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When presentation day finally arrives, your work as a presenter may feel like it's just
beginning despite all the planning, strategizing, and analyzing you've done just to get to
this point. You will learn to prepare to present, manage any anxiety, read the audience,
and critically reflect on the speech or presentation.
Making the most of rehearsals on presentation day can be a boost. You will learn about best
practices ranging from choosing flattering but comfortable clothes to testing AV equipment
and other technological aids. A back up plan is also a must. Armed with these elements
you move from being prepared to also feeling prepared and able to focus on the task at hand.
By now everyone has heard of stage fright, that quality of feeling like a deer in headlights
and fearing you will forget everything and be laughed off the stage. Besides all of the
preparation precautions taken, you will learn effective tools and strategies to help you
manage your anxiety just before, during and as you approach the end of your speech or presentation.
Maintaining a connection with the audience by keeping eye contact and paying attention
to their body language can serve the twin purpose of reducing your anxiety, and ensuring
you're encouraging their active listening. You will learn about how to read the audience
in real time, respond to Q & As effectively as well as use the audience response as a
tool to constructively critique a presentation.
The final section allows for reflection beginning with how to do a well balanced self analysis,
incorporate audience feedback, and take useful steps and approaches to give
and receive constructive presentation feedback.
By preparing to present well, making the most of tools to manage anxiety, developing your
audience-reading abilities, as well as skills in critical reflection, you should now
be able to communicate effectively with a live audience.