Mastering Presentation Skills for Financial Executives
Tips for Preparing and Delivering Effective Presentations
Whether you’re presenting to your team, another department, senior management, or to a wider audience, the prospect of giving a presentation can be daunting, especially if you're feeling rusty or have little experience. You are not alone. Many presenters face self-doubt and nervousness. By following some basic tips and best practices, you can enhance your skills and deliver presentations with confidence, whether in person or online.
Seven Common Presentation Fears and Tactics You Can Use to Manage Them
It is common to feel anxious when asked to give a presentation. Some anxiety is healthy. It may help your focus and create the energy needed to make an effective and interesting presentation.
Recognizing the type of fear you are experiencing is the first step towards overcoming your personal kryptonite. Once you identify the source of your anxieties, you can take steps to mitigate your fear, making it at least manageable. Having done that, you can then start building confidence. Here are seven issues that may seem daunting to a novice presenter, along with some useful tactics to help you stay in control.
1. Fear of Public Speaking (Glossophobia)
You may worry about speaking in front of others, thinking the audience will judge you, or that you may make an embarrassing mistake.
Tactics:
Advance Preparation: The more prepared you are, the more confident you’ll feel. Know your material inside and out. You are likely to know more about the topic than anyone in the room.
Practice: Do a dry run. Practicing your presentation will help you avoid embarrassing technical glitches or forgotten points. This can also help you smooth out the flow of your content. Rehearse your presentation multiple times. You can be alone or in front of a small, supportive audience.
Start Small: If you can, begin speaking in smaller, low-stakes environments. Gradually build your confidence.
Use Relaxation Techniques: Before the presentation, roll your shoulders, stretch, and smile to loosen your facial muscles. Calm yourself with deep breathing before and during the presentation. These techniques can calm nerves and steady your voice. Take one final look in the mirror. Make sure your appearance is what you want it to be. Then smile.
2. Fear of Forgetting the Material
You may worry that you will lose your train of thought or forget key points during the presentation. This can happen. Remember, all the audience hears is what you say. They are unaware of any points you may forget to convey. If something is an issue for the audience, they can ask clarifying questions.
Tactics:
Know Your Topic: Be thoroughly prepared and focus on key points. Anticipate potential questions so you can address them confidently.
Have Readily Available Notes: Use your notes when needed, but try not to rely on them too heavily. A well-organized slide deck can also guide you through the presentation.
Practice with Memory Triggers: Use visual aids or storytelling to help you remember key points. These can serve as prompts if you get stuck.
Move on to the Next Point: If you do forget something, it’s okay; most people won’t notice.
3. Fear of Being Judged by the Audience or Unable to Answer Questions:
Presenters often worry about being negatively judged by the audience for their performance or level of knowledge. Would you have the same fear if you were only speaking to one or two people? Look at a large group in that fashion. Think of the group as one person. It works.
Tactics:
Remember, You Are the Expert: The audience is there to hear what you have to say. You’ve likely been chosen to present because you have valuable insights or knowledge. Always realize, you are the one who has overcome your fears and is giving a presentation that day. Those in the audience are likely to have the same anxieties you do in front of a group.
Focus on the Message, Not Yourself: Shift your focus from yourself to the message you’re delivering. Concentrating on how your presentation can benefit the audience can reduce self-consciousness.
Anticipate Questions: Think through potential questions and practice your responses. If there are gaps in your knowledge, research them ahead of time.
Have Options to Handle Difficult Questions: Presenters often dread questions they can’t answer, worrying that it will make them look unprepared or uninformed. It’s okay not to know everything. If you don’t know the answer, be honest and say so. Transparency builds trust.
If the audience has questions, give them a chance to question you; it shows they are engaged and interested in what you have to say. Offer to follow up after the presentation or open the question to the audience for ideas. You can respond with statements like:
“I will have to investigate that and get back to you.”
“John is here and may know more about this. John, any insights?”
Engage with the audience. “Does anyone here have an opinion based on their experience with this issue?
By encouraging interaction, you will make the presentation feel more like a conversation and less like a performance.
4. Fear of Technology Failure
Whether presenting in a room with an audience or virtually, equipment malfunctions can be a concerning issue. Your ability to execute a professional presentation may depend on a projector, a microphone, or an internet connection.
Tactics:
Arrive Early to Make a Technology Check. Arriving 15–20 minutes early ensures that you can address any last-minute technical issues before the presentation begins.
Test Equipment in Advance: Always do a full equipment check well before the presentation to ensure everything is functioning properly.
Set the Environment: If in person, make sure the room is set up in advance, people know where to go, the thermostat is set to a comfortable temperature, and there is sufficient seating set up in a way that is conducive to the type of presentation or training you will be performing.
For both live and virtual presentations, be sure the lighting is conducive to a clear view of you and any materials you are presenting. Make sure, before you start, that the audience can both see and hear you. If virtual, confirm that the audience is able to see your shared screen.
