Understanding Public Speaking Jitters Public speaking jitter is a universal phenomenon experienced by even the most seasoned presenters. Symptoms include fast beating heart, trembling hands and feet, cold sweats, or an inability to think before or during a presentation. Although these responses are natural, if left unchecked, they can easily jeopardize the outcome of your presentation. You have to acknowledge that public speaking jitters are part and parcel of public speaking. Your aim is not to completely eliminate public speaking jitters but to control them, and use them constructively rather than destructively.
Prepare And Practice Thoroughly Thorough preparation and practice are the best ways to overcome public speaking jitters.
The better prepared you are, the less likely you will be affected by public speaking jitters. Here are some quick tips to ensure that you prepare and practice thoroughly: Understand the topic you will be speaking about. Anticipate potential questions from your audience. Organize your thoughts in a logical manner. Use an appropriate introduction, body, and conclusion. Practice in front of a mirror or family members. Practice in the same room where you will be presenting, if possible. Practice in front of family members, and ask them to provide constructive criticism. The more prepared you are, the more confident you will be, and therefore the less likely you will be to be affected by public speaking jitters.
Take Deep Breaths And Relax When we experience stress, our breathing rate increases.
This leads to our heart beating faster, which in turn leads to public speaking jitters. When you take deep breaths, you will be able to slow down your heart rate and relax. Here are some quick tips to help you take deep breaths and relax: Inhale slowly through your nose. Hold your breath for 2-3 seconds. Slowly exhale through your mouth. Repeat the above steps 2-3 times. You can also do some stretching exercises to relax.
Visualize Yourself Succeeding As human beings, we are prone to think negatively.
When we think negatively, we will experience fear and anxiety. If we are able to replace our negative thoughts with positive thoughts, we will feel more confident and be less likely to experience public speaking jitters. Here are some quick tips to help you visualize yourself succeeding: Visualize yourself delivering a successful presentation. Visualize your audience responding positively to your presentation. Visualize yourself answering questions confidently.
Gain Experience By Speaking In Front Of Small Audiences
The best way to overcome public speaking jitters is to speak in front of an audience as often as you can. If you experience public speaking jitters when speaking in front of a large group, try speaking in front of small groups until you gain enough experience. Here are some quick tips to help you gain experience: Join a public speaking club. Present to a small group of colleagues. Present to a small group of family and friends. Record yourself and play it back to identify areas for improvement.
Concentrate On Your Audience Instead Of Your Nervousness
If you concentrate on your nervousness, you will experience more nervousness. However, if you shift your focus from your nervousness to your audience, you will experience less nervousness. Here are some quick tips to help you concentrate on your audience instead of your nervousness: Ask yourself what your audience wants to know instead of what you want to tell them. Use storytelling techniques to draw your audience’s attention. Ask your audience questions.
Make Use Of Positive Body Language When we are nervous, we will display negative body language such as avoiding eye contact, fidgeting, or displaying a weak posture. On the other hand, when we make use of positive body language such as maintaining eye contact, smiling, or displaying a confident posture, we will experience less nervousness. Here are some quick tips to help you make use of positive body language: Make use of gestures to add emphasis to your points. Maintain eye contact with different people in your audience. Display a confident posture.
Use Positive Self-Talk As mentioned earlier, human beings are prone to think negatively. When we think negatively, we will experience fear and anxiety, which will lead to public speaking jitters. However, if we replace negative thoughts with positive thoughts, we will experience less fear and anxiety. Here are some quick tips to help you replace negative thoughts with positive thoughts: Instead of thinking “I will not do well,” think “I will do well.” Instead of thinking “My audience will not like me,” think “My audience will like me.” Instead of thinking “I will fail,” think “I will succeed.”
Engage In A Pre-Presentation Routine Engaging in a pre-presentation routine will help you relax. Here are some quick tips to help you engage in a pre-presentation routine: Listen to soothing music. Engage in some light physical exercise. Visualize yourself succeeding.
Learn From Your Mistakes Nobody is perfect. Even experienced speakers will make mistakes. Instead of crying over spilt milk, learn from your mistakes. Ask yourself what you could do to improve next time. Here are some quick tips to help you learn from your mistakes: Anticipate questions from your audience. Think on your feet. Be honest with your audience. Instead of beating yourself over your mistakes, learn from them.