When you’re delivering a speech or presentation, what should you do first?
Here’s my suggestion, and it may seem counterintuitive. Don’t start talking.
Stay quiet. Take your place at the front of the room. Look around. Smile. Wait. Let everyone settle. See them looking back at you. Remember your intention: what are you here to do?
Now breathe.
When you exhale that breath, it’s time to start to speak.
