overcoming presentation anxiety

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Fear of public speaking: how can i overcome it, how can i overcome my fear of public speaking.

Fear of public speaking is a common form of anxiety. It can range from slight nervousness to paralyzing fear and panic. Many people with this fear avoid public speaking situations altogether, or they suffer through them with shaking hands and a quavering voice. But with preparation and persistence, you can overcome your fear.

These steps may help:

• Know your topic. The better you understand what you're talking about — and the more you care about the topic — the less likely you'll make a mistake or get off track. And if you do get lost, you'll be able to recover quickly. Take some time to consider what questions the audience may ask and have your responses ready.
• Get organized. Ahead of time, carefully plan out the information you want to present, including any props, audio or visual aids. The more organized you are, the less nervous you'll be. Use an outline on a small card to stay on track. If possible, visit the place where you'll be speaking and review available equipment before your presentation.
• Practice, and then practice some more. Practice your complete presentation several times. Do it for some people you're comfortable with and ask for feedback. It may also be helpful to practice with a few people with whom you're less familiar. Consider making a video of your presentation so you can watch it and see opportunities for improvement.
• Challenge specific worries. When you're afraid of something, you may overestimate the likelihood of bad things happening. List your specific worries. Then directly challenge them by identifying probable and alternative outcomes and any objective evidence that supports each worry or the likelihood that your feared outcomes will happen.
• Visualize your success. Imagine that your presentation will go well. Positive thoughts can help decrease some of your negativity about your social performance and relieve some anxiety.
• Do some deep breathing. This can be very calming. Take two or more deep, slow breaths before you get up to the podium and during your speech.
• Focus on your material, not on your audience. People mainly pay attention to new information — not how it's presented. They may not notice your nervousness. If audience members do notice that you're nervous, they may root for you and want your presentation to be a success.
• Don't fear a moment of silence. If you lose track of what you're saying or start to feel nervous and your mind goes blank, it may seem like you've been silent for an eternity. In reality, it's probably only a few seconds. Even if it's longer, it's likely your audience won't mind a pause to consider what you've been saying. Just take a few slow, deep breaths.
• Recognize your success. After your speech or presentation, give yourself a pat on the back. It may not have been perfect, but chances are you're far more critical of yourself than your audience is. See if any of your specific worries actually occurred. Everyone makes mistakes. Look at any mistakes you made as an opportunity to improve your skills.
• Get support. Join a group that offers support for people who have difficulty with public speaking. One effective resource is Toastmasters, a nonprofit organization with local chapters that focuses on training people in speaking and leadership skills.

If you can't overcome your fear with practice alone, consider seeking professional help. Cognitive behavioral therapy is a skills-based approach that can be a successful treatment for reducing fear of public speaking.

As another option, your doctor may prescribe a calming medication that you take before public speaking. If your doctor prescribes a medication, try it before your speaking engagement to see how it affects you.

Nervousness or anxiety in certain situations is normal, and public speaking is no exception. Known as performance anxiety, other examples include stage fright, test anxiety and writer's block. But people with severe performance anxiety that includes significant anxiety in other social situations may have social anxiety disorder (also called social phobia). Social anxiety disorder may require cognitive behavioral therapy, medications or a combination of the two.

Craig N. Sawchuk, Ph.D., L.P.

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• Social anxiety disorder (social phobia). In: Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders DSM-5. 5th ed. Arlington, Va.: American Psychiatric Association, 2013. http://dsm.psychiatryonline.org. Accessed April 18, 2017.
• 90 tips from Toastmasters. Toastmasters International. https://www.toastmasters.org/About/90th-Anniversary/90-Tips. Accessed April 18, 2017.
• Stein MB, et al. Approach to treating social anxiety disorder in adults. http://www.uptodate.com/home. Accessed April 18, 2017.
• How to keep fear of public speaking at bay. American Psychological Association. http://www.apa.org/monitor/2017/02/tips-sidebar.aspx. Accessed April 18, 2017.
• Jackson B, et al. Re-thinking anxiety: Using inoculation messages to reduce and reinterpret public speaking fears. PLOS One. 2017;12:e0169972.
• Sawchuk CN (expert opinion). Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minn. April 24, 2017.

