Stupidly Early

Making a presentation or a speech can be a stressful event. Even the thought of getting up and speaking in public can be enough to induce the symptoms of panic or fear.

Now, while I have many techniques I'd like to share for eliminating or minimising that stress, and fully intend to offer some of these solutions in this blog in the near future, I thought today that it would be a good idea to offer some very practical advice for you when you find you're in the frame for a bit of public speaking. Advice that will certainly lower the potential for stress and make your presentation more enjoyable.

Research your venue: If you are unfamiliar with the location, either go there ahead of the date or at least do some homework on the internet about transport, parking, etc.

On the day: Get there early! Being late is a sure fire way to stress yourself up even if you're an experienced and confident speaker, so leave a stupidly large amount of time for travel. You can always find the venue, make sure you know which door to use and such then go and have a sandwich or something.

A footnote to this advice is that when you have arrived in good time and you find yourself with an hour spare, don't be tempted to have an alcoholic drink - even a small one is a bad idea for loads of reasons - and avoid coffee if you have even the slightest tendency to get wired on caffeine - there's always soft drinks and decaff!