One of the professional skills that I am working to develop is my confidence, poise, and pacing when I do public speaking. Public speaking is a hurdle that I have been able to jump and I talk more about it in this post, Confidence Boosting Tips.

Whether you present to 10, 100, or 1000…people want to hear your message. So… #getupandsayit

Professionally, I mostly present to small groups of early childhood educators. Often they already know each other and some of the most compassionate people around. However, there was that one time that my state organization (VtAEYC) booked 92 attendees in my workshop instead of the 25 I had listed as my maximum.

In this post, I would like to share “Presentation Tips from my Community College Students”! 

Here is a condensed list of tips that my Curriculum Development students wrote in their post presentation reflections. I asked them to write a Pep Talk for themselves for the next time they have to present. Their ideas were so good I had to share them with you!

• Repeat a simple phrase in your mind, some suggestions include: “You got this girl.” “The only failure is if you don’t try!” “It’s only 10 minutes out of your life.” “Breathe. Smile. Speak from your heart.”
• Breathe – if you don’t breathe you will die. Breathe, slowly, deeply. Exhale when you need to pause.
• Practice in front of mirror or someone kind before doing your presentation in class
• Dress for success, but don’t wear anything itchy. Wear your favorite outfit, and smile. Red is a bold color to go with my bold message.
• Never let them see you sweat, so wear something that feels cool. Turtle necks and sweaters are out.
• Drink water, being hydrated makes you feel better.
• Power poses – stand tall, shoulders back, move around so you don’t look stiff
• Look at the audience and be confident. Eye contact is hard for me so I look toward the audience just focus on their hairline.
• Note cards help me stay on track, but I need to make sure I don’t stare at them.
• Fumble on words, have a few little mess ups, but just keep on going.
• No one is expected to be perfect, and when we own our flaws we find our strength #flawesome
• We’re all human and everyone will experience “first times” throughout life.
• Before hand do something that helps you relax – stop by to visit a friend for a few minutes, sit and enjoy a quiet moment, drink a coffee and calm my thoughts, take a nature walk, read a funny story.
• Give yourself credit for the work you put into your research and preparation
• Smile and just do it.
• Pack a special treat: “As soon as I am done I can eat that chocolate in my bag!”
• Life will present itself with many challenges, but when you have message you want others to hear…Get Up and Say It! (And we will be right over here cheering you on!)

#flawesome  #getupandsayit