Creative Visualisation is a technique that you can use to instil confidence in yourself, to calm the nerves prior to a presentation and to help ensure your presentation is a success. It is a technique that first surfaced in sports. Before a high dive champion jumps off the top board, he or she may use Creative Visualisation to imagine the perfect dive.
Springing off the board, curling in to the first roll, arms in tight, knees up against the chest. Then extending out, fingers stretched, toes pointing at the ceiling and back perfectly straight. This is followed by the entry into the water, fingers first followed by the arms, head, torso, legs then feet and toes, without a splash. Finally, surfacing to rapturous applause and a perfect score from the judges.
By visualising this perfect performance, it helps to convince you that you can do it; it helps to make you think about all the various steps, clarifying in your mind exactly what you have to do to make it perfect.
You can do the same with your presentation; imagine standing on the stage, not fidgeting, talking loud and clear, the audience are hanging on your every word, smiling back at you and when you finish, them rising to give you a standing ovation.
Creative visualisation is just one of the ways of overcoming the fear and nervousness of public speaking.
Presentation Training and Coaching is available from the author of this blog. Please visit my presentation training website.
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Graham Young
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