It is entirely natural to feel nervous before making a presentation.
Many seasoned teachers, lecturers and other presenters feel nervous beforehand despite having given hundreds of presentations. The same is true of actors and actresses, celebrities, politicians, preachers and other people working in the media or in the public eye.
Being nervous is not a problem or a weakness, you just need to channel your nervous energy wisely. On the other hand, being over-confident and not nervous could be a weakness!
The symptoms of nerves can include "butterflies" or a queasy feeling in your stomach, sweaty palms, a dry throat and the panic that your mind has gone blank about your opening lines.
Fortunately, there are some tried and tested strategies and techniques to manage your nerves so that you can concentrate on delivering an effective and engaging presentation.
These techniques will not get rid of your nerves; instead they will help you to use your nervous to your advantage. When you are in a heightened state from the adrenaline that is being pumped around your body, you can use that energy to communicate enthusiastically, convincingly, and passionately. The key is to decrease your level of nervousness so you can focus your energy on these positive activities, not on trying to control your nerves.
Coping with Nerves
It is essential to always be well prepared and well rehearsed in order to feel confident.
Do no fixate on the presentation delivery at the expense of good preparation. Spend time preparing, good preparation, knowing your subject well and knowing what you are going to say and how you are going to say it will boost your confidence and help reduce your nerves. Think of a presentation like an iceberg what your audience sees - the delivery - is a small percentage of the whole. What goes on, out of sight, the planning and preparation should make up the bulk of the work.
Follow our Presentation Skills pages for tips and advice on how to best prepare for your presentation, start with: What is a Presentation?
When you feel nervous before a presentation, the following strategies and exercises should help you:
Practice Deep Breathing
Adrenalin causes your breathing to shallow. By deliberately breathing deeply your brain will get the oxygen it needs and the slower pace will trick your body into believing you are calmer. This also helps with voice quivers, which can occur when your breathing is shallow and irregular.
Drink Water
Adrenalin can cause a dry mouth, which in turn leads to getting tongue-tied. Have a glass or bottle of water handy and take sips occasionally, especially when you wish to pause or emphasize a point. Take care not to take large gulps of water.
Smile
Smiling is a natural relaxant that sends positive chemical messages through your body. Smiling and maintaining eye contact also help you build rapport with your audience.
Use Visualization Techniques
Imagine that you are delivering your presentation to an audience that is interested, enthused, smiling, and reacting positively. Cement this positive image in your mind and recall it just before you are ready to start.
Self-Massage
Press and massage your forehead to energize the front of the brain and speech centre.
Pause
Just before you start talking, pause, make eye contact, and smile. This last moment of peace is very relaxing and gives you time to adjust to being the centre of attention.
Slow Down
Speak more slowly than you would in a conversation, and leave longer pauses between sentences. This slower pace will calm you down, and it will also make you easier to hear, especially at the back of a large room.
Move Around
Move around a little during your presentation as this will expend some of your nervous energy. However, try not to pace backwards and forwards or rock on your heels as these activities can be distracting to your audience.
Stop Thinking About Yourself
Remember that the audience is there to get some information and that it is your job to put that information across to them. try to put your nerves aside and think about communicating your message as effectively as possible.
Relaxation Exercises
Although you may not feel relaxed before you give your presentation relaxation exercises can help. Try the following relaxation exercises, but do not continue with them if they cause pain or discomfort although remember that you may use some muscles you have not exercised for a while and so feel a little stiff afterwards.
Quick Relaxation Exercises
- Stand in an easy position with your feet one pace apart, knees 'unlocked' and not rigidly pushed back, spine straight, shoulders not tense and head balanced. Try to keep your face muscles relaxed by not clenching your jaw or clamping your teeth together.
- Now stretch SLOWLY upwards, aim to touch the ceiling but keep your feet flat on the floor. Then flop forward from the waist bending your knees slightly as you go. You are now hanging forward like a rag doll - your arms and head totally unsupported and relaxed.
- Straighten up SLOWLY - almost vertebrae by vertebrae, as if you were puppet and a giant puppet master was pulling you up by the strings keeping your head until last, when you are standing in your original easy position.
Repeat this exercise three times.
Alternatively you can relax in a chair:
- Sit comfortably with your lower spine pressed into the back of the chair.
- Raise your arms above your head and stretch as high as possible.
- Release your arms to your sides and bend forwards with your legs stretched out and reach as far as possible.
- Return to your starting position.
Repeat this exercise three times.
Source: SkillsYouNeed.com
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