Do you get nervous when speaking in public?
Everyone gets nervous when speaking in public.
It doesn’t matter if it’s your first time, or you’re a professional speaker who speaks to audiences every day – nerves are completely normal. I speak regularly to audiences of all sizes, and I worry if I’m not feeling at least a little bit apprehensive. The heightened adrenalin coursing around my body helps make sure my performance is as good as it can be.
The key is to control signs of nerves. Here are four things to consider that will help.
1. Practice
Think about how you feel when you have something important to do. Do you like to go into it blind, and wing it? Of course not. You prepare, you practice, you make sure you’re as ready as you can be. You can practice on your own, to a friend, or at organisations like BNI / The PSA / Toastmasters.
If you haven’t got someone to practice with, a mirror can be helpful, or if you can cope with it, video yourself. You will immediately pick up on traits you don’t like (for example saying ‘um’, or how you’re standing) and you can work to try to eradicate them.
2. Using Notes
If you can deliver your talk from memory, and do it well, it will heighten your credibility. However, for most people starting out (as well as many who speak regularly), using notes as a memory jogger is fine.
But, don’t read your presentation out word for word – that would require you to look down too much and not connect with the audience. While you obviously don’t want to forget anything – your audience doesn’t know what you’re going to say, so if you do miss something out, they’ll be none the wiser.
Writing your key bullet points on a sheet of paper (provided it is on a table so it doesn’t flap around if your hands shake a bit) or cue cards both work well. If prepared, you’ll easily be able to say what you need to say on each point – and then, when you need a reminder of what’s coming next, grab a quick glance to see the next bullet point.
3. Knowing the Set Up
Wherever possible, find out what the layout of the room will be. Where will you be standing? Where will the audience be? Where will you walk onto the stage / enter the space? Where can you put your notes? If showing slides, where’s the projector? Where will the computer be? Will you be in the way of projector beam, casting a shadow? Where will you put your water?
The more you can find out, the more prepared you will be. Whenever I’ve got a big talk to do, I like to physically stand in the space and imagine what it will be like with everyone there.
If that’s not possible, make sure you’re there early, and watch the speaker(s) before – see where they stand and how they use the space.
Even if you’re just presenting your business to a networking group, it’s worth thinking about some of the above. How will you best stand to project to the whole room? Do people use the projector? What do other attendees do with their notes?
4. Breathing
When we’re about to do a talk, the nervous energy we feel is as a result of the very natural human trait of fight or flight. Fighting or running away won’t be the best idea, so we have to find other ways to control our bodies.
Breathing makes a massive difference. I learned this from my friend Andy Bounds – a very successful public speaker. He taught me about 1-4-2 breathing, where in ratio, you breathe in for 1 second, hold it for 4 seconds, then breathe out for 2 seconds. I double that and go for 2-8-4, repeating it 10 times.
This practice of slowing your breathing down and holding the air in your lungs allows more oxygen to enter your bloodstream. You’ll feel calmer straight away. I make a habit of doing this just prior to being introduced to speak – and it’s you can even do it in front of other people without them even knowing you’re doing it!
Without fail, I feel calmer and more ready to speak.
