Giving a presentation or speaking in
public in your native language can be nerve wracking. Presenting in a second
language can seem like an insurmountable task. But the reality is, with a
little time and preparation you can give a successful presentation in English
and impress your audience.
Give yourself extra time:
If you are
presenting in a second language, procrastination is not going to be helpful. If
possible, give yourself an extra week or two to prepare for the presentation.
(The extra time will also allow you to follow the rest of our suggestions.)
Write
the speech out:
While you
don’t want to read your speech, writing it out in advance, in the language you
will be presenting in will help you clarify your thoughts and boost your
confidence in your presentation. Avoid writing the speech in your native
language and then translating it. Direct translation often leads to incorrect
sentence structure and awkward phrasing.
Read
it out loud:
Reading
your speech out loud will help you become more comfortable with pronunciation
and sentence structure. It will also help you feel more confident presenting
from your notes if you have read the speech out loud a number of times before
the presentation.
Create
simplified notes:
After you
have written your speech and read it out loud, create a set of simple notes or
an outline to help you stay on track and remember key points.