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8 Ways to Deliver a Great Presentation (Even If You’re Super Anxious About It)

• Joel Schwartzberg

Know your point, always.

Feeling anxious about a presentation? It’s likely about a fear of public humiliation rather than of public speaking.

• Shift the spotlight from yourself to what you have to say.
• Reject the voice in your head trying to destroy your confidence.
• Knowing what matters – and what doesn’t – will help you succeed.

Where your work meets your life. See more from Ascend here .

I recently worked closely with a 24-year-old client — let’s call him Martin — who was tapped to deliver a five-minute presentation at his company’s annual town hall meeting. Martin had never given a public speech in his professional life, but his accomplishments impressed his supervisors, and they wanted Martin to share his success with the rest of the organization.

• JS Joel Schwartzberg oversees executive communications for a major national nonprofit, is a professional presentation coach, and is the author of Get to the Point! Sharpen Your Message and Make Your Words Matter and The Language of Leadership: How to Engage and Inspire Your Team . You can find him on LinkedIn and X. TheJoelTruth

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Beating Presentation Anxiety: 5 Steps to Speak Confidently

• The Speaker Lab
• April 16, 2024

Table of Contents

Feeling jittery about your next presentation? If so, you’re not alone. Presentation anxiety hits many of us, but it doesn’t have to hold you back. In this article, we’ll dive into what sparks this fear and how it shows up. We’ve got you covered with strategies to prep before your talk, keep cool during the show, and even use tech tools to smooth out those nerves.

If you find that the jitters are negatively impacting your presentations, we have the strategies you need to build confidence. And if you need more help, we’ll point you towards top-notch resources for beating presentation anxiety.

Understanding Presentation Anxiety

Presentation anxiety grips many of us before we step onto the stage. It’s that stomach-churning, sweat-inducing fear of public speaking that can turn even the most prepared speaker into a bundle of nerves. But why does this happen? Let’s break it down.

Common Triggers of Presentation Anxiety

First off, it’s important to know you’re not alone in feeling nervous about presenting. This type of anxiety is incredibly common and stems from various triggers. One major cause is the fear of judgment or negative evaluation by others. No one wants to look foolish or incompetent, especially in front of peers or superiors.

Another trigger is lack of experience. If you haven’t had much practice speaking in public, every presentation might feel like stepping into unknown territory. Then there’s perfectionism; setting impossibly high standards for your performance can make any slight mistake feel disastrous.

How Presentation Anxiety Manifests

The symptoms of presentation anxiety are as varied as they are unpleasant: dry mouth, shaky hands, racing heart—the list goes on. Oftentimes, these physical signs go hand-in-hand with mental ones like blanking out or losing your train of thought mid-sentence. In addition to affecting how you feel physically, anxiety also messes with your confidence levels and self-esteem.

By understanding presentation anxiety better, we realize its grip on us isn’t due to our inability but rather a natural response that can be managed with the right techniques and mindset adjustments.

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Strategies for Managing Presentation Anxiety Before the Event

Feeling jittery before taking the stage is a common plight, but let’s not let those nerves derail our success. Here are some tried and true strategies to help keep your cool.

Planning Like a Pro

Kicking off with solid planning can be your first line of defense against presentation anxiety. Initiate by segmenting your presentation into digestible sections. This could mean outlining main points or scripting it out entirely, depending on what makes you feel most prepared. A good resource that dives deep into effective planning is Toastmasters International , where you’ll find tips on structuring speeches that resonate.

An equally crucial part of planning involves researching your audience. Understanding who will be in front of you helps tailor your message and anticipate questions they might have, making you feel more confident and connected.

The Power of Practice

You’ve heard it before, but practice really does make perfect—or at least significantly less nervous. Running through your presentation multiple times lets you iron out any kinks and get comfortable with the flow of information. For an extra boost, simulate the actual event as closely as possible by practicing in similar attire or using the same technology you’ll have available during the real deal.

