7 Ways to Overcome Stage Fright in Public Speaking

“All greatness is achieved while performing outside our comfort zone.”

— Greg Arnold

It is common knowledge that the #1 human fear is public speaking. When someone needs to make a presentation, often they just want to ‘get it over with.’

But if you are in business, becoming proficient at public speaking can accelerate your career and increase your influence. Instead of trying to ‘get it over with’ think ‘get good.’

Here are a few strategies that can help you reduce your anxiety. Be assured that nervousness in public speaking is normal and even healthy.

1. Master your material.

There is no substitute for knowing your material. The more prepared you are, the more confident and spontaneous you will be. Thorough knowledge of the material will also help you speak in a conversational tone.

2. Arrive early.

Make sure you are not dealing with last minute room set-up or technological issues. This will compound your stress. Get there well ahead of time and make sure everything is in order. Greet participants as they arrive. This takes the edge off and gives the audience a positive first impression. 

3. Start strong and Finish strong.

The first few minutes are usually the hardest. If you have your introduction down cold and it has a good hook, you gain early momentum. Once you get going, the anxiety is often reduced or even eliminated. Additionally, don't end with a whimper. 'Does anyone have any questions?' isn't exactly a great lasting impression. Summarize what you have said and then paint a picture of a bright future with the material you presented. Help them 'imagine' how life will be better from what you have shared.

4. Make nervousness work for, rather than against you.

If I am nervous before a speech, I simply tell myself that it is positive energy waiting to be channeled into a great presentation.

““Everyone has butterflies in their stomach. The only difference between the pro and an amateur is the pro has the butterflies flying in formation.” ”

— Zig Ziglar

5. Use positive visualization.

This technique is used by some of the world’s greatest performers. Jack Nicklaus used to imagine the golf ball landing softly on the green right next to the hole before he ever took a swing. Picture yourself confident and effective during your presentation.

6. Focus on the MESSAGe, not yourself.

I used to give monthly Employee of the Month presentations at an organization. I would tell myself that my job is to honor person being recognized, not to make myself look good. This actually helped take the edge off my nervousness. In a similar way, your job is not to impress the audience but impact them. Focus on helping them.

7. Think thrive, not survive.

Being a Christian, I think of what the Apostle Paul said, 'God did not give us a spirit of fear but of power, love and a sound mind.' Go up with confidence and seize the day. Make the most of your opportunity. Play offense, not defense.

Your presentation will never be perfect but life is an adventure not a test. It's about success, not perfection. 

There are no shortcuts to becoming proficient at presentations. But with practice, your anxiety can be dramatically reduced.

When I started my career in education, I volunteered to teach topics like infection control, fire safety and HIPAA about 6 times a month in front of an average size audience of 40 people. I did this for the sole purpose of gaining ‘face time’ in front of an audience.

So start small. Volunteer to make a presentation at a department meeting or for a committee. You will doing something most people are unwilling to do.

“You have to go through awkward to get to awesome.”

— Mark Batterson

6 Ways to Overcome Nervousness in Public Speaking

All greatness is achieved while performing outside our comfort zone. – Greg Arnold

It is common knowledge that the #1 human fear is public speaking. When someone needs to make a presentation, often they just want to ‘get it over with.’

But if you are in business, becoming proficient at public speaking can accelerate your career. Instead of trying to ‘get it over with’ think ‘get good.’

I would like to share a few strategies that can help you reduce your anxiety. Be assured that nervousness concerning public speaking is normal and even healthy.

1. Master your material.

There is no substitute for knowing your material. The more prepared you are, the more confident and spontaneous you will be. Thorough knowledge of the material will also help you speak in a conversational tone.

2. Arrive early.

Make sure you are not dealing with last minute room set-up or technological issues. This will compound your stress. Get there well ahead of time and make sure everything is in order. Greet participants as they come. This will get the focus off yourself and create a relaxed atmosphere.

3. Start strong and end strong.

The first few minutes are usually the hardest. If you have your introduction down cold and it has a good hook, you gain early momentum. Once you get going, the anxiety is often reduced or even eliminated.

4. Make nervousness work for, rather than against you.

If I am nervous before a speech, I simply tell myself that it is positive energy waiting to be channeled into a great presentation.

“Everyone has butterflies in their stomach. The only difference between the pro and an amateur is the pro has the butterflies flying in formation.” – Zig Ziglar

5. Use positive visualization.

This technique is used by some of the world’s greatest performers. Jack Nicklaus used to imagine the golf ball landing softly on the green right next to the hole before he ever took a swing. Picture yourself confident and effective during your presentation.

6. Focus on the message (or Get Over Yourself!)

I used to give Employee of the Month presentations. I would tell myself that my job is to honor person being recognized, not to make me look good. This took the focus off me and actually helped take the edge off my nervousness.

By the way, imagining people in their underwear doesn’t work.

There are no shortcuts to becoming proficient at presentations or reducing the anxiety that comes with it. But with practice it will be dramatically reduced. When I started my career in education, I volunteered to teach topics like infection control, fire safety and HIPAA about 6 times a month in front of an average size audience of 40 people. I did this for the sole purpose of gaining ‘face time’ in front of an audience.

So start small. Volunteer to make a presentation at a department meeting or for a committee. You will slowly build confidence that could eventually lead to great things.

3 Ways to Make Your Presentations More Compelling

Most presentations are dull and unmemorable. How many times in your life have you actually wished that a presentation would go longer? Generally, we leave presentations wishing the speaker would have stopped sooner. This is why delivering a well-crafted presentation is an important skill in the marketplace. It can leave a powerful impact on the audience and set you apart as a communicator. 

Here are three way to make any presentation more compelling:

1. Create a Tension. 

Everyone listening to you is dialed in to the same radio station, WII-FM (“What’s In It For Me”). Before jumping into your content, set up your presentation well. Give the audience a reason to listen. Tell them WHY. Even if the subject is boring, there is a reason you are sharing the information, and this should be related to the audience.

2. Simplify. 

If you sharing an abstract concept, give an example. If you are explaining something complex, use an analogy. Great communicators are simplifiers. In addition, if you must use lists or bullet points in your presentation, keep them brief and reveal them one at a time. This is one of the most common mistakes I see. Most presenters reveal all of their bullet points at once. While the presenter is speaking to the first point, the audience is reading the whole list. The audience cannot read and listen at the same time. So when using lists or bullet points, reveal your first point, speak to it, and then reveal the next point, speak to that point, rinse and repeat.

3. Finish Strong. 

“Does anyone have any questions?” is not exactly a strong finish. If you want to answer questions, do so before your conclusion. Do not end with a whimper but on a high note. Paint a picture of a brighter future for your audience based on what you talked about. Challenge them to apply what they learned. Tie a nice bow on your package. Leave the audience wanting more.

The ability to communicate well will lift your career. The ability to inspire will make it soar.