Tips to calm those presentation nerves
Presentations are one of those things which people are genuinely scared of doing. If I go back 25 years, I must admit, I used to even be sick before a presentation! This means I understand what damage nerves can do; however, I am pleased to say, time and experience solves it!
There are so many aspects which make up a ‘good presentation’ – the content, the method, the venue, the environment, the audience…. (I could go on). We can offer you support on a 1-1 basis for anything linked to presentations, but for this blog, we are going focus on dealing with your nerves. This really can make the difference for you.
Controlling Nerves
Nerves are not bad, and they are not something to be feared. When someone tells me they are nervous about presenting, it always tells me that they really ‘care’ – that is a huge plus point.
Compare a presenters anxiety to an athletes adrenaline; the symptoms are the same – racing heart, sweaty palms, knot in the stomach. The main difference is the mental interpretations. When a person feels nervous, this is sometimes interpreted as negative. It isn’t like that for an athlete – they use that rush of adrenaline to help them perform at their maximum potential. So, let’s think about some of the ways you can harness the nerves so you can perform too.
1) Think positive thoughts.
What do you say to yourself when you are thinking about your next presentation? Are you saying “Why me? I hate giving presentations”, or are you saying “I can’t wait, the audience will love this”. Your comfort levels will totally depend on that little voice inside your head. Only you can decide which to listen to – the positive or the negative.
Instead of imagining what could do wrong, I always ask people to imagine how it will feel if it goes well. Create a mental picture in your mind of what you would like to happen, how you will look and what the audience will be doing. Now this isn’t a skill that comes automatically or easily, but by repeating these things to yourself several times a day for a few weeks before a presentation, you really can help programme yourself to success.
2) Focus on the audience – not yourself
Try to think about what messages the audience will take away with them rather than if you are technically perfect or not.
This is easier said than done when we are new to presenting, but it does make a difference. Be yourself, use humour (if it’s appropriate!) and if you can, chat to your audience before you begin – it helps you to think of ‘them’ instead of ‘me’.
I also assure you, there is one person in that audience who is thinking ‘I am so glad they are doing this and not me’ – meaning you have one supporter already!
3) Consider calm behaviours
It’s that old ‘swan’ analogy of looking calm and graceful above water but paddling like crazy underneath! The secret of looking calm is to learn and practice some calm behaviours.
Smile
Don’t hurry, take your time
Don’t hold something if you have the ‘shakes’ (use the table in front of you)
Imagine you are giving a talk to a group of friends in your living room – keep it conversational
Be yourself (it’s the best tool you have)
Breathe!
That last one may sound odd, but I have seen many people not breath until the end of a slide and it really impacts things!
4) Relax!
Relaxation works better if you can start some of these things first thing in the morning and keep doing them right up until you speak. Try these:
Breathe deeply – breathe in through your nose for a slow count of eight, then breathe out through your mouth for a slow count of eight. Try and do this for at least 10 minutes. Deep breathing can be used at any time you feel stress
Visualise a favourite place – picture the details, the colours, the noises, the smells. Keep your thoughts and visions flowing for at least 10 minutes and if you can, include the deep breathing exercise
Be your own psychologist – write down your feelings in great detail. Take a short break and look at what you have written. Imagine you are a caring counsellor – what advice would you give this person?
Listen to music – it will help to synchronise your internal body rhythm (heart and breathing rate) to its own beat. Choose a lively piece when you want to be motivating and entertaining, or a mellow piece if your topic is different,
5) Prepare and then prepare some more!
Here’s a quick and useful list to work through:
Know/research your audience the best you can
Use easy to read notes, Write down key ideas only (not every word)’
Rehearse and practice using your notes and visual aids (if you have any)
Have the first 3 minutes in your head without needing notes
Have a plan of how to expand or shrink your talk to the time required
Get all supplies you may need prepared (handouts/pens/copies)
Arrive early so you can check equipment
6) Don’t panic!
Despite your best laid plans, despite you trying to adopt calm behaviours and relaxing techniques, you may be worried about things going wrong. – and sometimes they will!
Here are some of the most common and how to try and combat them:
Losing your place. Use easy to follow notes with only a few words on them. If you can, consider involving the audience. If you are really unsure, just be honest. Say, ‘sorry, can I just have one minute to gather myself….’. Then take a deep breath and refer to your notes
Too much material. If you rehearse, you should know what your main points are and can focus on your main message. Make it as clear as you can and condense your thoughts into the most important bits. Try not go over the time slot you have been given
Too little material. It is often difficult to be precise about how long a presentation will take. If you find yourself running out of content, ask for any questions from the audience or involve them in a discussion. Don’t be afraid to finish early.
Someone looking disinterested. Use the 90% rule – as long as 90% are interested, don’t worry (you can’t win ‘em all”!). However, if you see a few people looking drowsy, do something – change your voice, walk round the room, check the room temperature, ask a question, add more excitement to your voice, or just take a quick break if you can
Equipment Fails. Try to have a backup. So if you are presenting on someone else’s laptop, take a memory stick with your presentation on should theirs not work. If the backup doesn’t work, ask for a quick break to try and solve the problem. If it can’t be fixed and no-one can help, explain the situation and proceed as best you can. If you have rehearsed you will know the main detail. Apologise just once and carry on,
7) Overcoming the physical effects of nerves
There will be a lot of adrenaline in your body and you may well experience some physical effects of nerves (even if you wish you didn’t). I promise it happens to the very best too! Here are some common symptoms:
Shaky hands – Keep your hands in a position which doesn’t exaggerate trembling and try not to hold any large pieces of paper. Sometimes a small piece of blu-tac (pea size) between your thumb and fore finger gives your hands something to focus on
Dry squeaky voice – Pause and clear your throat and if you can have a cup of water near to you so that you can take a sip. Breathe slowly and deeply. Throw a question out to your audience so whilst they are thinking of the answer, you can use the moment to re-group.
Fidgeting – Ask your friend what your fidgeting habits are and try and remove the temptation. So if they say you always fiddle with your jewellery, remove it! If you jangle keys or loose change in your pocket, remove them. If you flick your hair, tie it back. If you are a pen clicker when nervous, don’t pick one up!
Stage fright / losing your words – Well prepared notes can help this and don’t be afraid to refer to them. Take a deep breath, regain your thoughts and carry on.
Getting carried away – Try to just stick to your notes and talk about what you were scheduled to discuss! You could be at risk of going off at a tangent, so pause before agreeing to enter into a long conversation with an audience member
For me, some things to remember as additional takeaways are:
More often that not, the audience wants you to succeed. They are not there to catch you out.
When you take a pause, to you, it feels like it has been 3 minutes it’s probably only 5 seconds. Allow yourself that time – I promise you, a quick pause is never as long as you feel it is
You prepared well, you know your topic, believe in yourself
And yes, there are lots of other tips about imagining the audience in various states of ‘things’, but the biggest one is the audience are human beings too. Be you and focus on calming those nerves.
There are so many aspects of presentations, presenting skills and presenting tools that we can help you with. If this is something you feel is holding you back or you want to get better at, we can work with you on a 1-1 basis. Just get in touch as we would love to help you do more than calm those nerves!
