If you feel nervous speaking in public or presenting at work, you’ll know it can be very unpleasant.
Many of the symptoms of nervous speaking are very similar to other life experiences.
Approaching a member of the opposite sex to ask them out on a date, going for a job interview and taking your driving test, can feel just like nervous speaking.
Shortness of breath, sweaty palms, dry mouth, queasy stomach and wobbly legs. These are just a handful of physical symptoms that can affect our performance.
If you feel nervous speaking or presenting at work or in public, you may worry for weeks or even months in advance.
It’s our thoughts that dictate the way we feel
We become what we think about and so does our presentation.
Imagine this
Your partner is late home from work. You knew they were going for a quick celebratory birthday drink with a colleague at work but now it’s getting really late.
The later it gets, the more worried and anxious you become because you fear the worst.
Perhaps they have been attacked on the way home from the station. You imagine they’ve had too much to drink and stepped out into the middle of the road. Your anxiety becomes heightened even further by your thoughts that perhaps the reason for their absence is an affair.
Your mind has made a quantum leap from a frenzied attack to a sordid affair,
How did that happen?
The more you play those thoughts in your head, the more vivid you make the image and the more real the movie becomes.
Now you’re upset and its completely unfounded. The truth is, the only reason they are late is because they stopped for something to eat on the way home. Their battery was dead on their mobile phone, so they couldn’t call.
As strange as it may sound, nervous speaking can be a little like that
What movie do you play over and over again in your mind when it’s time to give an important presentation?
Could it be the movie that causes your mouth to turn dry, butterflies to dance the tango in your stomach?
Is it the movie that creates a feeling of panic and dread?
You anxiety is often related to your thinking
The racing heartbeat and feeling of nausea are likely to do with the perceived world you have created in your own mind.
It’s completely normal
It’s likely that your thoughts are related to some of the following:
I’ll make a fool of myself
They won’t like me
I’ll forget my words
What if they ask me a question I dont know the answer to?
The feelings associated with nervous speaking don’t easily go away just because you command them to.
Imagine telling someone who has a terrifying fear of flying to pull themselves together at 40,000 feet,whilst being pelted around in their seat by turbulence. It’s futile!
Here are some highly effective ideas to help you to manage the symptoms of nervous speaking.
Be prepared
Practice, practice, and practice some more. I don’t mean memorize, memorize and memorize.
I mean, get to know your material; internalize your message. Rehearse in front of the mirror, friends, family or even next doors dog; just know your stuff.
The more prepared you are, the less anxious you will feel
Imagine turning up for your presentation to find that you left all of your notes on the train or that your laptop had stopped working.
The thought alone is enough to start your heart racing.
That’s why you need to own your message
In the unlikely event of that happening, you should still be able to speak because you know your message. You may not have all the data but you can still give a good account of why you called your audience together in the first place.
Once you have absolute clarity of your message, spend some time practicing:
– The verbal expression of your message; how you sound.
– The non-verbal expression of your message; how you look.
Arrive early
Give yourself plenty of time to calm down and connect with yourself before you speak.
Become familar with the:
Building
Audience
Room
Support network
Environment – temperature, sounds, lighting, space
Facilities and resources
Breathe
Allow yourself the time and space to improve the flow of oxygen to your brain to help you think more clearly.
Don’t be in a rush to speak.
The real secret to nervous speaking is learning to connect with yourself first and just be present in the room.
The fastest, simplest and most reliable path to presence, is to take the time to breathe.
It’s impossible to hold more than one thought at a time.
If your thought is focused on your breath, you will instantly begin to feel more calm and relaxed.
Don’t wait untill the day of your presentation to practice
Make it a daily practice long before you turn up to present.
There are a number of very helpful mobile applications that can help you. Two of my personal favourites are Calm and Headspace.
The following video explains exactly ‘Why Breathwork Matters’:
Don’t be selfish
Stop focusing on yourself for a moment and think about your audience.
Think about what they need and how you can help them instead.
Don’t focus on whether your audience can hear you stuttering or can see the red blotches on your neck.
Think about:
– How much they may already know and care about this topic?
– What else they want and need to know?
– Why should they care about what you have to say?
– How what you have to say will make their lives better, easier, happier or positively different in some way?
– How can you anticipate and address any resistance they may have?
– What they have to gain by listening to you?
– What questions they will have for you and how you answer them?
Play to your strengths
If you have a gift for telling stories, then use it.
Perhaps storytelling isn’t your strength, it may be:
– Making eye contact
– Making people laugh
– The strength of your voice
– Your passion
– Your empathy
– Interacting with the audience
Play to your strengths, instead of focusing too much on your weaknesses.
Be a number
Imagine confidence on a scale of one to ten, with one representing the lowest level of confidence and ten the highest.
Practice holding a high number of your choosing in your mind.
