Guess what? It’s totally normal to be nervous before a speech. Actually it’s genetics! We are genetically programmed to be fearful of strangers & groups of people. Not so long ago the chance of strangers trying to do you some harm was very likely. We hung out in tribes. Other tribes were competition. Yeah. So fight or flight is the normal way to react to giving presentations. It’s up to us to change that. It’s up to us to actually learn how to not be nervous. Here’s how.
5 Steps to Not Be Nervous
First thing to do is to Be Relaxed. Learn some relaxation exercises. I have some excellent ones. You can come to me or you can just go online to find some. Make them a habit. I teach all of my clients to FindYourRelaxedPlace in every communicative situation of their lives.
Second, you must Love Your Audience. Once you take the focus off yourself & think only about what the audience knows & what they need to know from you, you forget to worry about if they’re going to like you.
When your body is closed you lose control over yourself & have no control over others
Thirdly, pick a song that really motivates you and actually walk onto the stage with that song in your head. Literally stepping to the beat. (Subtly) Dancing onto the stage. How’s about a little JT “Can’t Stop the Feeling” I’m telling you the dancing thing works!
What’s Your Body Doing?
Fourth, keep your arms wide open for 10 minutes before your speech. Keep your arms open as you walk out on stage. This will make it so you’ll not be nervous at all. You’ll feel happy! When your body is closed you lose control over yourself & have no control over others. We need to control others! Not to do evil things! Please don’t do that. But we need people to believe that we’re experts in our own wheelhouses. We need to control them enough to get them to understand our message & follow our call-to-action.
When you love your audience you take the focus off yourself & forget to be nervous
Fifth, As you walk on stage make sure you lead with your core & not your head. As a matter of fact you should do this throughout your life. Your Body Language can control your emotions. Use them to your advantage.