I was talking to a friend recently and he told me about how nervous he was as he set about giving his first ever PowerPoint presentation to an audience. Luckily he had an ally, a former workmate and close friend who agreed to act as a friendly fifth column right in the heart of his audience. The arrangement was that if the friend in the audience thought that the presentation was going on a bit, he would 'accidentally' drop his pen onto the floor. This would be a clear signal for the presenter to wind things up. With this arrangement in place it came to the actual presentation. My friend stood nervously in front of the audience. "Good afternoon, and thank you all for coming," he said. As soon as these words had left his mouth he heard the pen drop. He laughs about it now but at the time he could have flattened his so-called mate.

And with good cause too. Standing in front of an audience can be a daunting prospect and no matter how much wizardry in PowerPoint you possess, your presentation can suffer badly if nerves get the better of you. So here are some ways you can keep those anxiety levels low enough for you to deliver a good presentation.

A sense of perspective
First of all get a fix on where your presentation stands in the grand scheme of things. Think of the footballer about to take a crucial penalty in front of tens of thousands of expectant supporters, or the X Factor contestant preparing to sing for the first time in front of millions. Your own presentation is nowhere near as intimidating as these scenarios, so surely you will sail through it.

Prepare with care
Your nervous delivery will not be helped if something goes wrong with the slide show itself. You should ensure it stands the best possible chance of running smoothly by going through a checklist well in advance of the presentation to make sure that any potential glitches are discovered and weeded out. Doing this in the comfort zone of the office or the home is far preferable to having problems arise when the presentation goes live. Make sure you are familiar with the slide show.

Check that the slides are in the correct order and that you know exactly how you will be presenting them, using the mouse or keyboard. Don't content yourself that you can run through the presentation, but think of unexpected situations that may crop up and learn how to deal with them. Be sure that you know how to move back to a previous slide, or to a specific one. Find out how to get a white or black screen up for those parts of the presentation when you want the audience to concentrate fully on what you say, without the distraction of a slide. You could use an assistant to take charge of the slides but a miscue could prove disastrous.

Don't hide
If you are nervous then you may feel more comfortable looking at the screen than the audience. This might ease your anxiety somewhat, but turning your back on the very people you are supposed to be communicating with would not be a wise move. First off it is rude to speak with your back to someone and secondly your voice will carry a lot better if you face your audience and they can read your facial expressions as you speak.

Keep your distance
There are certain psychological aids that might help you conquer those nerves. If you quake at the responsibility of being the centre of attention then you should look for ways to distance yourself from the spotlight. Using a pointer is a simple but effective way to detach yourself from the glare of the presentation.

Drink to distraction
Having a glass of water at your side is invaluable. Taking regular sips will keep your throat from drying up, a common symptom of nervousness, and the physical act of drinking will allow you to take legitimate momentary breaks from the presentation so you can relax and gather your thoughts.

Make 'em laugh
If the situation warrants it, you should try to inject a little humour into your presentation, preferably early on. Making your audience smile will endear them to you and get them on your side just as I did (I hope) with my opening paragraph.

There is no escaping the fact that delivering a PowerPoint presentation to an audience can be a cause of anxiety, but there are things you can do to minimise its effect on your performance. If you take steps to deal with possible glitches and use some of the techniques listed above to conquer those nerves then your presentation should run smoothly. And this in itself would be a huge confidence boost that would see any anxiety greatly diminished at the next presentation.