Leave Anxiety in the Dust

Presentation anxiety and public speaking go hand in hand.

When we listen and watch the most seasoned presenters we assume they are long past having to battle public speaking anxiety.

It’s not true. It would be fantastic if it were true but no one goes unscathed.

It’s often the elephant in the room. No one wants to talk about the anxiety they feel before giving a presentation.

Just to let you know…

As a public speaking coach, I can tell you that every client I work with—no matter how experienced—tells me they always have pre-presentation jitters.

The secret is how to handle it and to better use the energy.

Here’s three techniques to quell your anxiety:

1) As Amy Cuddy shared with us – do your power pose. It works to make you feel grounded. Find a bathroom stall and do your victory stance. Put your arms high above your head and feel the confidence run through your veins.

2) Reframe your thoughts. Instead of listening to your negative voice telling you how nervous you are switch it up. Tell yourself how excited you are to be speaking and looking forward to sharing what you know.

3) Visualize yourself being successful. Before you go to sleep and as you wake up—using the lens of the theatre of your mind—take yourself through the entire process… from going up the elevator, to taking the stage, and then finish to a roaring (yes, let it be roaring) round of applause. The trick is to make each step a positive one.

“In our first meeting Janice said she would get me to the point I would actually feel excited to present (and not anxious). I didn’t believe her, but after her coaching, practice, and repetition I delivered a presentation to an audience of two-hundred people that I actually enjoyed giving, and received rave reviews from the audience! Janice did exactly as promised. “

​​​​David Getzlaf
Strategy Manager, Autonomy & Positioning, Hexagon

It’s possible…

get past presentation anxiety

(info on public speaking coaching package)

And one last technique to give anxiety the bum’s rush:

Many of my clients tell me when they get behind the mic they go blank. This is because our thoughts are running a mile a minute. Stop this from happening by feeling your feet on the floor. Feel your heels and feel your toes. Ground yourself and take a few deep breaths. Your thoughts and words will come racing back.

There is no silver bullet or panacea. Being mindful and reframing takes practice. But the good news is when practiced these exercises do work and will get you on the road to taming that knot is your stomach and getting rid of that loud drumming sound in your ears.