Three Tips For Presentation Nerves

Kick public-speaking anxiety to the curb with three easy habits

Public speaking is rarely easy, no matter how often you find yourself in front of an audience. There are many factors involved: time of day, the space you’ll be speak in, audience size, your mood, audience mood, subject matter, the intro you’re given… It can feel like a minefield and nerves can get the better of you. But even though you can’t completely control this event, you can regulate yourself so that you approach it with excitement rather than dread.

Good habits help keep you on target, in spite of presentations anxiety

Let’s talk nerves. With the above elements (and a load more) in play — in fact, because of those elements — you’re feeling those butterflies in your stomach. This is appropriate and normal. You should be nervous. There’s a whole raft of elements that are out of your control. Happily, it actually works to your advantage. A University of Wales research paper on sports professionals found, interviewing elite swimmers, that having ‘butterflies’ actually contributed to the athletes’ positive performance rather than hindered them.

So, nerves are good. Being nervous means you’re ready to do this, committed and forward-facing. You just have to be present and in the moment. This is a reminder to work within your sphere of influence, rather than your sphere of interest. You can’t change the acoustics of the room you’re in, the lunchtime scheduling or the way that person is glaring at you from the front row, so let’s concentrate on the factors you can regulate.

So that you have a clear and auspicious target, let’s use the top score on a dart board: triple 20, AKA 180 points. Here’s three ways to use that magic number to support your sense of control.

Take 180 calming breaths

This is the moment before you get on stage or in the boardroom. Are you used to performing? Maybe you hate it. Perhaps you’ve had a tough morning or a bad night’s sleep. This simple trick will change everything. You will concentrate on deep, calm breathing for three or four minutes. Did I say ‘just’? It’ll feel like a lifetime. Find yourself a quiet spot and focus your eyes on a distant object or soften your gaze. Stay alert yet relaxed and breathe in through your nose for four and out through your mouth for six. (In improvisation, when you invest in your scene partner and commit to being entirely present, everything clicks sweetly into place. You no longer have to ‘reach’ for a comfort zone: all the answers are there). If you have a coworker in the space with you who can breathe alongside you, the moment will be even more powerful.

Endure 180 seconds of adrenaline

The first minutes of a talk are tough — thanks to your body producing, like the good body it is, adrenaline. The acute stress response hormone will — even if you’re a seasoned speaker — increase your heart rate, make your palms warm, make you sweat, cause you to tremble. If you aren’t a natural performer, the effect of adrenaline can hit you like a barn door in a hurricane. Even after the 180-second breathing exercise, you will, inevitably, experience an adrenaline kick in the first minutes. So: be prepared! (In improvisation, when there isn’t a script, we prepare by trusting and focusing on our scene partner). Know the first minutes your talk off by heart and as adrenalin floods your system, as it inevitably will, you’ll feel more in control. Your voice will wobble less. You won’t shallow-breathe. You won’t tremble. The adrenaline will settle down. Knowing it’s coming changes everything.

Scan 180 degrees of the space

Sometimes the audience is small and their quiet sits in judgement on your head like a stone. Other times, you’re speaking to a huge crowd and the feeling of being outnumbered can be overpowering. But here’s the important thing to remember: they want to like you. They want to be interested, to be entertained. If you can include them, the feeling of being trapped subsides. Pick a person to speak to, then another, then another. Use the whole room. (In improv, connecting with the audience is everything and feeling their reactions changes your delivery in a subtle but crucial way). Scan 180 degrees, remember that adrenalin produces a ‘fight or flight’ mechanism and calmly take stock. You’ll now assimilate info about the crowd in front of you and therefore be more in control of your ‘animal fear’.

These tips — to be applied before, as you begin and during your talks — will change the stressful dynamic for you and help put you in a position of power. Instead of feeling trapped, you’ll be the one in charge. Happy presenting!