I am currently reading Scott Berkun’s book “Confessions of a Public Speaker” and thought this was hilarious and true:
…unless presentation terrorists steal your microphone midsentence or put up their own projector and start showing their
own slide deck—designed specifically to contradict your every
point—you’re free from the pressures other performers face
nightly. Small observations like this make it easier to laugh at
nerves, even if they won’t go away.
I do quite a few presentations to companies and other groups and still get nervous before each presentation. One point Scott is trying to make is that it is natural to be nervous and that most speakers don’t have people intentionally trying to derail them. I thought the idea of “presentation terrorists” was great!
Enjoy!