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We all feel nervous when we talk in public.  This is a good thing.  If we didn’t feel nervous, then we would not be taking our work seriously.  These nerves though, need to be controlled.  Without proper control, we feel uncomfortable; we may feel scared and we may not perform as well as we might.

Even Churchill felt nervous

First thing to realise is that everyone good feels nervous.  Even Winston Churchill, did not like public speaking and felt uncomfortable doing so.  But, like many of us, he realised that to succeed in his profession he had to focus his nervous energy.

Use that nervous energy

Your nervous energy can be used and channelled.  Much of the feeling of nerves is because of a rush of adrenaline that can be used for fright or flight.  The trick that successful speakers use is to focus the energy into their talk.  Rather than a wobbly voice, shaking hands or nervous body posture, you can channel the energy into a louder voice, more animated talking or stronger hand gestures.

Relaxation exercises

For different people, different relaxation exercises work.  Some of the most common exercises include slow, steady breathing; imaging a smiling happy audience; rapid shaking of hands; or helding your fingers in the OM mudra position

Your nerves don’t show

At Benjamin Ball Associates, we often use cameras when training speakers.  These are used to show that even when you feel nervous, it does not show.  Most of the time the audience is unaware of the inner turmoil that a speaker is going through.  By demonstrating that the audience is unaware of a speaker’s inner feelings,  speakers relax more.

Written by BenjaminBall

Founder and MD of Benjamin Ball Associates - presentation experts

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