The Shyness & Social Anxiety Workbook
230of the room). Speak crisply and pronounce your words clearly. Avoid saying 
“uh” and “um.” Finally, avoid speaking too quickly. Going too fast is one of 
the most common mistakes people make during presentations, particularly 
when they are feeling anxious.
UÊMake eye contact with the audience members during the talk.
UÊTry to move around when you are speaking. Walk around the front of the 
room rather than staying planted at a podium. Don’t put your hands in 
your pockets. Instead, gesture with your hands to emphasize key points. 
However, keep your hands away from your face and hair.
UÊPresentations are often less interesting when they are read verbatim. If you 
read a presentation word for word, you also run the risk of panicking if you 
lose your place. Instead, we recommend speaking from a detailed outline 
with lots of headings, bullets, and so on. An outline will make sure that all 
the information you need is available and easy to access, even if you lose 
your place. It will also force you to be somewhat spontaneous during the 
presentation. If the thought of not reading your speech is too scary, another 
option is to bring both an outline version and a fully written version. If 
necessary, you can switch to reading your presentation if using the outline 
alone doesn’t work.
UÊDon’t talk down to your audience. They probably know more than you 
think they do. Even if the material is new to them, they will not appreciate 
being talked to like children—unless, of course, they are children! Make 
sure your tone of voice and the things you say are not condescending.
UÊRepeat the main points of the presentation frequently. Audience members