Here is the good news. Your audience will not know how you feel; they will only see how you act.

Delivering Your Speech Is More Than the Words

You’re waiting your turn to deliver your presentation when suddenly you realize that your stomach is doing flips and your mind is rapidly going blank. How do you conquer the jitters? People often ask me this question, and there is no single answer to it. The secret is to prepare mentally, physically, and logistically.

Mentally

Begin by understanding that you’ll spend a lot more time preparing than speaking. As a general rule, allocate three hours of preparation for a half-hour speech, resulting in a six-to-one ratio. When you’ve become a highly experienced speaker, you might be able to cut your preparation time. Until then, don’t skimp, because preparation is critical to success, even for skilled speakers.

Part of your preparation will be to memorize your opening and closing lines. Rehearse so you can effectively cover your key points from notes and know your opening and closing by heart, ensuring you can begin well and close on a high note. This will help you connect with your audience when you are most nervous.

It may help to remind yourself that your audience does not know what you intended to say. They can’t see your nervousness if you smile, pause, breathe and act as if you are confident. With a promising beginning, you will soon feel that way.

Logistically

Arrive at the room where you’ll be speaking as early as possible so you can get comfortable in the environment. If you will be speaking from a stage, go early in the morning when no one is there and make friends with the stage. Then, during your presentation, you can concentrate on your audience, rather than worrying about how long it takes to reach the lectern or how close the seats are to the stage. Check that your introducer has your intro. Take one with you in case.

Physically

If you are addressing a small meeting, to help cope with anticipation, shake hands and make eye contact with everybody before your presentation begins. For larger meetings, greet and shake hands with people in the front row, at least, and some of the attendees as they enter the room. We as speakers are rarely nervous about individuals; we are only nervous when faced with the thought of an entire audience. When you have met some of the audience, introduced yourself at their lunch table or in the front row of a large group, and you have connected with them, they become less intimidating. Additionally, when you take the time to communicate with your audience personally, they will be rooting for your success. I call this “Being your own warm-up act.”

Use a performer’s warm-up. In the privacy of a restroom or backstage, try this: shake your hands, loosen your jaw, gently move your neck, and bounce on your feet. Release the tension before you walk on stage.

Stand before you speak. Avoid remaining seated too long. Sitting compresses your energy. Robin Williams was known for doing jumping jacks backstage to elevate his energy. You don’t need to go that far, however, move!

When it comes to managing physical tension before a speech, understand that it is natural to feel nervous. Try this acting technique: Shake the tension out of your hand, do a few head rolls and exaggerated chewing to relax your jaw and head. Then shake your legs one at a time. Of course, this has to be done in the privacy of the bathroom or backstage. This technique helps physically release tension from your body.

Don’t get stuck sitting down right before speaking. If you are going to talk about an hour into the agenda, sit in the back of the room so that for some portion of that hour, you can stand up. It isn’t easy to immediately jump into your presentation and be dynamic when you have been sitting down and relaxed. Robin Williams was well known for doing jumping jacks before going on stage to raise his energy level.

Sitting in the back of the room allows you easy access to the bathroom before a speech. One of the greatest orators of the twentieth century, Winston Churchill, said, “Never pass up the chance to go to the bathroom.” This is very true with delivering presentations.

Whether you are a beginner or an experienced speaker, you can dramatically improve the quality of your presentations with Fripp Virtual Training. Get results easily, conveniently, and cost-effectively.

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Patricia Fripp is a presentation skills expert who speaks, writes, and consults with others who want to enjoy more influence and impact.