Eight Steps for reducing stress before public speaking

Stage One: Managing Anxiety before you Speak

1

ADOPT RIGHT MINDSET: Re-frame a Pessimistic Attitude

• Understand how stress works. Work to accept the need for some stress to perform optimally
• Re-frame how you perceive the symptoms of stress (nervousness, butterflies etc.): stress, and its symptoms, are needed for peak performance
• Give up the belief that you have to be perfect. None of us are
• Remind yourself: when you speak in public, nothing ‘bad’ can happen
• Regulate any negative ‘self-talk’. No more ‘What if I forget what I want to say?’. Instead ask yourself ‘What if they give me a standing ovation?’. seriously.  (Source 6)

2

CREATE CONTENT: Develop your Material, Write your Speech

Some people are able to deliver great presentations by ‘winging-it’. They improvise.

A less stressful approach is to develop your content in advance. After you have spent enough time thinking about, developing, and practicing your presentation you will find you know the content of the deck in-side and out.

Some people manage to do an acceptable job just off the back of the preparation in writing the deck.

But we recommend developing a script. Practice the script, and then throw it away.

• Write your presentation. For most speeches you really only need two or three main ideas
• Develop a script

3

PRACTICE:  Rehearse and Gain Experience

Practice is important.

Some people will recommend not practicing as a way of limiting stress. As we spoke of early, avoidance is a viable strategy. But if you can’t avoid giving the speech, don’t avoid the practice. Practice, in clinical terms, is a form of exposure therapy. Exposure therapy works.

• Practice makes perfect. Presenting is a sport that needs training.
• Practice your speech delivery out loud, verbalize the complete presentation
• Practice clarity, pace of speaking, engaging with audience, making eye-contact
• Practice until you memorize your script, then use the script as a safety net
• Confidence comes with experience. Public speaking experience will reduce the stress you feel the next time around

4

PREPARE:  Attend to the details

These small little techniques can play a huge role in controlling the build up of emotions in the lead-up to your speech.

• Set the right tone in advance by sending a thoughtfully written agenda
• Exercise
• Get some rest
• Eat lightly or not at all an hour before the presentation
• Avoid too much coffee, too many cigarettes or other mood-altering substances. While they can work, in the short term - regulating the dosage is impossible.
• Look your best, dress for success
• Prepare a 'flight-check' to ensure you have everything you need 1 hour before your speech

5

RELAX:  Stay Calm and Visualize Success

In her book Train Your Mind, Change Your Brain, the Wall Street Journal’s science columnist Sharon Begley's walks readers through experiments showing that, contrary to conventional scientific theory, new neurons are created in the brain every day. Experiments with Buddhist monks suggest it is possible to train the brain to be better at feeling certain emotions.

One of the techniques at the center of this neuroplasticity movement is visualization. It works.

To help your performance and to establish the right mindset, visualize delivering a successful presentation (the outcome you want).

People who fear public speaking tend to fret, and spend their time visualizing the ‘worst-case’ outcomes and abysmal failures. Without realizing it, they adopt the exact opposite visualization approach needed for optimal performance!

• Quite your mind
• Breathe
• Laugh
• Warm up your voice
• Visualize your optimal outcome (a successful presentation)

Stage Two: Managing Anxiety during your Speech

6

HUMANIZE THE AUDIENCE:  Remember your Audience's Flaws

Your audience is human. They are not perfect. And they want you to succeed.

• Remind yourself that your audience has flaws just like you
• Assume your audience is friendly (they are)
• Assume your audience is there because they are interested in what you have to say (they are)
• Love your audience and assume they love you (they do)

7

SET THE RIGHT TONE:  Be Yourself

Establish the right tone and mood for your speech. Approach your audience and the presentation with an open heart.

• Adopt the right disposition
• Have conviction
• Be yourself
• Do not perform, instead think of your presentation as a private, one-on-one conversation
• Smile

Stage Three: Managing Anxiety after your Speech

8

UNWIND:  Relax and Debrief

Even very experienced public speakers and presenters can find themselves in a bit of a mental fog following their speech. It can be hard to concentrate or stay focused afterwards. Critically, what takes place after your presentation will have an important influence on the way you approach and deliver your next speech.

• Breathe deeply. This will help to reduce your heart rate.
• Minimize self-talk. You can mentally review your presentation later.
• Write down any comments, outstanding to-do’s or feedback for review later.

Summary

• Anxiety before a presentation or speech is normal. Everyone experiences it.
• This physiological response is an inheritance from our caveman ancestors. It is part of our lizard brain.
• A little stress is a good thing. It is necessary for peak performance
• We can deal with speech anxiety via avoidance or stress management
• When possible, convert ‘public speaking’ style presentations into a sit-down style presentation
• We recommend eight steps before, during and after the speech to help manage stress
• Smile