Abrahams: Structuring presentations as self-conversations reduces anxiety
Matt Abrahams · How to speak more confidently and persuasively | Matt Abrahams (professor, speaker, author) · Mar 31, 2024 · at 22:02
Matt Abrahams, Stanford strategic communication lecturer, outlines practical techniques to alleviate presentation anxiety by reframing formal presentations as conversational dialogues.
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“A great technique to help people that I, that often isn't talked about is many of us feel much more comfortable in conversation than we do in presenting. And conversation is a back and forth. So you can actually set up a lot of your communication situations, a presentation, a meeting, et cetera, as conversations. That doesn't, and you don't even have to have a conversation with the audience. You can simply have it with yourself. For example, what would it be like if you were to start a presentation by saying, today I have three questions I'd like to answer. Question number one is, and you state the question, and then you answer it. I am actually having a conversation with myself in that moment where I am asking myself a question. I happen to know the answer. I give the answer. This again, just like the reframing as excitement versus anxiety, this is a reframe. I'm not presenting. I'm having a conversation, and in so doing, it ratchets down that anxiety.”
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