If solo rehearsals aren’t cutting it, try roping in a friend or family member to act as an audience. Not only can they offer valuable feedback, they can also help acclimate you to speaking in front of others—a critical step toward easing anxiety.

Breathing Techniques That Work Wonders

Last but definitely not least: don’t underestimate breathing techniques. They have the power to calm nerves fast when practiced regularly leading up to the big day. Headspace offers guided exercises that focus on controlled breathing methods designed specifically for stress management. These practices encourage mindfulness, which can center thoughts away from anxious feelings towards present tasks—like delivering an outstanding presentation. Incorporating these exercises daily can build resilience against last-minute jitters too.

Techniques During the Presentation

Say you’ve practiced your speech a dozen times but you’re still worried about the big day. What should you do then to beat presentation anxiety? Let’s take a look.

Engage with Your Audience

Talking to a room full of people can feel daunting, especially when you don’t know any of them. But remember, your audience is there because they’re interested in what you have to say. Make eye contact, smile, and ask rhetorical questions to keep them hooked. As you speak, don’t forget about the importance of body language since it communicates just as much as your words.

If you think engagement ends at asking questions, think again. Sharing personal stories or relevant anecdotes helps build a connection. It makes your presentation not just informative but also relatable and memorable.

Maintain Composure Under Pressure

If you’re palms are sweating and your heart is racing, know that it’s okay. Feeling your pulse quicken shows you’re invested in nailing that speech, yet it’s crucial not to let these sensations throw you off track. Practice deep breathing exercises before stepping onto the stage to calm those nerves.

Besides deep breathing, adopting power poses backstage can significantly boost your confidence levels. Although it may sound crazy, this is a tip from social psychologists that has helped many speakers take control of their anxiety. Just check out Amy Cuddy’s TED talk on body language to see for yourself.

Facing unexpected tech glitches or interruptions during your speech is par for the course. Stay calm and use humor if appropriate—it shows professionalism and adaptability.

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The Role of Technology in Managing Presentation Anxiety

When giving a presentation, it’s not uncommon for your slides or videos to suddenly turn on you, malfunctioning in some way. However, while technical issues are something to prepare for, they shouldn’t keep you from considering technology an ally against presentation anxiety. Let’s look at some ways that technology can help soothe your public speaking jitters.

Presentation Software Features

Gone are the days when speakers had to rely solely on their memory or paper notes. Modern presentation software not only allows you to create visually appealing slides but also comes with features designed specifically for speaker support. Tools like PowerPoint’s Presenter View or Keynote, give you a behind-the-scenes look at your notes and upcoming slides without showing them to the audience. This lets you stay on track discreetly.

Another gem is interactive polling through platforms such as Mentimeter or Poll Everywhere . Engaging your audience with real-time polls not only keeps them involved but also gives you brief moments to collect your thoughts and breathe.

Stress Management Apps

When it comes to taming those pre-presentation butterflies in your stomach, there’s an app for that too. Meditation apps like Headspace offer quick guided sessions that can be squeezed into any busy schedule. Taking even just five minutes before stepping onstage can significantly calm nerves and improve focus.

Breathing exercises have proven effective in managing stress levels quickly. The beauty of apps like Breathe2Relax , is that they provide structured breathing techniques aimed at reducing anxiety on-the-go. As a result, it’s perfect for those last-minute jitters backstage or right before a webinar starts.

Resources for Further Support

If you’re on a quest to conquer presentation anxiety, you’re not alone. It’s like preparing for a big game; sometimes, you need more than just pep talks. Thankfully, there are plenty of available aids out there to help support you on your journey.

Books That Speak Volumes

Finding the right book can be a lifesaver. “Confessions of a Public Speaker” by Scott Berkun gives an insider look at the highs and lows of public speaking with humor and wisdom. Another gem is “TED Talks: The Official TED Guide to Public Speaking” by Chris Anderson, which pulls back the curtain on what makes talks memorable.

