How to combat nerves when public speaking

by Jaimie Abbott

We all know public speaking can be nerve-wracking at times. You might feel your anxiety rise—butterflies in the stomach, you’re afraid you might sound like a fool in front of your audience. Well, here are some mighty tips that will help you to tear apart those negative ideas in your head before your big day.

#1 Practice.

Whilst it might be difficult to practice for those of you who have a back-to-back schedule, it really is essential to practice your speech before your big day. Try practicing it while doing something like driving, showering, or even eating. The more you multitask things, the more you will be comfortable to add some gestures while you are delivering your speech. Adding gestures can help make your speech persuade more people.

#2 Attend events with guest speakers

This is one of the greatest techniques professional speakers do. Attending other events with keynote speakers may help you understand the common mood of the crowd. Be one of the crowd. You can then incorporate in your speech the information you have gathered.

#3 Take deep breaths and exercise.

The go-to advice for the first timers is, “Take a deep breath.’’ This might sound cliché but it actually works. Taking deep breaths relaxes your brain and body resulting in a more polished and less stuttered speech. Exercising the morning of your speech might also help since it helps release endorphins which are known as “happy hormones.” Endorphins trigger a positive feeling in the body and will result in a positive tone when delivering your speech as well.

#4 Drink lots of water.

Dry mouth is a common result of anxiety. Drinking plenty of water before your talk will help you. And make sure you have some water handy whilst you’re up there speaking.

#5 Do weird mouth exercises.

As a public speaker, the most effective advice I can suggest is to get a little bit weird, moments before you go into the stage. Yes, you might feel a bit silly, but the general idea is to exercise your mouth and do some weird mouth movements to practice the articulation of your words. This means making an “A-O-A-O” sound, squishing both cheeks, or maybe doing a little bit of face yoga that targets the mouth.

There are a lot of ways to calm nerves before speaking out in public but these quick and dirty tips are generally the best ones that will help newbies in public speaking.