Avoid interruptions or distracting background noises, which can throw off your presentation. Be sure to silence your cell phone and ask audience members to do the same. Whether you are in a classroom or conference setting, having the doors closed will limit background noise and discourage latecomers from noisily busting in.
If you are working from home, remember, no one wants to meet your pets or deal with your kid’s wants and needs during a business meeting. Avoid distracting background noises by muting everyone until it’s time for questions. If the technology fails, be prepared to pivot. Keep a printed version of the slide deck handy just in case there is a video problem. If all else fails, set a time to reschedule the presentation. Being flexible will help you stay calm in the moment.
5. Fear of Boring the Audience
You may worry that your presentation will fail to engage or hold the audience’s attention. Presenting in person offers significant advantages. You can build rapport with your audience before the presentation. Try to arrive early, particularly if you do not know individuals in the audience. Mix it up with those attending beforehand. This will help put you at ease.
As you present, watch the audience’s body language for instant feedback. Are they nodding in agreement or looking confused? This real-time interaction allows you to adjust your approach, add humor, and engage in spontaneous feedback through questions.
Virtual presentations, while convenient, pose their own set of challenges. Even with visible participants, the two-way flow of communication is often more difficult to manage. The absence of direct feedback can make it harder to gauge audience reactions.
Tactics:
Control the Scheduling: If possible, avoid first thing in the morning or right before or after lunch hour.
Modulate Your Voice: Avoid a monotone voice or steady cadence. You will lose audience attention. Use a dynamic voice to keep your audience engaged by varying your tone and pitch.
If Presenting Face to Face: Move around a stage or away from the Podium. Make eye contact with all areas within the audience.
Keep It Interactive: Engage the audience. Ask for a show of hands, use polls, ask questions, and encourage participation by complimenting someone who has commented. Build on comments, giving the commenter credit for a good point. A two-way conversation is more engaging than a monologue. When presenting virtually, use presentation software that offers a chat function and allows you to take polls to help keep the audience involved.
Tell Stories: Storytelling is a powerful tool that makes your message more relatable and interesting. Appropriate humor can also liven up the audience. Use personal experiences or “war stories” related to the topic to stimulate participation and interest. Tell the story behind the slides instead of reading every word. Use the slides as prompts. Allow the audience to absorb the written content on their own. Before you give the presentation, go through the slides and ask yourself what key points each slide is intended to convey.
Use Visual Aids: Visual aids, such as slides, should enhance your message, not detract from it. Use images, graphs, and minimal text to make key points clear and visually engaging. Keep your slides simple and visually stimulating by using images, charts, or videos to break up the monotony of text. Also, avoid overloading slides with unnecessary detail. Keep slides clean and straightforward. Too much detail can overwhelm your audience and make it difficult for them to follow your key points. Break down and simplify your content. Use a font size and type that is clear and easily readable. Highlight key points. Help the audience migrate to your main points.
Start and End On Time Respect your audience’s time by beginning and ending your presentation as scheduled. Delays can frustrate your audience and disrupt their schedules.
6. Fear of Embarrassment or Mistakes
People fear making obvious mistakes such as looking awkward, stumbling over words, mispronouncing, or misstating something.
Tactics:
Mistakes Are Normal: No presentation is ever perfect, and most mistakes are minor. If something goes wrong, acknowledge it, laugh it off, and move forward.
Practice Self-Compassion: Remind yourself that everyone makes mistakes and that your audience is likely more forgiving than you think.
Do a Final Mirror Check: Make sure your clothes are in place, and your makeup and hair are as you like.
Avoid Offensive Humor: Using humor can be a great tool as an ice breaker and to engage your audience, but it must be used wisely. Avoid sarcasm or jokes that may be offensive to a diverse audience.
7. Fear of Losing Control of Your Time Allotment
You may worry about going over the allotted time, leading to a rushed or incomplete presentation, or going short, leaving an audience sitting unexpectedly when your formal presentation is over.
Tactics:
Begin with Housekeeping Rules: Communicate logistical details such as the session start and end times, breaks, and if presenting face-to-tace, the location of restrooms. Let the audience know if the presentation will be recorded or if slides will be distributed afterward.
Time Your Presentation in Advance: Practice your presentation with a timer to make sure it fits within the time limits. Include extra time for questions or discussion.
Prioritize Key Points: Focus on the most important content and be willing to adjust if time runs short. Have a plan for cutting or summarizing less critical information if necessary.
Good Time Management Will Prevent Rushing Through Content: Be realistic about the amount of information you can cover within the time allotted. Overloading your presentation can lead to rushing through important points or skipping content altogether.
The Bottom Line
The key to a successful presentation lies in preparation and building self-confidence. Whether presenting in person or virtually, practicing the essentials and avoiding the pitfalls listed will help you engage your audience and deliver your message effectively.
Everyone has some apprehension about public speaking. Understanding that you are not alone with your fears, employ the tactics suggested in this article to help you work through them. Once you begin, your nerves will fade, and your focus will shift to delivering the content with enthusiasm and clarity. Prepare well, stick to the best practices, and your presentation will be a success.
Great reminders!!