Ten years ago I walked into Powell’s Books in downtown Portland, Oregon. I was ready to give a presentation to about 150 people who had showed up that night.
When I walked in the door of Powells, the manager who was on duty that night came up to me. They took one look at me and said, Wow, you look terrified. Haven't you ever done this before? Well, their comment only made me even more terrified that I was already feeling. Now one of the things they didn't understand and I didn't actually at the time either, is that they assume that if I had done this many times before, I wouldn't be nervous. Well, in fact, I had presented many times before, but what I have learned since then, is no matter what stage you're at a beginner or an advanced public speaker, getting up in front of an audience and public speaking is gonna make you feel nervous. It's normal. So that is tip number one, which is to:
NORMALIZE your public speaking anxiety. There's nothing unusual about it. It's going to happen. Some people even call that feeling of butterflies that feeling of nervousness excitement.Tip number two is to:
EXERCISE. Let your body help you calm down. So if you are someone who does a lot of workouts do a hard workout that morning. If you don't work out that much, take a brisk walk. And your body will help you relax. Tip number three is to:
IMAGINE the best rather than listen and and watch all these scary movies you may be playing in your mind about all the horrible things that might happen instead, imagine you on the stage or in the Zoom meeting. You're most eloquent self doing a beautiful job at this presentation. If that doesn't work, that leads me to tip number four, which is to:
SPEAK THE WORST. If you can't stop imagining all these horrible things that are gonna happen. Sit down with a friend or a colleague or me if I'm your coach, and talk them out. Tell us all the scary things you're afraid are going to happen. That will number one be incredibly funny and we'll probably laugh a lot at what you're imagining. And then number two, if one of the fears is something that's a real worry that we can take care of. We will like for example, if you're afraid you're gonna get so thirsty that you won't be able to move your mouth which has happened to me. You will make sure you have water with you. Tip number five is to:
CHANGE YOUR MIND BY SHIFTING YOUR BODY so let me give you an example. Often when we start to have public speaking anxiety, we can feel ill so if I walked onto the stage acting just as ill as I felt I might be clutching my stomach. I might be hanging on to my head will instead let your body lead the way So stand up straight. Instead of having a grim little look on your face. Channel the Mona Lisa smile. If your body starts acting relaxed, then your feelings will follow. So let your body lead the way. Number six is to
CHECK YOUR EGO. And what I mean by this is the presentation you're about to do has nothing to do with you. If you're going to give a toast at your best friend's wedding. It's all about gathering all these people to wish this couple the best, not about you. Even if you're pitching an incredible business idea to potential investors not about you it's about connecting with your audience. Tip number seven is to
CONNECT WITH YOUR DESIRE. Why did you want to do this in the first place? Remember, there was a reason you have for wanting to stand up in front and connect with that audience. Remember that reason and that will help you withstand the discomfort of some anxiety.
Try these tips. Send me an email and tell me how they worked out.