Tips for Handling Nervous Symptoms

Most speakers feel a bit nervous before going up on stage. The more seasoned speakers experience this as extra energy to add to their presentation. But when you’re a newer speaker, you may not be quite there yet. Tommy John, makers of men’s “under layers,” recently released an infographic that I think will help you overcome some of your nervous systems … at least until you get your butterflies flying in formation!

Tips for Handling Nervous Symptoms

Before I share the infographic, I’d like to go into more detail — from a speaker’s perspective — on some of the tips.

Symptom: Talking too fast and stumbling over your words.

This can happen to the best of us, especially if we are excited to share our information with our audience. I know, even when I’m not feeling nervous, I can sometimes struggle with this one. Two ways to overcome this is to be prepared and to become aware of your breath.

Preparation — that is you’ve practiced your presentation until you have it down cold — helps alleviate nerves caused by being unsure of what to say. When you are confident in your message, you can speak more confidently.

When you are nervous, you are more likely to take shallow breaths. Learn to breathe deeply and slowly, from the diaphragm, so that you can calm yourself from the “outside in,” as I like to say. You can actually fool your body into calming down by behaving in a calm manner.

Symptom: Nervous fidgeting or shaking.

This — or its opposite (standing stone still) — can kill a presentation. One way to alleviate this is to practice some of your presentation’s body language so that you can program it into your muscle memory. Breathing deeply can also calm the jitters down.

Symptom: Stomach upset

One of the speakers I interviewed for Public Speaking Super Powers actually threw up during her first presentation. Another fainted. So don’t worry if you experience a little stomach upset before a presentation. Drinking enough water to keep you hydrated will help. So will positive visualization before your speech.

When pressure calls, answer comfortably.

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About the author

Carma Spence, is author of Public Speaking Super Powers. She is fiercely committed to guiding women to Owning their Superpowers and turning their knowledge and interests into a profitable business. She is masterful at helping her clients see what is possible for them and supporting them on the journey from where they are to where they want to be, releasing the Mind Goblins of self-doubt, self-sabotage and second-guessing that keep them stuck.

With 20+ years experience in marketing communications and public relations, natural intuitive skills and certification in using some of the most effective transformational coaching tools available, Carma’s mission and commitment is to unleash the inner power every woman entrepreneur possesses so they can boldly go out into the world, transforming the fabric of people’s lives in meaningful and positive ways.

You can find her on Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn. Her website is CarmaSpence.com.