Do this to overcome your presentation nerves
Experts have estimated that 30 million PowerPoint presentations are created every single day. Whilst creating the presentation itself might be enjoyable, you may be surprised to hear that 77% of the UK’s population experience anxiety when performing them!
If you fall into this camp, then don’t worry because we do too But we’ve learnt some valuable techniques that allow us to overcome our nerves and tackle public speaking challenges.
Keep reading for our top tips to conquer your presentation nerves. If you’d like more advice, do check out our FREE ‘Overcoming Fear of Public Speaking’ online video course that you can access here.
What are presentation nerves?
Presentation nerves are completely normal. The main reason why we feel nervous is because we worry we’ll look silly, people will judge us, or we’re scared we might mess up. Nerves are your body’s way of preparing to fight or flee in this pressurised situation.
Why do we get nervous?
We can’t stop the ‘fight or flight’ process from happening because it’s a result of an adrenaline hormone that’s produced and pumped around our bodies. Adrenaline almost instantly makes your heart beat faster, raises your blood pressure, gives you sweaty palms, and quickens your breathing, which all increases your alertness and energy. The result? Feelings of anxiety and nervousness - often with flutters in your tummy
You may think that confident presenters and assured public speakers don’t get nervous. But, you’re wrong. They will almost always feel nervous. They’ve just learnt to deal with these emotions and turn them into positive characteristics when addressing a room.
How do you get rid of presentation anxiety?
We’re not going to sugarcoat it, you’ll probably always get presentation anxiety. Our School of Connection team does every time we carry out one of our public speaking classes. However, there are techniques and methods you can use to turn your anxiety into helpful attributes that allow you to connect with your audience.
Here are our proven practices to overcome your presentation nerves.
1. Practise, practise, practise
Blah, blah, blah, you might be thinking. But, trust us, practice really does make perfect. The more you practise your presentation the more it will be ingrained in your long-term memory.
Did you know your short-term memory can hold up to 7 pieces of information, but only for around 20 seconds? Whereas, your long-term memory allows you to:
Encode - convert information into a knowledge structure
Store - accumulate chunks of information
Retrieve - the ability to recall things we already know
So, if you want the likelihood of you messing up to be kept to a minimum, your odds will be more in your favour if you practise and get your presentation into your long-term memory.
We recommend practising in front of the mirror, as well as to a group of people. Get used to how it feels to talk out loud and how it feels to make eye contact with people you’re addressing.
2. It’s okay to be vulnerable
Presentation tips from other organisations might talk about the appearance of confidence and performance. However, we’re very much in the ‘it’s okay to show vulnerability’ camp. Why? Because we believe a willingness to be vulnerable means a willingness to show who you actually are. And this type of self-acceptance is the fastest route to long-lasting confidence.
A lot of our anxieties and nervousness comes from feeling exposed. Which is why we encourage our students to look at their vulnerabilities with a different mindset. For example:
Me: “I feel anxious about doing a presentation.”
Mindset: “That’s okay because I’m doing something outside my comfort zone. I’m allowed to feel anxious.”
Me: “I’m worried I’ll mess up.”
Mindset: “If you do mess up, it doesn’t matter. Admit it to the room, smile, and move on. Your audience will find it endearing that you’re honest, and they’ll connect with you even more.”
Me: “I don’t want the audience to know I’m nervous.
Mindset: “Feel comfortable with feeling nervous. Remember, if you have nothing to hide, you have nothing to fear”
3. Take deep breaths
How fast or slow you breathe can have a huge effect on how you feel. When you’re nervous or anxious, your breathing tends to quicken. When we’re relaxed and calm, it slows down.
The good news is we can control how fast or slow we breathe with deep breathing techniques. When you force yourself to breathe deeply, it sends a message to your brain to calm down. The brain then sends this message to your body. The result? You feel less anxious and therefore less nervous.
We recommend creating a deep breathing practice for yourself that focuses on making your exhalations longer than your inhalations. Longer exhalations stimulate the parasympathetic nervous system, which turns off the fight or flight response and creates a sense of calm.
Before giving your presentation we recommend taking some deep breaths before walking onto the stage or heading into the meeting room. Remember to lengthen your exhalation
4. Have a glass of water on hand
A dry mouth can be a side-effect of anxiety. No-one wants to be midway through a presentation with a dry mouth unable to speak. Which is why it’s helpful to have a glass or bottle of water handy when speaking in public.
Taking a sip of water during your presentation can also help you keep a steady pace. It forces you to stop, slow down, and gather your thoughts, when you feel your anxiety levels rising.
Did you know water has also been shown to have natural calming properties? Research shows that drinking sufficient water can create feelings of relaxation.
5. Keep a slow pace
Talking too fast when public speaking can make your audience feel uneasy. A fast pace can also result in you jumbling your words, making your message unclear.
If you want to make a speech that inspires, then you need to be understood. A steady speaking pace will help your audience connect with what you’re saying - plus it will give off confident body language too.
6. Don't perform. Be yourself.
By now you’ll probably have guessed that we really value honesty and vulnerability as these qualities allow an audience to connect with you.
People are very intuitive - they’ll soon detect someone who’s performing and putting on an act, versus someone who’s authentic and really knows their stuff.
So if you can be as real as possible, not only will your audience engage with you, but you’ll also start to relax as you drop your ‘performance’.
As Brene Brown says “Let go of who you think you should be in order to become who you are”.
What to do before your presentation?
Finally, we often get asked whether we have any tips on what to do before a presentation. So here is our trusty routine we follow before a public speaking situation.
Practice your presentation before as much as possible
If you have time and a place to do set aside 20 mins to just practice deep breathing
Drink water, and plenty of it, throughout the day
Arrive at least 20 minutes in advance of your presentation so you feel calm, not flustered
Take some breaths just before walking onto the stage/into the meeting room
Remember, that if you have nothing to hide, you have nothing to fear. Try not to perform, and try just to be
If you’d like more tips to help with your future presentations, do get in touch with us here. We’d love to hear from you.