Dread presenting at work? Read these tips before your next meeting

Viv Groskop, a stand-up comedian, writer and public speaking coach advises picking a word that encapsulates what you want your speech to convey.

“It could be something like clarity… you can think to yourself afterwards, ‘did I set out to be clear? Was I clear? Yes. It’s a win.’ And every time you choose a different word.”

Groskop also advises putting a post-it note on your laptop camera and reminding yourself to look there and not at people on the screen “because it will mean you’re looking down, not at people.”

When you’re presenting in person, Prof Nazanin Derakhshan, a neuroscientist at Birkbeck, University of London, advises not to focus too much on people’s faces.

“Accept that their facial expression may mean anything, and distract yourself internally from interpreting these facial expressions.”