Presentation Skills for Nonnative English Speakers

Presentation anxiety is natural and normal. But letting your fear get in the way of your professional competence and competence -- and your career -- isn't the best option. Here's how to put it in perspective.

Everyone gets nervous at one time or another – even the most experienced speakers. And yes, even native English speakers! Whether it’s presenting a new topic, presenting to a new audience, or presenting to an audience who knows you well – and who will see you again tomorrow, we all have scenarios that make us feel more or less comfortable and confident.

Download the checklist to help you identify which concerns undermine your confidence, so you can work on them.

Your mindset matters. It can even control your body! Here's how to rethink FEAR so that your mind is working for you rather than against you.

Who know that breathing was such an important part of preparing to speak? Well, now YOU do. Here's how to use this simple technique to put your mind at ease.

Chances are, the biggest fears you have about public speaking are made up in your head. (Really!) Here's how to challenge your catastrophic thinking with actual facts.

Do you think that presenting would be easier if only there were nobody in the audience? Here's how to make the presence of other people work for you rather than against you.

What if you can't stop sweating or shaking? Here are some concrete tips to mask signs of anxiety that you're afraid your audience will see. (And chances are, it's WAY more noticeable to you than it is to them.)

The 3 V's of communication are all important to master to become an excellent presenter. Learn what they are in this video!

If your presentation is unfocused or disorganized, you will lose your credibility. Learn how the "Presentation Diamond" provides a simple structure for organizing your presentation quickly.

You have only seconds to make a powerful first impression. In this lecture, you'll learn what to say and how to say it to make a meaningful, memorable impact right from the start.

In this video, you'll learn three organizational frameworks:

1. Problem Solution

2. Chronological

3. Geographic

Download the handout that accompanies this video, as well as the next video. It will include concrete examples of each framework.

In our last video, we shared three organizational frameworks:

1. Problem Solution

2. Chronological

3. Geographic

In this video, we’ll explore three additional ones to give you a wide range of options:

1. Cause and effect

2. Middle ground

3. Rule of Three

In order to make your main points come together fluently and fluidly, you need to connect and weave those points together through a logical flow of ideas. Transitions ease the listener into the next idea, provide internal structure, create suspense and intrigue, and serve to hold your whole presentation together.

Download the attached worksheet to follow along.

As much as you might dread taking questions from the audience, they actually provide an excellent opportunity to increase buy-in, clarify ideas, and determine next steps.  Download the attached handout to follow along with the 8 questions you need to ask yourself before you tackle the Q&A.

Every presenter needs concrete strategies for how to handle questions -- including those you know the answers to, and those you don't. This lecture will offer you approaches and language you can use to help you take control of the Q&A.

Hopefully, the questions your audience ask you are simple and friendly. But sometimes, you will get a question from a frustrated or angry colleague, client, or boss. What should you do? Watch this lecture to find out!

Should I use data? Should I tell a story?

The answer is yes. You need to know how to do both, and which one you use will depend on who is in your audience.

Pausing is a gift. It's a gift to your audience so they can catch up their processing with your speaking. It's a gift to you so you can catch your breath, drink some water, "read the room", and check your notes. Here's how to embrace the power of the pause.

How do you know if you're speaking too loudly or too quietly? Watch this video to find out!

It can take a while for an audience to really understand a nonnative English speaker -- but not as long as you think.

Download the handout for an exercise that will help you determine whether you're speaking at the right speed for your audience to capture and consider what you're saying.

Every presentation is an opportunity to create a positive impression. And while the verbal language you use, as well as your tone of voice, can signal to your audience how to feel and think about you, no element of communication is more powerful and influential than your body language. Here's what to do, and what NOT to do.

Download the attached handout so you can practice your stances.

Eye contact can have different meanings in different cultures. Here's how to get more comfortable with looking people in the eye while you're speaking, even if it doesn't feel natural to you.

If you stand behind a podium or table, you'll look like you're hiding. Here's how to move around the room with confidence.

Your hands communicate to your audience whether you're closed or open, disagreeable or agreeable, and nervous or confident. Here's how to make sure you come across the way you want to be perceived.

Your slides can enhance your presentation, increase understanding, and inspire buy-in. And they can also bore, overwhelm, or confuse your audience. Here are a few simple tweaks that you can make to your slides to make them less of a distraction and more of a vehicle for understanding.

Download the attached handout to follow along.

In this video, you'll learn three cultural considerations to be aware of when presenting in English.

Times have changed, and your language needs to be gender-inclusive. This can be tricky if your native language has feminine and masculine gender marks for pronouns, nouns, adjectives, etc. Here's how to speak in a way that's inclusive and respectful of everyone.

As a professional, you want to show that you are respectful of your audience. And you also want to make sure that your audience is respectful of who you are, too. No matter where you were born, or where you live now, you are entitled to bring your full self to your work. That includes your presentations. Here's how to bring your unique background and culture to the forefront.

Before you watch the final video, take a moment to assess your readiness to put what you learned into practice. (You will remember these questions from the beginning of this course.)

Feel free to follow along by downloading the written version of this assessment, or you just write down your answers to compare them to how you responded in the beginning of the course.

You did it!  And I am proud of you for putting the time and effort into completing this program.

I hope that you have learned many useful techniques that you can actually use immediately in your very next presentation. And trust me: I am using many of these myself every single day.

Please keep in touch. Let me know if I can be helpful to you and your colleagues in any way.

Once again, I have includes a resource sheet to help you with your ongoing learning.

Here’s to many successful business presentations!

Respectfully yours,

Deborah Grayson Riegel