Presenting yourself and not just the Content


Published 24 October 2023

  1. Balancing eye contact: Eye contact portrays confidence. A general rule-of-thumb for eye contact is 2 seconds at a time. Any longer would feel awkward and any shorter would make you seem nervous.

 

  1. Make use of hand gestures: Intentional and timed hand gestures could emphasize what you are saying and keep the audience engaged. It shows that you care about what you are saying. Avoid fiddling with items or keeping your hands in your pockets.

 

  1. Dress for success: Dress in clothes that you feel comfortable and confident in. Certain colours can also make a difference -think of red for example (a real power move).

 

  1. Straighten up your posture: Slouching when you are presenting shows lack of confidence. Take a deep breath and relax to remove tension before you start with the presentation.

 

  1. Breathe: Taking deep breaths beforehand will help you to relax so that you do not speak faster than normal and run out of breath. Taking well-timed pauses between your speech will also make your audience hang on to everything you say.  Think about how Elon Musk or Mark Zuckerberg usually take a moment before answering questions.

 

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