Meet and Greet Audience To Reduce Nervousness

Antsy before a presentation? Make time to meet and greet your audience.

Well before the audience arrives, get into the meeting venue if possible. Look out across the room, set up your notes, turn on the microphone, and hear yourself say a few words. Definitely test the audio-visual equipment.

Once you are set, some of the most practical advice for steadying your nerves involves being in the room early enough to meet and greet your audience. Shake hands and say hello to meeting attendees as they enter the banquet hall or your company’s conference room. Putting names with faces and having brief but meaningful conversations with participants will set most speakers at ease. It helps to remember you are “among friends” and that your audience wants you to succeed. When a speaker flops, it makes everyone in the room feel uncomfortable. No one likes to feel uncomfortable, and no one wants to feel bad for the presenter.

Some of the most highly rated professional speakers I know will stand at the convention room door one hour early awaiting the first attendee’s arrival. They shake hands, converse briefly, and even refer to people by name throughout their presentation. Personalizing the presentation thusly is yet another way to show how the presentation is about them, the audience, and not you, the speaker.

 

 

To customize a keynote or professional development session that will have your audience laughing and learning, contact Mandi Stanley.

 

Certified Speaking Professional Mandi Stanley works with business leaders who want to boost their professional image by becoming better speakers and writers through interactive high-content keynotes, breakout sessions, workshops, technical writing seminars, and fun proofreading classes. 

 

Photo by Kristina Paparo on Unsplash