How Can I Reduce Nervousness When Speaking?

If you're interviewing for a job, trying to get a promotion, or just want to inspire and lead teams more effectively, you've likely been met with a host of suggestions that don't seem to work.

Perhaps the article, workshop, or consultant has spent a brief amount of time speaking about nervousness. The solutions often range from preparation to positive thinking, sometimes landing in stranger lands of imagining your audience naked or looking over their heads. If you've tried it, you already know it doesn't really work.

The truth is, if you walked out of a movie that you loved with your friends, you could speak enthusiastically, clearly, and easily encourage others to see the film. So why do these skills break down during a presentation and what can we do about it?

We stop thinking about what we are trying to do and start thinking about what we are trying not to do.

I have a confession to make. In the beginning, I spent little time speaking about nervousness. I provided the obligatory solutions, spending less than fifteen minutes out of a day and a half of training on the subject. It didn't work. Quite the opposite, I found that the other skills I was trying to help the group learn were all impacted by the effects of anxiety and nervousness.

After years of trying different tactics, here's what I have seen work.

To be nervous, you have to be thinking about one thing and only one thing: yourself. To stop being nervous, changing that focus is the only thing that will work.

While thinking about self-preservation is a natural response if you are in trouble, it doesn't help the part of your brain that you need to communicate. The following ideas are ways to change this dynamic and find comfort in your audience. That's right, comfort! How do we start?

• Create multiple opportunities for conversation. When you're in a conversation, your attention will naturally focus on the speaker. This will help to reduce your nervousness right away. How?
• Think about what your audience wants. If you find yourself thinking about what you don't want, ask a question, check your speaking points, reframe what your audience needs, and get back in the game.
• Ask questions, listen reflectively, and present in a way that involves your audience. Before presenting information, ask what they think about the topic, then cover what they haven't. This will reduce your nervousness, increase engagement, and make things easier all around.
• Remember that you're an expert. You wouldn't be asked to present if you didn't have expertise. Experts don't have all the answers. So what do you say if you don't know all the answers? "I have a few thoughts about that, but I want to give you a complete answer. Does anyone have any suggestions? If not, I'll grab your information after the presentation and get back to you."

Don't memorize your content or say exactly what is on your slides.

Speak from bullet points. The skill of reading a script and making it sound natural is one that people spend a lifetime trying to perfect. Instead, connect with the audience, listen to them, and engage them in activities and discussions. This will feel better, change your presentation experience, and in time, make presenting something you look forward to. How?

Create an outline of the important points that you need to cover for each slide, section, or topic. Don't be afraid to let your audience know that you're looking at them, "I want to make sure I've covered everything" is a great way to buy yourself a little time and help the audience absorb what you've said.

Your slides are a visual guide, not the presentation. While they'll help audiences remember what was said if they're short, engaging, and well-designed, they'll do the opposite if they're too content-heavy and contain everything you say.

Practice in front of others, ideally in the same room you'll present in.

When you practice, while it's still helpful without someone else in the room, it doesn't replicate the nervousness that you will feel when people are in front of you. To manage nervousness, there's no better training ground than when you are nervous.

Practice all the way through without stopping. Too many times we keep changing things right up until the presentation. This is nervousness at work. Lock down the presentation at least 24 hours before you give it. Having rehearsed it and then sleeping is a great way to help your brain prepare.

Focus and Concentration Practice.

To manage your attention and make sure it is focused outwardly is really tough for most people. Luckily, there are ways to practice. How?

Mindful Meditation. The skills practiced in mindful meditation help you develop the skills of sensory clarity (what am I thinking and feeling), concentration (keeping attention on what I want), and equanimity (being okay with what arises and falls away in the present moment).

Even ten minutes a day will dramatically increase these three basic skills over time.

In conclusion, there are too many opportunities that depend on presentations. Leaders communicate ideas in a way that motivates those around them. These days, the need to share information, create a shared vision, and inspire teams is the difference between success and frustration.

If you or someone you know is struggling with presentations and nervousness, please reach out. I've seen firsthand the benefits of overcoming these challenges. It's not magic, but it's likely that some of the advice you've been given is simply not helping.