Close your eyes, take a couple of deep breaths and then ask yourself what that number/level of confidence looks, sounds and feels like in your personal world.
Don’t think about how it is percieved by others; think about what it means to you personally.
Once you have an image in your mind and feeling in your body, practice being that number/ level of confidence over and over again.
Read a few passages from your favourit book or even the newspaper; owning that level of confidence.
In other words, how would you stand, look, speak and move.
Watch the brilliant Ted Talk by Amy Cuddy, ‘Your body language may shape who you are’.
Choose to be that number moments before you stand to present
Before you utter a word, take a moment to stand, pause and breathe. Choose a number, a level of confidence that you would like to feel and project.
Then step into that number and be that number.
An eight will serve most people well
Even though we are not actors we all subconsciously know how to be an eight on a scale of confidence.
We just have to hold that number and image in our mind as a level of confidence.
This isn’t about acting, it’s about ‘being’.
Play a movie you like
Before you present, picture yourself in your mind presenting as you really want to.
Visualise:
– Yourself speaking fluently and easily
– Your audience smiling and nodding in agreement
– Connecting with the audience and enjoying yourself
– Standing tall, proud and strong as you speak
– Your words flowing naturally and easily
– Your audience applauding when you finish speaking
If that’s too difficult then at least imagine:
– Yourself lying on the beach, the warm sun on your skin and the sound of the ocean
– Doing something you love, a hobbie, pastime or passion
– That incredible moment you passed your driving test or were offered your first job
– That feeling of relief, joy and success after your first kiss
– Being in your favourite place in the world
Change your thoughts and you’ll change your emotional state.
Get perspective
Remember, you probably know more about your subject than anyone in your audience, so take comfort in that.
If you don’t, then remember, you have been asked to present for a good reason. They could just have easily asked someone else but they chose you.
We all hold some limiting and negative beliefs, no one is exempt
There are many reasons we can feel nervous presenting.
One of them may be because we have allowed those limiting or negative beliefs to thrive for years without noticing, challenging and reframing them.
– Write down your limiting or negative beliefs
– Instead of looking for evidence as to why you believe them to be true, look for evidence why they are not true
– Write down what you would need to believe to help you to feel less nervous speaking
– Look for evidence elsewhere in life for success, acheivement and confidence; write it down
– Write down a brand new set of beliefs that are far more empowering and helpful
– Practice focusing on those new, positive beliefs
Watch your language
Watch out for negative self- talk.
Replace it with positive and kind self-talk.
Negative self-talk Positive self-talk
I don’t know how to present This is an opportunity to learn something new
Presenting and public speaking is so hard I’ll get some presention training
I’m not a confident presenter Confidence comes with practice
I don’t have time to prepare I will make time to prepare, it’s important
There’s no way I’ll be good at this I will do everything I can to make it work
I’m an introvert, not a public speaker Many great speakers are introverts; they care
No one will listen to me I’m speaking to help my audience
What if I freeze and forget my words I will pause, breathe, smile and carry on
What if they ask me a question I can’t answer I will respond honestly and calmly
Remind yourself how good you really are at your job
Remember how much you know and care about the topic.
Remeber just how far you’ve come and all that you have achieved in the past.
Don’t beat yourself up in your mind.
Be kind and gentle with yourself, use words of encouragement.
Learn from the best
Get some help:
– Watch TED talks (https://www.ted.com/) and https://www.youtube.com/ videos of some of your favourite presenters.
– Take on board what you admire the most and adapt what you like to suit your personality and style in a way that will work for you.
– Spend time with colleagues you admire as presenters. Watch them, ask them questions, get some feedback.
– Attend workshops, conferencing and seminars in person and online -meet as many presenters as you can.
– Find a really good public speaking coach to help you.
Move
Try not to stand as though your feet are nailed to the floor.
Movement represents energy and visual stimulation.
Use your energy and own the platform.
Stand tall and straight with your feet, shoulders or hip width apart; feel your feet connected to the ground you are standing on.
Move around with purpose, not just for the sake of it.
Let your hands speak.
Let your body speak.
Don’t forget to let your face speak.
The whole stage is yours, practice owning it
If you have a flip chart, be sure to move it to a position that suits you.
If there is a screen then touch the screen.
Move the laptop, tables or chairs wherever you want them to; show them it’s all yours.
Please don’t forget
Dress for confidence. If you look good, it’s highly likely you will feel good too.
Smile
Smiling makes you look more attractive.
It’s contagious, will make you feel good and make other people feel good too.
Finally, always remember:
“All the great speakers were bad speakers at first.” Ralph Waldo Emerson
If you feel nervous speaking and need a little help:
– Book yourself onto a powerful public speaking course.
– Invest in some really good one to one public speaking coaching.
– Get yourself some excellent presentation training
Image: Courtesy of Canva.com
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