Public Speaking Presence with Confidence

The first way to establish stage presence with confidence is to realize that any physiological reactions to stress such as increase in body temperature, sweaty palms, or trembling hands, are part of our natural fight-or-flight response. Embedded within the human genetic code are survival instincts. In prehistoric times the portion of the human brain called the amygdala was essential to triggering the human fight-or-flight response. This extreme stress and anxiety remained essential to human self-preservation. According to an article by Sarah Gershman (2019), Professor at the McDonough School of Business at Georgetown University, in the Harvard Business Review humans physiologically respond to an audience in the same way as a threatening predator which translates into a physiological response (shortness of breath, redness of face, shaking) when speaking in public (Gershman, 2019).

Gershman (2019) goes on to explain the solution to calming this built-in panic button is to focus on our listeners rather than ourselves. Instead of concentrating on potential mistakes or if the audience is resonating with our speaking style, we should affirm, “This presentation is not about me.”

Surprisingly, the audience is mostly unaware of a speaker’s anxiety level. We can control their perceptions by monitoring our nonverbal communication, such as facial channels, posture, and hand gestures. When in doubt, offer a sincere smile.

According to Dr. Chris Stankovich (2015), who works with athletes in peak performance programming, there is a continuum between "Low Arousal (pumping up)" for repetitive training sessions and "High Arousal (calming down)" for athletic competition. Deep breathing, self-talk, and imagery are suggested during these high arousal periods before an athletic performance (Stankovich, 2015). These same techniques work well for calming nervous energy before you speak.

Establishing stage presence with confidence is to focus on your message. You should focus on what you can do for the audience. For example, when making a sales pitch to a potential client to select your company over another, communicating confidence will increase the potential to sell the product if you focus on the returns that it will bring to your customer’s bottom line. What resonates with the audience is the value-add for them.

The second way to establish stage presence with confidence is to command the event, and work to establish a comfortable, supportive environment for both you and your audience. Arriving at your speaking engagement at least thirty minutes prior to "showtime" ensures adequate time to work out any technical glitches such as with the microphone or presentational software. Arriving early allows you to watch the interactions among audience members and identify listeners who may be particularly receptive to the message. Armed with this information, you can focus on those individuals during the speech. You should attempt to connect with each audience member. Establishing connections can provide an anchor of reassurance from those who will give us a friendly smile or nod during the speech.

Visually monitor nonverbal and verbal audience feedback and make necessary adjustments to the presentation style during the speech. Be flexible enough to make slight content modifications ‘on the fly’ if new information becomes available immediately prior to or during the presentation. For example, you can create a strong speaker-audience connection when referencing a previous speaker, building continuity in your message.

Continually maintain the mindset that we are there to bring information and tools to our audience to benefit them. However, it is essential to establish a shield of confidence if we encounter negative feedback. For example, speakers in business settings are often interrupted by audience members with questions during presentations. It is best to avoid becoming defensive and instead remain poised during delivery. Too many speakers rely on affirming feedback in real-time. Sometimes, an audience member is just having a bad day. For example, some people knit their brows when focusing; this does not mean they do not enjoy your presentation.