In my opinion, the only way to conquer stage fright is to get up on stage and play. Every time you play another show, it gets better and better - Taylor Swift Public speaking. These two words fill hearts with dread. There are a lot of roles in information security that require you to speak, whether it's through sales and marketing, in meetings, giving training, reporting to clients, or formally at one of the thousands of industry conferences or events that are held every year. It's daunting, but there are strategies you can employ to make that fear a little less overwhelming. 1. Know your material This seems a little basic, but if you know enough about your subject matter to explain it clearly face-to-face in an ordinary conversation, you know how to explain it to a crowd. This is because public speaking is just speaking. 2. Don't sweat the small stuff Fumbled that line? That's fine. Stuttered a little? Nobody minds. In fact, it's possible that nobody noticed. You don't need to stop or apologise - just keep going. 3. Have a clear outline If you're ad libbing some or all of your talk, it can be easy to ramble. Knowing what direction your talk should be going in will help you to stay on message. 4. Practice Practicing by yourself gives you an edge. It means that on the day of your speaking engagement, you're not giving your presentation for the first time. Practicing in front of another person gives you even more of an edge, because you can get feedback before standing in front of a larger audience. Going through your presentation out loud will give you an idea of how long you will be speaking for and whether there are any sections that may trip you up. In particular, it's important to practice your opening and closing, as these are the spots that are most likely to let you down. 5. Have a prop This can be as simple as notes or a bottle of water. It's common to not know what to do with your hands in front of an audience, but giving them something to hold can fix that issue. Added benefits to a bottle of water are that you have something to sip if your throat gets too dry, and if you need a few seconds to compose your thoughts, it makes natural-looking reason to turn away from the audience. 6. One step at a time Remember at the top of this article where I said there were thousands of industry events every year? They're not all big audiences. Local meetups are a great place to start, and they usually have smaller audiences. They also have the benefit of familiar audiences, so you know you've got a supportive cohort. 7. Speak often The adrenaline surge that accompanies public speaking never goes away, but the more often you speak publicly, the easier it gets to manage that feeling, and the more confident you will be when you're in the spotlight. AuthorKristine Sihto is Senior Editor and Communications Manager for CCM. Her experiences with public speaking range from speaking and singing roles in community theatre, formal debating, training, presenting at conferences, and occasional bouts of karaoke. She still gets scared every time she speaks.
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