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How to Calm Your Stage FrightYour stomach is queasy, your palms are sweaty, and your mind has gone blank about your opening lines. What will you be like when you've been introduced and the room goes quiet? Are you doomed to presentation panic or paralysis, or can you overcome that debilitating nervousness and deliver a speech that wows the audience? (Or at least leaves them feeling satisfied?) If you're like most people, then public speaking or presenting is one of your major fears (it's known as "glossophobia"). Yet these skills are often called upon. It might not be to an audience of hundreds, but giving presentations to staff or even team members is a common enough occurrence. You owe it to yourself to develop some strategies and techniques to manage your nerves so that you can concentrate on delivering an effective and engaging presentation. A positive mindset is vital to delivering a good presentation. How Nervous Do You Feel Before a Speech?Notice that we didn't say to get rid of your nervousness. This is because presenting is not a natural activity, and even the most practiced presenters get a bit nervous. The point is this: your nervous energy can be used to your advantage. When you're in a heightened state from the adrenaline that's being pumped into your body, you can use that energy to communicate enthusiastically, convincingly and passionately. The key is to decrease your level of nervousness so that you can use your energy on these positive activities, not on trying to control your nerves. So, to harness your nervousness and bring it under control, there are six key tips to remember. These tips are all designed to help you focus on your audience and their needs rather than on yourself and how you are feeling. They all stem from one truism: The more uncertain you are, the more nervous you will be. The more you can control the uncertainty, the less nervousness you'll experience, and the more residual energy you'll have to devote to the presentation itself. Six Steps to Conquering Your Presentation Nerves1. Know Your AudienceConsult your audience before your presentation. The more confident you are that you're presenting them with useful and interesting material, the less nervous you'll be overall. You really don't want your presentation to be a surprise. If it is, you lose complete control over the audience's reaction, and that's a large factor in nervousness. So:
2. Know Your MaterialNothing is worse for nerves than trying to give a presentation on a topic that you're not well prepared for. This doesn't mean you have to be an expert beforehand, but you'd better know it backward on presentation day. And making sure that you've understood your audience and their needs properly will help you to ensure that your material is on target to meet their needs. Another important point to remember is that you can't possibly cover everything you know in your presentation. That would likely be long and boring. So select the most pertinent points, and supplement them with other material if time allows. Tip:To make your material interesting and memorable, include occasional questions to encourage audience participation. This enhances the learning experience and gives you a break from presenting. It also allows you to deliver your information in a more conversational manner which is often more believable. 3. Structure Your PresentationA common technique for trying to calm nervousness is memorizing what you intend to say. But all this does is make your delivery sound like it's coming from a robot. If you miss a word or draw a blank, your whole presentation is thrown off, and then your nervousness compounds itself with every remaining second. It's far better to structure your presentation so that you give yourself clues to what's coming next. Here are some tips for doing that:
This approach helps you to control your own uncertainty about whether you'll remember your presentation – both what you want to say and the order in which you want to say it. Tip:A simple, widely used and highly effective structure is to tell the audience what you're going to say, then say it, and then recap what you've said. Our article on How to Structure a Presentation covers this in detail. 4. Practice, Practice, PracticeAlthough you should avoid memorizing your presentation, you do want to be very comfortable with your delivery. Familiarity brings confidence, and practice helps you to deliver the words naturally. This means that they will be coming more from your heart and mind, rather than from a piece of paper. Here's what to do when you're rehearsing:
Subscribe to Our NewsletterReceive new career skills every week, plus get our latest offers and a free downloadable Personal Development Plan workbook. Read our Privacy Policy 5. Prepare, Prepare, PrepareOnce you know what you're going to say, you need to prepare yourself for the actual delivery.
6. Calm Yourself From the InsideNervousness causes physiological reactions which are mostly attributed to the increase in adrenaline in your system. You can counteract these effects with a few simple techniques:
Note:To take this to the next level, listen to our "Performing Under Pressure" Expert Interview with Dr Don Greene. This gives you many more tips and techniques for managing performance stress. Key PointsWhen it comes to presenting, nerves are inevitable. Letting them get the better of you is not. You need to develop a strategy for taking the focus off your nervousness and putting that energy to positive use. By controlling as much of the uncertainty as you can, you'll increase your confidence in your ability to deliver an excellent presentation. This confidence then counteracts your nerves, and you create a positive cycle for yourself. For your next presentation, be knowledgeable, be well-practiced and prepared, and try out some physical relaxation techniques. Amaze yourself and impress your audience with your calm and cool delivery of a great presentation. How do you deal with public speaking anxiety?Advertisement. Know your topic. ... . Get organized. ... . Practice, and then practice some more. ... . Challenge specific worries. ... . Visualize your success. ... . Do some deep breathing. ... . Focus on your material, not on your audience. ... . Don't fear a moment of silence.. Which of the following is suggested for addressing anxiety about public speaking?Which of the following is suggested for addressing anxiety about public speaking? Examine your own thoughts about why you are anxious.
Which strategy is most likely to decrease speech anxiety?Some of the most common relaxation techniques are: taking deep breaths, tightening and then relaxing your muscles, and visualizing a peaceful scene. Accept fear and use it. Accept the fact that you are nervous (remember it's normal to experience speech anxiety) and use that nervous energy to enhance your delivery.
How is Glossophobia treated?Typically, glossophobia treatments involve lifestyle changes, psychotherapy, and medications. Oftentimes, relaxation techniques, such as meditation or deep breathing, are recommended. Other lifestyle modifications may include increasing physical exercise and practicing public speaking more often.
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