your slides easier to read and allows your audience to focus on your verbal explanation. Be cautious with animations and transitions. Stick to simple, subtle effects that enhance rather than detract from your content.
Pay close attention to misaligned content, font size, and color differences. Templates help with formatting and save a lot of effort that would otherwise be invested into ensuring consistency in the deck. Last, but not least — scour your slides for typos, outdated references, and burn them with gasoline (and passion).
Now, this tip is as much for you as it is for me: apply the 80/20 rule when working your magic on your slides. Trust me, you are the only person out of those 200 in the room who’s going to notice how the grey border makes those rectangles pop out visually. Or how the animations are so cool you should be getting a call from Christopher Nolan to be a special effects artist in his next movie (or, as normal people call them, mental workouts you need a PhD to untangle).
So, if you’re the only one who notices… don’t invest too much of your time on them. Focus on impact, focus on the message. If it adds value, go for it. Otherwise, keep yourself honest.
Before the Show
7 | The Power of Preparation
Disclaimer: This is what I struggle with the most.
Sometimes I get overconfident and decide to wing it. I don’t recommend it, especially when you are still gaining confidence. Always prepare! However, I do encourage experimenting and becoming comfortable to the point of talking about certain topics without support — you’ll get there.
Thorough preparation is key. Writing speaker notes, doing multiple dry runs, and being ready for technical mishaps.
Let’s start with the notes. They’re optional, but when they’re there, they can be a great support throughout the presentation. Don’t rely too heavily on them, though. Use them as a safety net rather than a script. Ideally, your slides’s bullets/visuals give you the necessary cues to the awesome speech that you have prepared.
Practice makes perfect. Conduct several dry runs of your presentation. This helps you get comfortable with the flow and timing. If you plan to do live demos, it’s wise to record them beforehand. Have these videos ready in case Murphy decides to be a guest star of your show, IYKWIM.
Consider using tools to record your speech during practice sessions. Apps like Orai or simple voice recorders can give you insights into your pacing, tone, and clarity. Listening to your recordings can help you identify areas for improvement.
Remember, preparation builds confidence. The more you prepare, the more smoothly your presentation will go. You’ll be ready to handle unexpected questions, technical glitches, or any other surprises with ease.
Showtime
8 | Make it Yours
Depending on the context, you may have the opportunity to inject your personality into your presentation. While this might not be suitable for presenting an executive summary to the board, it can add a pinch of salt to internal community sessions or other less formal settings. If the audience and topic are right, let the real you shine — a bit!
Remember, it’s not about you, you show off!!
Enrich your slideware with one or two visual quirks, gifs, and references to make your presentation more engaging. My go-to topics are Final Fantasy, Saint Seiya, The Last of Us, or all things 80s! These little touches can make your presentation memorable and relatable.
Don’t be afraid to add some light jokes or personal anecdotes to the speech. I like to close with some humour to leave people feeling good. Golden rules— keep jokes light and far away from political, social, and religious topics. It might sound obvious, but still… don’t get yourself fired because of me! When in doubt, just scroll up and re-read tip #1.
Showtime
9 | Breathe
Before you start, catch your breath. Breathe slowly, and then again.
Paying attention to and slowing down your breathing will calm you down. I promise you it always helps, it’s like hitting a reset button on your nerves.
Take note of this one: have allies in the audience. The first type of allies are the ones strategically “planted”: your peers, your manager, friends, or family members who are there to support you. When the anxiety starts to bubble up, lock eyes with them. Present to them directly. Their familiar faces can help ground you and keep you calm.
The second type of ally is that person you realize is hooked on your topic. They are 100% interested and excited about what you’re saying and they’re in it for the long run. You can tell who they are within 5 minutes of the presentation. You can find some of these and present to them as well.
It’s especially effective if your allies acknowledge what you’re saying by paying attention, nodding, and giving positive reinforcement. When you see them nodding along and smiling, it’s like they’re silently cheering you on, telling you, “You got this — you’re presenting the crap out of .NET Nightmares: When Your Code Works on Your Machine Only!”.
You’re not alone up there, and a friendly face can make all the difference.
Showtime
10 | Stop and Smell the Roses
It’s not every day that someone gets to do what you’re doing. Not everyone will have the chance to be in front of live audiences who are eager to listen to their experience and knowledge. Embrace the moment. Look at all those people in front of you. You never know if you’ll ever get the chance to do this again.
Public speaking is an extremely positive experience. You’re not just presenting; you’re connecting with others, offering them valuable insights, and maybe even inspiring them. There’s a unique thrill in seeing your audience engage with your ideas, nodding along, and even laughing at your jokes (not the bad ones, I’m afraid).
You are on a journey, each time you step onto that stage, you grow a little more. You’ll come out stronger, more confident, and with a better understanding of both your topic and yourself. So, take a deep breath, smile, and enjoy the ride. It’s not about you, but.. you can still make it your moment to shine!
And there you go, I hope it helps! I can honestly say that it helps me daily.
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Hope you enjoyed the reading :)
Thank you!
