Tackle Your Fear of Public Speaking - Overcoming Pre-Presentation Jitters

There is nothing more impressive that an eloquent public speaker. Confident, well-versed and in-control, he makes it look easy, doesn't he? But we all know it's not as easy as it looks.

It is a very natural reaction to become nervous before a presentation. This is basically because it is very unnatural to put yourself in the vulnerable position of standing before a large group of people who will judge you and what you say (which is really an extension of you, isn't it?).

It's okay to be nervous--as long as your audience never finds out! Follow these tips to overcome nervousness and build confidence:

Before your audience arrives

1. Be prepared

This should not be the first time you deliver your presentation. A very thorough understanding of the topic and how you want to present it is necessary for success.

Have a general outline of what you want to say, and know exactly how you want to deliver it before standing up in front of your audience. The more prepared you are, the fewer reasons you have for being nervous.

2. Get comfortable with your surroundings

Always be the first one to arrive at the place where you are presenting. Even if it is the company boardroom that you've been in a thousand times, spend some time standing at the front of the room. Envision people in the chairs looking at you. If you know the people attending your presentation, envision their faces. Get comfortable with this image.

Make sure the room is set up the way you want it to be. Move furniture appropriately and make sure there aren't any traps--cables you might trip over, tables you could bump into, etc.

The more comfortable you are with your surroundings, the more relaxed you will be able to be.

3. Set up your presentation

Make sure your computer is working, set up Power Point, place participant materials, name cards, bottles of water, etc. at each person's place. Make sure that everything is ready to go so you can focus on your audience when they arrive.

4. Take a deep breath and stop fidgeting

Take a deep breath, meditate, go to your happy place--do whatever you need to do and whatever works for you to relax. Do this before your audience arrives or in a place removed from your audience--don't roll out your yoga mat on stage.

Also be aware of your nervous habits. Stop playing with your hair, tapping your foot, biting your lip, wringing your hands, straightening your suit, etc. Your audience should only see the relaxed, confident, professional you.
If you think you don't have any nervous habits, video record one of your presentations. You may be surprised by what you see. Make a conscious effort to identify your own habits and put an end to them.

When your audience arrives

1. Create a friendly environment

When the audience begins arriving, the nerves go into overdrive. Combat this natural force by creating a safe and friendly environment.

Depending on the size of the audience, greet each participant individually and casually chat with the group. With larger groups, circulate and socialize with smaller groups of audience members.

Small talk will get your mind off of your nerves and make you feel more comfortable with the people that are there. It will also make your audience feel more at ease and leave them with a good first impression of you!

2. Give yourself a pep talk

Take a moment to prepare yourself mentally before you begin. This mental preparation could start as early as when you get out of bed the morning of the presentation, or it could be a quick pep talk just before you begin.

Remind yourself that there is a reason why you have been asked to speak - you have something very important to say! The sooner you really believe this, the better.

Everyone there wants to listen to what you have to say. They're on your side, and want you to succeed. It is a safe environment filled with friendly professionals who can't wait to hear what you have to say.

These things may or may not be true (generally they are, but there are of course exceptions to the rule)--it doesn't matter. It's about building confidence and making you feel more comfortable. The more you believe you have something important to say, the easier it is to convince your audience. It will be natural and obvious to them.

3. Find your biggest fan

In every audience there is at least one person that stands out as a "supporter." You may have identified the person during pre-presentation small talk, it could be a colleague who is a good friend, or it could just be a "head-nodder" (one of those people who really reacts to presenters by nodding his head, taking notes, and generally being very supportive).

These people are your biggest fans. If you're feeling nervous as you begin to speak, or if you run into problems during the presentation, focus on these individuals. No matter what happens, they will continue to smile and nod their heads, giving you that extra push you need to get through.

4. Take one last deep breath, smile and begin!

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How To Eliminate Speaking Jitters: Eight Sure-Fire Strategies To Help You Be More Natural

Do you avoid giving speeches because the stress drives you up the wall? Do you give speeches, but hate every minute of it? Do you speak well, yet are held back from reaching your potential from the fear and self-doubt you experience? There is help for anyone who suffers from stage fright. Here are a few of my favorite stress-stopping techniques for speakers.

1. Don't Call Your Event "A Speech". Instead, Frame the Talk As A Coaching Session, Workshop or Class. Why? "Giving a speech" feels like a big deal, pressure-packed situation. Also, few audiences want to be spoken to or at by a "speech maker", but almost everyone enjoys the spirited give and take of a conversation.

2. Use The Overkill Principle, From Sports and School. If you have a school test or sports competition coming up, what made you feel relatively comfortable and confident going into the event? Overdoing your preparation with extremely hard practice and training. If you barely practiced, you had a genuine reason to be very nervous--you were NOT ready! The same is true for a speech.

3. Set Speaking Sub-goals. A speaking event should also be a learning experience for you, the speaker. One major goal is of course, to please, motivate, educate and move the audience. Try some new things, take some risks and make sure YOU learn from the event.

4. Practice All The Time, In Every Venue Imaginable. Use your speech material as you have casual conversations with people the weeks before your talk, in the coffee shop, lobby, stores, malls, etc. They won't know you are practicing your speech. You'll be able to practice the pronunciations, phrasing, inflection, timing, jokes and all else, just as you will do it from the platform.

5. Wear Your Most Confident Outfit and Accessories. Go ahead, be superstitious. Wear what makes you feel good, natural and energetic. Stay away from outfits that lower your self-esteem and confidence level. To be confident, look confident. Simple to do, but powerful.

6. Accept That Nervousness Is A Natural Part Of Any Performing. Long time well-known performers across many venues STILL get very nervous before their performances, yet they manage to give very creditable performances, time and again.

7. Know That You Can Perform Well And Be Very Nervous, Yet The Audience Will Never Know. You can be terrified inside, but if you go about your speaking, you can completely hide your fear from the audience. The few ways the audience will have hints that your nerves are appearing are when your voice continually cracks, your hands, arms and legs shake visibly or you stutter and stammer (assuming you don't do that naturally). Aside from that, they may never know. Act as if you are confident, and quite often, you will begin to feel confident.

8. Make the Audience Do Some of the Work. Instead of YOU speaking the entire time, give your audience some tasks. Ask them questions, give them a quiz, have them discover answers to tasks in small groups. Not only will the audience be more engaged and learn better, but you can take a break and gather your thoughts as they do their "homework". Try it, you'll like it.

Remember, even top speaking pros get nervous before and during their speeches. Collect stress-busting strategies like these. Observe experienced speakers and see what they do to reduce their nerves. Embrace your stress and it will serve you well.

For a comprehensive overview of your abilities as a speaker you need an assessment instrument that identifies your complete strengths and weaknesses. For a free, easy-to-take 65-item presentation assessment tool you can score right on the spot, visit http://www.mentalgamecoach.com/Assessments/PresentationSkillsAssessment.html. You can use this as a guide in creating your own presentation coaching program, or as the basis for a coaching program you undertake with Bill Cole, MS, MA.

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