Addressing Nervousness

Being nervous is good for you! - when you control it, and make it work for you rather than against you.
What does it do for you?

1. It makes your reflexes sharper.
2. It increases your energy.
3. It gives you sparkle and brings colour to your cheeks.

When nervous, you feel more conscious about yourself, your appearance and body posture. Your breathing can be affected, this means that you often focus on it, another positive thing to do.
You need to concentrate on getting the feeling out in the open, into perspective and under control, and use it to your advantage. Until you do this, you might feel ‘awful’ every time you present, but you won’t die from it.

Some Symptoms

• Dry mouth.
• Tight throat.
• Sweaty, cold, shaking hands.
• Nausea.
• Fast pulse.
• Shaky knees.
• Trembling lips.

The following are ways in which you can try to overcome the worst of your nerves. Not all will be right for you; as with gestures, it is important to find those that you are comfortable using and that actually work for you!

Visualisation Strategies

• Concentrate on how good you are.
• Pretend you are just chatting with a group of friends.
• Close your eyes and imagine the audience listening, laughing, and applauding.
• Remember happy moments from your past.
• Picture the audience in their underwear.

Advance Preparation Strategies

• Be extremely well prepared.
• Get some coaching.
• Listen to music.
• Anticipate hard and easy questions.
• Organise.
• Absolutely memorise your opening statement so you can recite it on autopilot if you have to.
• Practice, practice, practice.

Strategies For Just Before You Start Your Presentation
This is the tricky time.

• Be in the room at least an hour early if possible to triple check everything.
• You can also chat with participants arriving early.
• Notice and think about things around you.
• Concentrate on searching for current and immediate things that are happening at the event that you can mention during
• your talk (especially in the opening).
• Get into conversation with people near you.
• Be very intent on what they are saying.
• Yawn to relax your throat.
• Look at your notes.
• Build a cushion of time in the day so you are not rushed but not too much time. You don't want to have extra time to worry.
• If your legs are trembling, lean on a table, sit down, or shift your legs.
• Take a quick walk.
• Take quick drinks of tepid water.
• Double-check your A/V equipment.
• Don't drink alcohol.
• Concentrate on your ideas.
• Hide notes around the stage area so you know you have a backup if you happen to draw a blank.
• Concentrate on your audience.
• Listen to music.
• Do exercises that tighten and release muscles.
• Shake hands and smile with attendees before the program.
• Say something to someone to make sure your voice is ready to go.
• Go somewhere private and warm up your voice, muscles, etc.
• Use eye contact.
• Go to a mirror and check out how you look.
• Breathe deeply, evenly, and slowly for several minutes.

Strategies For When You Begin Your Presentation

• If your legs are trembling, lean on the lectern / table, shift legs or move.
• Try not to hold a microphone by hand in the first minute.
• Don't hold notes. The audience can see them shake. Use three-by-five cards instead.
• Take quick drinks of tepid water.
• Use eye contact. It will make you feel less isolated.
• Look at the friendliest faces in the audience.
• Joke about your nervousness. What's the right wine to go with fingernails?

Remember nervousness doesn't show to others as much as it feels to you.