Meetings could be stressful depending on what you are going to talk about and whom you are going to discuss things with. It becomes even worse when you receive the assignment of presenting your ideas to everyone who is going to attend. These tips will help you avoid stress and focus on what you need to accomplish.
Research your tasks carefully
You cannot join a fight without the right weapons. Make sure that you enter the meeting room when you are ready with your plans. It is excellent if you have the right slides to present to the people. You also need to back them up with credible sources. If the other people ask questions, you also need to be ready to answer them. It will stress you out when you start talking, and people throw questions that you cannot answer because you were not prepared.
Treat everyone like your friends
You are lucky if you are close to the people who are going to the meeting. Even if you do not get things right or you crack a weird joke, they will forgive you. It becomes stressful when you do not know anyone. You can condition yourself into thinking that they are your close friends and they will do you no harm. You can smile at them while you present. You can also laugh at yourself if you say something stupid. They might not have the reaction that you expect, but you need to stop worrying about it since you will only feel stressed even more.
Prepare the equipment
You also need the appropriate equipment to help discuss your ideas. Make sure that you have the sound system ready, especially if you are speaking in front and there is a large number of attendees. You also need to check if a monitor is available for your slides. You can buy an AV wall mount if you want to discuss the items on the screen without having a hard time. Check all of your slides on the day of the meeting by arriving early so that if anything does not go as planned, you still have time to deal with it.
Do not set a high bar
Sometimes, you feel worried not because of the people who will listen to you, but the high bar that you set for yourself. You are pulling yourself down when you keep setting impossible goals. It does not mean that you should lower your standards, just throw all unrealistic expectations out and try doing your best. You will then feel satisfied regardless of the outcome. The point is that you try everything that you can to succeed.
You need to learn how to avoid stress while presenting in a meeting since you will most likely face a lot of them in the future. If you cannot overcome this fear now, you will not achieve any other goal as you aim for higher posts in the office. Try building your confidence now and allow people around you to help you.
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