As the trade fair manager, I have to do great deal of promotion activities in order to present our trade fair to the public. With public presentations it’s the same like with almost everything you study at school. School gives you an idea what is it like, but reality is always different and you are never prepared as you would like to. I know about myself, that I am pretty good speaker, with pretty good presentation skills and decent body language, but still I was really nervous before my first public presentation.

This month I had two presentations about AMPER Trade Fair, both in English which is not my mother tongue language. First one was for Federation of Thai industries and in the conference room had been approximately 20 people. Second presentation was during the conference of Optonics and Measurment and this one was for approximately 80 people. Both presentations were for 15 minutes and I think that I had handled both presentations very well. I spoke fluently, without hesitations or long pauses. Still there are couple things I would like to improve and handle public presentations better.

How to improve your public presentation skills? Here are some advices that worked for me.

1. Practice makes masters. Try to make use of every single one possibility and do speaking on public as often as possible. You will get used to it.
2. Prepare your presentation carefully, but don’t be afraid to improvise. You don’t have to know it word by word. Just present it fluently and well structured, just as you would be explaining something to your brother or friend.
3. Before you get in front of the crowd, take a couple deep breaths. If there is possibility to hide yourself for a moment, do so. In privacy do small exercise with your body, tense up every single muscle you have – just for couple seconds and then ease off. This way you will reduce stress and it might help you against hands shaking.
4. Find for yourself anti stress ritual and do it during your public presentation. It has to be something discreet, non noticeable. For example my anti stress ritual is that, I am clenching toes in my shoes.

Hope this helps you just as much as me. I’m looking forward to post here next weekly update, have fun and hopefully see you here.

Best regards, Frank

In front of Thai businessman, Prague, fall 2014

I am explaning statistics from the AMPER 2014 Trade Fair to the audience, Prague, fall 2014

Audience of the Federation of Thai industries, Prague, fall 2014

I am preparing my notes for the presentation, O&M Liberec, fall 2014

Listening to the question after my presentation, O&M Liberec, fall 2014

Slide from my presentation, O&M Liberec, fall 2014

One half of the audience, O&M Liberec, fall 2014