While mentoring some colleagues to help them overcome their fear of public speaking and improve their presentation skills, I noticed a clear “fear of the flipchart”. What is it and how is it overcome?

It can be easy to spot someone with a fear of public speaking because they’re glued to where they started their speech and refuse to move. The idea of ​​using any kind of props (eg flipcharts, handouts, etc.) is scary because they would have to be moved and could make the experience last even longer.

However, one important public speaking tip is to use flip charts and other props to support your presentation. The way you use your flipchart is a critical part of public speaking. Here are some important public speaking tips and techniques to use a flipchart effectively:

1. Arrive early and make sure the flipchart is posted so you can easily access it when you need it.

2. Make sure it’s positioned so you can stand next to it and write while still facing your audience (i.e. don’t have your back to your audience!)

3. Make sure you have several bookmarks that work and immediately throw away the ones that don’t work. You don’t want to be struggling to find a good marker during your presentation.

4. Only use blue or black markers please. It’s too hard for those in the back of the room to see other colors. Red is fine to accentuate things that are already written in blue or black.

5. When writing on the board, make letters at least 2-3 inches tall.

6. Draw lines on the pages in pencil beforehand to help keep your writing legible.

7. Plan your pages as you write your presentation outline. They will be the support for your public speaking presentation.

8. Write notes to yourself, in pencil, on the flipchart to help you remember all the important points to include. I promise your audience won’t see the penciled notes.

9. If you have something you want to present and then emphasize during the presentation or discussion, write out the flipchart page beforehand so you can simply turn the page.

10. If you need to refer to something you wrote on a page later in your presentation, tear out the page and have someone tape it to the wall; don’t forget to bring some big duct tape for this.

Flipcharts are a great way to be interactive with your audience and get their input for your presentation. People feel important when you write their words and ideas on a piece of paper in front of the room.

I hope this generates some ideas about using flipcharts to strengthen your public speaking and help overcome any “fear of the flipchart.”