How can you manage speech anxiety when pitching to investors?

I have just been through this, and for me, knowledge of the subject (experience or research) is the best antidote for pre presentation nerves. Also, be yourself. Dont be the funny man if you are not a funny man. Know yourself and play to your strengths. lastly, Deep slow-release breathing. Works a charm for me.

Research shows us that public speaking is an exercise in empathy (Sarah Gershman et al, Harvard Business Review). Approaching public speaking as something you are giving to others - your focus is on the audience - will take the pressure off yourself. It is not about you, and what others will think about you...it is about their needs and what they will gain from you.

This is a natural reaction which is impossible to avoid. Some people feel it more some others feel it less. One way to reduce it is to establish in your mind the certainty that you are not under threat, in a way disabling the trigger for the fear. There are no other ways to get rid of negative emotions. However after you understand your anxiety and name it, it will become much simpler to overcome it. Mind you, not cancel it, just put it aside.

Practice extensively, focus on key points, breathe deeply, and reframe anxiety as excitement. Visualize success to boost confidence when pitching to investors.

Knowing what triggers you is the first step, then instead of panicking if it happens, use cardiac coherence and breathing exercises together with visualization. One visualisation I like is viewing you in a safe and calm place, like a garden. and feeling the warm, hearing the sounds, and calming down while breathing deeply.

One of the most overlooked elements of skill development, is the understanding of effective virtual communication. Much like public speaking is a cornerstone of leadership development, so to, is virtual communication. From improving employee engagement, communicating effectively to internal and external stakeholders, to hosting global town halls and growing presence and visibility, too often corporations don't realize the skill set is different and it isn't until the executive is under the spotlight, that it becomes painfully obvious, they are way out of their league. Communication through the camera, is not the same as in a conference room, or even on a stage. You must practice. Not in front of a mirror, but record yourself and watch

A lot of anxiety when pitching to investors stems from fearing unexpected questions. The more well-prepared you are to tackle these, the less anxious you'll be.

A strong tip for people speaking in a language other than their native tongue: practice being interrupted and picking back up after the interruption. You may lose your place, or need to change a few lines around to accommodate the interruption. 'Learning off a speech' like many people suggest means also being able to improvise around it.

I’ve seen great speakers who were able to improvise on stage, fail when they had to prepare a scripted talk. So you need to decide in advance what you want to do on stage. Both improvising and delivering a scripted talk require preparation. For a scripted talk, you need to make sure you know your speech inside out. Just memorising and rehearsing at your desk is not enough. Try to put yourself in uncomfortable situations when you rehearse. Because being on stage might feel uncomfortable. Practice practice practice till you are able to deliver, stop half way, focus your attention on something else, then continue from the point you left with no uncertainty.

Personnaly, while practicing is key, I would not advise to only practice your full talk in front of a camera. You should instead try to first work on small bits and go in depth until you are satisfied with just a few sentences about one idea, then move to the next idea and so on. Only after that first in-depth rehearsing, you can start putting it all together again and see how to improve transitions. otherwise the risk is to stay on the surface without going deep enough.

Relax and focus can also serve you when you are on stage and get caught by stage fright. Relax by focusing your attention to any physical sensation of your choice. Be it your breath or the weight of your body pressing your feet on the floor. Take a few seconds to focus on a physical sensation will be deactivating the brain areas in charge of fear and anxiety, while activating those in charge of sharp thinking and creativity. Besides, a pause in your talk can be an excellent attention grabber for the audience!

Focusing on you message, or as Chris Anderson puts it, your gift to the audience is key. Remember it is not about you, but it is about your idea and how your can share it with the audience (would it be 5 persons or 1000 people).

The more you speak the more you learn. When you are in non challenging situations, allow yourself to experiment. Also great standup comedians practice new gags in front of small audiences to gauge reactions. Do the same to gauge your own reactions and learn from experience!

Adopting a mindset of continuous learning not only helps alleviate anxiety but also ensures that each pitch contributes to your personal and professional development. With each presentation, you become more adept at conveying your ideas and building confidence, ultimately enhancing your ability to secure investor interest and support.

Contrary to the belief that vulnerability weakens confidence, in my experience I have found that acknowledging my anxiety shows my authenticity. Being transparent would show your commitment, and the genuine value you have in place. Swiftly shift the focus back on your pitch though. Emphasis that you dont compromise on the quality of your work.

A great way to ask for feedback is first to ask them to restate what they remember of your talk and see if it is what you want them to take away. Then if it is not what you expected, you can ask for details about the delivery, especially for the parts were you deliver the key message and that were missed.

One key aspect is to rememember that you rehearsed, it is not the first time you give the talk, but maybe the 10th time. You know it and you master it, you can trust your preparation process.

You may not be a natural speaker. Public speech may not be your strong suit. But it’s necessary to accomplish your goals. To do the thing you are passionate about you need to gain at least some level of competence at this skill. Each time you approach this topic, be sure to remember why you do this. You public speak so that you can accomplish your goals. If you don’t public speak your goals will lack the needed assets for success. Remember your purpose and believe in yourself. You are valuable and what you care about matters. Master this skill and communicate that value to others. You can do this.

Bring the right people into the room with you - they need to be able to answer the questions you can’t. For example, investor relations, service delivery etc.

Some profound advice given to me by a friend and that holds true every single time. Be prepared from rejection. The investor’s job is to give you money. If you don’t exist. The investor doesn’t have a job. Remember that your existence fuels theirs, its not the other way round. Treat the investor relationship from day one ??? as you would with any relationship - keep it transparent. 1. Set clear expectations: “I’m here for x, do you do x?” 2. If not, can we work to get to x? 3. Don’t waste each other’s time. Having clear asks and knowing the other side’s parameters removes 50% of the anxiety. Showing up removes the other 50%. Get closing.