Beyond books, consider immersing yourself in stories of others who’ve walked this path before. A great way to do this is through podcasts or audiobooks focusing on overcoming fears and embracing confidence.

Professional Services: When You Need A Team

Sometimes self-help isn’t enough; maybe what you really need is someone in your corner guiding each step. That’s where expert coaches come in. These mentors can craft plans tailored uniquely to your situation, ensuring you’re equipped for every challenge.

Here at The Speaker Lab you’ll find plenty of resources and help if you’re looking to master the art of public speaking while tackling anxieties head-on.

Together, all these resources have one thing in common: they empower speakers at any stage of their journey towards becoming confident communicators ready to tackle any audience.

FAQs on Overcoming Presentation Anxiety

How do i overcome anxiety when presenting.

Practice your talk, know your stuff, and take deep breaths. Confidence grows with preparation and experience.

Why am I anxious about public speaking?

Fear of judgment or messing up in front of others triggers this anxiety. It’s our brain on high alert.

What is anxiety presentation?

Presentation anxiety is that jittery feeling before speaking publicly. It stems from fear of failure or negative evaluation.

What can I take for presentation anxiety?

Talk to a doctor first but beta-blockers or natural remedies like chamomile tea might help ease the jitters safely.

Feeling nervous before a presentation is common. However overwhelming it might feel, know that mastering this fear is possible. Remember: practice makes perfect. By prepping ahead of time and getting familiar with your content, you can dial down the nerves.

As you’re in the spotlight, make sure to maintain a lively interaction with those watching. This builds confidence on the spot. Tech tools are there for help too. They can streamline your preparation and delivery process significantly.

Don’t be shy about asking for more info if you’re looking for something specific. We’re here to help and make sure you find exactly what you need. So what are you waiting for? It’s time to get out there and nail that presentation!

• Last Updated: April 11, 2024

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How to Reduce the Anxiety of Public Speaking

Most people hate it. here's one way to hate it less..

Posted November 22, 2021 | Reviewed by Gary Drevitch

• What Is Anxiety?
• Find a therapist to overcome anxiety

Anxiety and stress go with public speaking for all but a lucky few. Now a recent study underscores the importance of recognizing and accepting those emotions rather than trying to deny them. According to the study, if you journal about your anxieties and stress, and accept them, letting them run their course, the result is improved mental health compared to the rest of us who judge ourselves. The negative moods don’t last as long and are not as powerful.

I like this strategy. Denying that I was anxious was certainly my standard operating procedure when I was beginning in the business, first as an actor and then as a speaker on speaking, communications, storytelling, and body language . Denial didn’t help me, of course, just as it has helped no one else, and it wasn’t long before my anxiety was reaching epic proportions and the beginnings of speeches were going by in a blur of adrenaline. I had to do something, and so began my lifelong pursuit of ways to reduce the pain of public speaking for myself and others.

In these early days, it never occurred to me to look straight into the heart of darkness: the anxious core of public speaking, the self-consciousness that intrudes when we feel exposed standing before a group of people. Most of my methods involved tricking or distracting my brain long enough to give the speech and get to the bar. For example, getting some moderate exercise before a speech allows some of the nervous energy to dissipate so that you are calmer than you otherwise would be. Meditating can work, too, for those who have some experience with that form of mental discipline. My favorite distraction from those days turned out to be having the airline lose my luggage – with my speaking suit in it – so that I had to go shopping at 9:00 before the speech at 10:00. Good thing I could walk right into a 42 Long. I was so distracted by the suit crisis that I never got nervous for the speech.

That’s an expensive distraction, however, and I don’t recommend it as a long-term solution. Also, I started carrying my suit in my carry-on luggage, so the tactic no longer worked in any case.

My father passed away the day before a speech years ago, and I was too distraught to be nervous. But again, I don’t recommend that as a permanent solution, since our supply of fathers is generally limited to one or two.

Eventually, I focused on three truly helpful strategies.

1. A simple physical exercise that helps control anxiety: deep, slow breathing. The key is to breathe out on a longer count than the in-breath.

