You know you're good at putting together a talk. But speech anxiety always rears its head. Here are 5 tips for managing stage fright before a presentation.
Is there a way to manage stage fright just before a presentation? Sure. To begin with, realize that your anxiety almost never matches reality. Your fears about what people are thinking and what's going to happen are unrealistic and hugely colored by your emotions. It's also probably true that you have more going for you in terms of talents and abilities than you recognize.
That's a pretty decent one-two punch to have ready before the bell rings for Round 1.
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5 Ways to Reduce Your Anxiety Before Speaking
The five steps below are designed to point you in the right direction just before your presentation. The one thing you shouldn't do—the trap that the majority of people fall into—is to think of your content, trying to make it perfect before you go on.
That's not going to help you in this moment. For one thing, you won't improve your material, which is already set and ready to go. Obsessing about content also a) makes you more likely to forget it (the same way an actor about to make his or her entrance shouldn't be thinking of their lines at this point), and b) keeps your mind pointed in the wrong direction.
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Your thinking at this point should be all about your listeners. More about that below. For your actual performance, you need to discover how to connect with audiences for lasting influence. But first, here is the order of actions I recommend for the just-before-you-speak period.
1. Slow and Deepen Your Breathing
Clients are always asking me, "What's the one thing I can do before I speak to lessen my speaking nerves?" I usually try to wriggle out of answering, for the simple reason that speech anxiety is a complex issue that can't be turned on or off like a light switch. (Understanding and overcoming stage fright in this way is what we offer in our Fearless Speaking Coaching Course.) You have to have the right frame of mind, the knowledge of the issues involved, and the best way to combine the two. That way, you lessen your fear while building your confidence.
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If I'm really pinned down, though, I'll say one word: breathe. Diaphragmatic or belly breathing not only places you firmly in the present where reality awaits you (rather than in the hall of mirrors and fears in your mind). It is also the essential mechanism where, via the vagus nerve, your body moves from the sympathetic to the parasympathetic response of your nervous system. The first is the fight-or-flight response; the second calms you down.
2. Remind Yourself Of Your Objectives
Now, you're ready to bring your mind back online—and not by going over the order of your slides again or trying to remember the precise wording you want to use on one point or another. Instead (as I mentioned above), your mind should be on your audience.
You're about to do something quite specific in terms of business tasks, and with definite rules for success. You'll be giving an oral presentation—whatever you choose to call it. To do that well means connecting with your audience and getting what you say to resonate with them in real time. So, the question for you becomes: how can I speak concisely and in a way that moves these listeners to buy into what I'm saying? That's what this encounter is all about.
3. Tune Up Your Voice
Obviously, your voice is the principal instrument you use to convey your message. (Here are the 5 Key Tools of Vocal Dynamics you need to have a fully expressive voice.) There are other tools you'll employ as well, of course: visuals, probably some slides, body language, and all the other factors of nonverbal communication that convince listeners of the meaning of what you're saying, not just the verbal and written (as on slides) content.
But it's your voice that really tells people that you truly believe this, are committed to what you're saying, have a passion for this topic, and—not least—care about whether they understand it. So, make sure your voice is ready for the job. Let your voice travel up and down the musical scale, do articulation exercises, and find someplace where you can practice projection. Even if you'll be using a microphone, the strength of your voice mirrors the strength of your leadership.
4. Relax Your Face
That's right: become Mr. or Ms. Rubber Face for a little while to get your face warmed up as well. There's a reason your face is made up of 44 muscles, and it's not so you can look like someone standing atop a gravestone.
This is a part of nonverbal communication that isn't much thought of, and tends to fall by the wayside in terms of preparation. But facial expressions are a key part of your persuasiveness and liveliness as a speaker. Get your face ready to do its job. Do the horsey sound with your lips, mush and rub your cheeks as if they really are made of rubber, stretch your mouth, exaggerate a look of amazement on your features, etc. Your face will feel different. Get all of that into your muscle memory.
5. Get Ready to Have a Conversation
All good public speaking is conversational. Great speakers don't sound any different when they're sitting across from you in a coffee shop than they do when they're on stage. This goes to authenticity and is at the heart of why audiences trust a speaker and are willing to change their thinking or behavior because of him or her.
As much as you can manage, your voice should be intimate in terms of how you sound toward listeners, whether there are three of them or three hundred. I suggest to clients and trainees that they never think "presentation" with a capital "P," or speech with a capital "S." Instead, it should be conversation with a small "c." Imagine you're in your living room talking to these people. That's the feeling of casualness your voice and demeanor should achieve.
As you went through the exercises above (you did try them, didn't you?), you've been busy and have kind of forgotten about this stage fright business, haven't you? Sure you have. Well done!
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Gary Genard is an actor, author, and expert in public speaking and overcoming speaking fear. His company, The Genard Method offers live 1:1 Zoom executive coaching and corporate group training worldwide. He is the author of the Amazon Best-Seller How to Give a Speech. His second book, Fearless Speaking, was named in 2019 as “One of the 100 Best Confidence Books of All Time.” For nine consecutive years, he was ranked by Global Gurus as one of The World’s Top 30 Communication Professionals, and he has been named as one of America's Top 5 Speech Coaches. His handbook for presenting in videoconferences, Speaking Virtually offers techniques for developing virtual presence. He is also the author of Speak for Leadership: An Executive Speech Coach's Secrets for Developing Leadership Presence. His latest book is The Confidence Book: 75 Ways to Reduce Your Anxiety, Let Go of Your Fears, Change Your Negative Thinking, and Perform At Your Professional Best. He is also the creator of The Dr. William Scarlet psychic mysteries. Contact Gary here.
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