The Day of the Presentation

If at all possible, try to eat a hearty breakfast. Many people are very nervous before their time slot, especially if they are inexperienced, so make sure you have eaten well the morning of your presentation. Speaking of time slots, if at all possible try to avoid the after-lunch crowds. Most of the audience during this time will still be in a “food coma” and it will be harder to capture their attention. For an inexperienced, first-time speaker who doesn’t know how to work a crowd, this could be a very discouraging situation.

Drink plenty of water and be sure to have a good supply handy during your speech. Nerves can often make you feel as though you have “cotton mouth,” not to mention the fact that as a speaker you may be doing quite a bit of talking before, during, and after your speech. Remember that it is better to have plenty of water and not need it than to need it and not have it.

Most importantly, try to remember to have fun with your presentation and keep a positive attitude. Speaking in public can be very stressful at first, but if you are prepared, you’ll get over your nervousness. Even if you don’t exactly shine, chances are if you deserve to be there in the first place you will still do much better than your worries will have you to believe. Also, even if this is your first time speaking, keep in mind that many of the people in your audience probably have even less experience at this than you do and will probably be forgiving of any mistakes you might make...if they even notice.