Reduce Presentation Nervousness

Sweaty palms. Dry throat. Heart racing. You’ve just been told Mike Tyson wants to get in the boxing ring with you. No, it’s worse than that. You’ve been asked to make a presentation and it’s go time.

We get so nervous before giving presentations, don’t we? I have a class called Developing & Delivering Great Presentations. It’s my oldest course, the one I’ve taught the most times, and it’s been updated 4 times.

In every single class, when I’ve asked students for their objectives, how to overcome nervousness gets mentioned every time, usually in the first 2 minutes. Heads nod in unison after the first person mentions it.

There are scores of things you can do to reduce nervousness. But, instead of giving you 100 little tips to sort through, below you’ll see a simple 3-step process. Follow it and you’ll not only perform better, you’ll feel much better while you’re doing it.

One last thing before we get to the process: the butterflies rarely go away. And that’s OK. I’ve been doing this for 40 years and I still get nervous. It’s not a weakness. It shows you care and want to do well. And a little nervousness gives you a boost of energy, often even a little glow. I’ve learned to embrace it.

Here’s my simple 3-step process to reduce nervousness: (1.) Prepare a great message (2.) Relax before you go on (3.) Focus on your audience as you deliver.

Let’s go over them one-by-one.

1. Prepare a great message

A great message comes from great preparation. This is the way you get the butterflies to fly in formation instead of bouncing around randomly.

The audience came in with certain knowledge & beliefs on the topic & your job is to influence those.

You might build on what they know & believe with new information that takes them to a new level.

Or you may build a reasoned argument that runs counter to what they know & believe.

Make that message interesting and you have a great message.

2. Relax before you go on

Relaxation actually can start after you do your first presentation edit and then rehearse. You may need to loop through that a couple of times but know this: Each time you’re making the message better and that should calm you.

A second way to relax is to create a safety net. List key points you have to make for the message to work (the rest don’t matter if you forget them) and keep that sheet near you when you present. Refer to it if you were to blank out. Like putting on a seat belt in your car. Chances are you won’t it, but it’s there to protect you.

A third way to relax is physical. Move around to burn off anxiety & pump more blood to the brain. Breathe deeply to release any tension that’s left.

3. Focus on your audience as you deliver

This last step is where I’ve seen most people have trouble. It requires a mind-shift.

The reason most people do poorly in high-pressure situations is because they’re focused on themselves.

They’re focused on not making mistakes. They’re focused on what the audience is thinking about them – what they’re saying or even wearing. It’s as if every weakness (real or imagined) is now on display.

It’s not.

Stop thinking about yourself. It’s not about you. When you deliver your presentation, focus on the audience, not yourself. Don’t overthink it. Just get started & let autopilot take over.

Let me know if these help you in your next presentation. Good luck!

P.S. If you’re interested in my Developing & Delivering Great Presentations course for yourself or your team, reach out to me via email: [email protected]