Presenting at work - AIBU to hate it?

[RainbowBriteUk]

I have to present at work in front of my team very soon and i'm dreading it. Usually, my words won't come out and I end up a mess. My boss will be there and I really need to prove myself.

I really don't know what I can do to make it OK and it's making me dread going in to my job.

My presentation skills are terrible when I need to stand up in front of the room, I am fine facilitating workshops, training, leading meetings etc because I do them all the time, get me to stand up and do a traditional presentation and I crumble.

It is not as bad in my current workplace as we have a very supportive SLT who occasionally reminds people when introducing initatives, we are not all natural presentors and that is ok, our jobs are not to present slides, the hard work that goes into the content and the messages are much more important and to support the person presenting by engaging with them. It sounds a bit corny but he says it much better and it does relax everything a little.

I try to practise the presentation out loud somewhere and adjust the slides to prompt me if needed. Also have notes, either on paper or in the PowerPoint notes if you need them/only you can see them on your laptop display.

Practise, practise, practise. And then practise some more. It genuinely makes a huge difference if you know your stuff really well.

My two ways of dealing with presentations is 1) practice, going over it several times. 2) telling myself I can do it, it sounds so trite but I try to override those thoughts that catastrophise. I was panicking a few minutes before going into an interview a few months ago, when I suddenly looked out the window and said "no, I deserve this job, I can do this job, go get it". I swear it was the best interview I've ever done, don't underestimate the power of self belief, and I truly believe in faking it until you make it, even if you have to "lie" to yourself! Try it.

Practice. Out loud. Lots of times. Until you know what you need to say for each slide and it doesn't matter if you don't have notes. Until you're thoroughly bored with it. Confidence comes from knowing your stuff backwards.

Remember that no-one else knows what you've forgotten if you miss a bit.

Try to remember why this stuff is interesting and convey that interest to your audience. Authenticity will get you a long way!

Do you use presenter view in PowerPoint? It's great because you can see the next slide and your notes but the audience just sees the slides. Tip: if you need the comfort blanket of word for word notes (I wouldn't recommend it - it's better to talking points and just talk to them), you can duplicate slides and just change the notes so that you always have view of the exact words you need to say but your audience always see the same slide when you change to the next page for more notes.

If you're doing it "live in a room" try to pick two or three people to talk to directly - moving your focus gives everyone the impression that you're engaging the whole room.

If you're doing it on zoom, practice on the IT you're going to use (ie in a zoom room) so that you know how it works.

This is the one you're not going to like, but it's where the magic is: try to think of it as fun/an exciting thing to do. It's not fear, just misplaced excitement. And if you can, before you go on/up/live, do a wee dance (off camera/in the loo) to give the adrenaline somewhere to go.

Getting comfortable with presenting is totally a learnable skill - you've got this!

Thank you for all your replies. I am absolutely dreading it but I will get lots of practice in tonight. I wish that there wasn't a way that I didn't have to do it.

I feel the same OP - I hate ir

Think about someone you know who presents well. Imagine that you are a them!
Practice and speak much more slowly than feels comfortable to you. Avoid saying “um”, breathe between sentences.
Good luck!

I hate it - I’m a teacher… fine in front of kids - never had any problems. Hate assemblies because I feel like I’m being judged by the other teachers…

I decided after having kids I would stop doing as many as I possibly could………!

Apart from practice and using the notes section if you are doing PowerPoint then the other thing I have used is self-hypnosis.

There is an app you can get to help with nerves for public speaking. I am sure it helped me loads, to the point that I don't use it now.

Good advice about pretending to be someone else when you're presenting. Also what works is if you hold your audience in utter contempt (imagine them to be a group of surly 15 year old boys for instance). This is tongue in cheek but have the temporary attitude that you're there to tell these lesser mortals what they need to know. Arrogance, and confident presenting, often appear the same to an audience who will, most often than not, assume the latter.

I used to hate presenting but I practiced, practiced and practiced. Now I can stand up in front of any number of people and talk complete and utter rubbish without a care in the world.

The second most common fear of adults is death. The most common is speaking in public.
Focus everything on looking happy and relaxed. If you look nervous, people suffer with you and hate to watch.

Propranolol - absolute godsend.

Doctors have no issue prescribing it, this is a very common problem.

I used to hate it so much my knees would shake. I went on to teach presentation skills
Stand behind something or walk about ( purposefully not aimlessly) just before you start take a massive breath deep into your tummy and let it out slowly. This will stretch out your diaphragm and avoid short gasping breaths between sentences. No one else knows how nervous you are own the nerves a channel them, they aren't going away (at least they never did for me) but you can manage them.
Yes to engaging with the audience ask them what they already know about the subject. This gets the spotlight off you and gives you time to calm down.
And practice as much as you can. I can't use notes they make me panic more.
I tend to enjoy presenting after the first 5 minutes now. Good luck.

Thanks for your advice everyone. I'm actually crying now because I don't want to do it. I'm terrified.

Propranolol, it works perfectly for this kind of situational anxiety. You’ll still feel nervous but no physical symptoms - so no racing heart, trembling hands or voice, sweating. Honestly it’s brilliant. Your gp will have no issue prescribing for this.

I don’t think many people like it, it’s a scary thing to do and I’m sure many of us can relate to your nerves. Unfortunately though you have to do it, so it’s better to channel your energy into making the best of it and getting through it rather than wishing you didn’t have to. Just think how relieved you’ll feel when it’s done.

As others say practicing really helps because the better you know your material the easier you can sail through it. Also I know it’s easier said than done but try to remember they’re your colleagues/teammates, theyre not a scary anonymous panel trying to scrutinise your every mistake or moment of anxiety. They’re not looking to trip you up and some are probably thinking more about what to have for lunch.

I also find it helps me personally if I’m having a moment of nerves to make eye contact with a teammate I’m particularly fond of/have a good rapport with, they normally give you a reassuring smile or nod which helps de-scare it a bit for me.

Good luck, practice and practice again. You’ll get through it.

See if you can go on a course to develop your presentation skills. It worries me you are crying over it as that does seem extreme.
It’s definitely one of those things you just need to keep doing and practice or find a role that doesn’t involve presenting

What I would say is that it’s your team, not a bunch of strangers. They already know you. Be yourself and share the information with them.
Don’t think of it as a presentation. Think of how you would talk to one person one to one.
If it’s easier, sit down. Think of it as being in a team meeting where it just happens to be your turn to speak.

Was it today, OP? How did it go?

Too late for this presentation unfortunately but look up your local Toastmasters where you will soon become very good at public speaking. I usually practice in the car out loud until l know it word perfect but act in the situation as if l am just making it up. Doing it in the car helps you get used to the sound of your own voice. Focus on knowing your stuff/ changing your tone of voice..practice that so you don't feel stupid doing in. And as said move around a bit but not all over the place. Remember you will get a mighty adrenaline rush when you finish as you will have overcome your fear.
Good luck.