Managing the fear of presenting
Do you fear presenting or public speaking? When you present or even think about making a presentation:
you sweat
your heart races and body tenses
your mouth goes dry
you struggle to breathe
you shake
your voice trembles.
It makes you feel so uncomfortable that you try and avoid presenting or public speaking at all costs.
That’s the problem though. Presenting is essential for your career and business success. There can be big costs to you or your organisation if you avoid presenting or are so overcome with nerves that you present poorly.
You are not alone in your fear of presenting. It is one of people’s most common fears. For some people the fear can be crippling and it becomes a phobia.
The good news is there are many things you can do to manage or overcome your fear of presenting.
What is glossophobia?
Glossophobia is the term to describe people who have an extreme or irrational fear of public speaking. It comes from the Greek words glossa (tongue) and phobos (fear or dread).
In our presentation skills workshops and coaching programs, we find that people’s fear of presenting can come from a previous painful experience. To protect yourself your brain tells you to avoid putting yourself in that position again.
Sometimes, there is no evidence that people have ever delivered a poor presentation. They are not afraid of presenting. They are afraid of being judged or rejected.
Embrace your nerves and fear of presenting
Nerves are natural and helpful. Even elite athletes get nervous prior to a race or competition. Use your nerves to
If you aren’t nervous at all, you could have a bigger problem. You could be dead.
Recognising your nerves or fear of presenting is the first step to managing them. The first step to delivering more effective presentations.
3 tips for overcoming your fear of public speaking
Tip 1. Prepare your presentation.
Having a well structured presentation will give you more confidence. So too will rehearsing the presentation - in front of the bathroom mirror, your pet or a human. Remember this - prior preparation prevents piss poor performance.
Tip 2. Change your mindset about presenting.
Remember you are the knower. At work, you will be speaking on a topic that you know a lot about. Take confidence from the fact that you will at least a bit know more about the topic than most or all of your audience members.
Instead of going into a presentation telling yourself you are a poor presenter and the presentation will be a disaster, take a different mindset. Lift the needle off that old track on the record you are playing in your head. Place it on a new track that says that you know what you are talking about and this is a great opportunity for you to achieve work goals. It may stretch you but you will do the best you can do on the day.
Tip 3. Breathe.
Deep breathing before, and during, your presentation will help to calm you down.
There are many benefits from practicing breathwork for presenting and general stress management. It gets oxygen into your lungs which helps to avoid sounding high pitched or breathy when you present. It also helps you to think more clearly, so you more easily recall your key points.
Read more about workplace seminars and coaching from Breathworx.
More help to manage your fear of presenting
In our Present at your Peak workshops and coaching sessions we create a safe space for you to recognise, even embrace, your fear of presenting.
We give you a framework to prepare an effective presentation. Plus, lots of tips, tools and techniques like the ones above to help you to feel more in control. The more you feel in control, the better your performance.
If you would like more information on training to manage your fear of presenting and deliver more effective presentations contact us today. You can also follow us on LinkedIn for tips on presenting at your peak.