Imagine your audience fully clothed

Some experts still give the advice to picture the audience in their underwear. I even read an article the other day that suggested imagining them dressed as clowns. What?

1. It takes an enormous amount of energy to actually imagine a group of people in underwear. Are they in boxers or briefs? Sports bras or lace? Cotton or spandex? It's exhausting just thinking about it.

2. It's distracting. When you're trying to focus on your content, connect with the audience and get your message across, the last thing you need is to have to concentrate on something completely irrelevant.

3. It might make you feel superior to the audience if you can imagine them in an embarrassing or degrading position, but is that really what you want, to be an adversary instead of a partner with your audience?

How about we stop all this vivid imagining of people in their skivvies and knickers and use real tools that actually help? There are a lot of great ways to relax and calm your nerves before a presentation. This is not one of them.

Here are more resources for preparation before a presentation:

Relaxation and vocal preparation handout
Cool as a cucumber or sweaty like a racehorse?
Preparation rituals series
I'm not afraid
Prepared vs. over-prepared

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