2. Positive self-talk . Find your mantra and repeat it ad infinitum. Whenever you have a dull moment, whenever you are nervous or anxious about an upcoming speech, and whenever you have trouble sleeping . I’ve used this technique for years, and I’m pleased to say I’ve just about wiped my mental slate clean of debilitating negative patterns of thinking. I’ve also witnessed many clients and friends benefitting from this technique. If it sounds New-Agey to you, get over yourself and get to work. In the long run, you’ll thank me.

3. Finally, the most powerful technique for getting over stage fright is to realize that a speech is not about you, but about the audience. Put yourself in service to the audience in front of you, get out of your own way, and think about them. You will be liberated and even find the joy in public speaking, and that is indeed a good place for both audience and speaking to be.

Now we can add journaling to our arsenal of mental weapons designed to keep anxiety and stress at bay. May we all write our way to the calm after the storm.

Nick Morgan, Ph.D. , is president of Public Words Inc., a communications consulting company, and the author of books including Can You Hear Me?: How to Connect with People in a Virtual World.

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How to Manage Public Speaking Anxiety

Arlin Cuncic, MA, is the author of The Anxiety Workbook and founder of the website About Social Anxiety. She has a Master's degree in clinical psychology.

Amy Morin, LCSW, is a psychotherapist and international bestselling author. Her books, including "13 Things Mentally Strong People Don't Do," have been translated into more than 40 languages. Her TEDx talk,  "The Secret of Becoming Mentally Strong," is one of the most viewed talks of all time.

Luis Alvarez / Getty Images

Speech Anxiety and SAD

How to prepare for a speech.

Public speaking anxiety, also known as glossophobia , is one of the most commonly reported social fears.

While some people may feel nervous about giving a speech or presentation if you have social anxiety disorder (SAD) , public speaking anxiety may take over your life.

Public speaking anxiety may also be called speech anxiety or performance anxiety and is a type of social anxiety disorder (SAD). Social anxiety disorder, also sometimes referred to as social phobia, is one of the most common types of mental health conditions.

Public Speaking Anxiety Symptoms

Symptoms of public speaking anxiety are the same as those that occur for social anxiety disorder, but they only happen in the context of speaking in public.

If you live with public speaking anxiety, you may worry weeks or months in advance of a speech or presentation, and you probably have severe physical symptoms of anxiety during a speech, such as:

• Pounding heart
• Quivering voice
• Shortness of breath
• Upset stomach

Causes of Public Speaking Anxiety

These symptoms are a result of the fight or flight response —a rush of adrenaline that prepares you for danger. When there is no real physical threat, it can feel as though you have lost control of your body. This makes it very hard to do well during public speaking and may cause you to avoid situations in which you may have to speak in public.

How Is Public Speaking Anxiety Is Diagnosed

Public speaking anxiety may be diagnosed as SAD if it significantly interferes with your life. This fear of public speaking anxiety can cause problems such as:

• Changing courses at college to avoid a required oral presentation
• Changing jobs or careers
• Turning down promotions because of public speaking obligations
• Failing to give a speech when it would be appropriate (e.g., best man at a wedding)

If you have intense anxiety symptoms while speaking in public and your ability to live your life the way that you would like is affected by it, you may have SAD.

Public Speaking Anxiety Treatment

Fortunately, effective treatments for public speaking anxiety are avaible. Such treatment may involve medication, therapy, or a combination of the two.

Short-term therapy such as systematic desensitization and cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) can be helpful to learn how to manage anxiety symptoms and anxious thoughts that trigger them.

Ask your doctor for a referral to a therapist who can offer this type of therapy; in particular, it will be helpful if the therapist has experience in treating social anxiety and/or public speaking anxiety.

Research has also found that virtual reality (VR) therapy can also be an effective way to treat public speaking anxiety. One analysis found that students treated with VR therapy were able to experience positive benefits in as little as a week with between one and 12 sessions of VR therapy. The research also found that VR sessions were effective while being less invasive than in-person treatment sessions.

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If you live with public speaking anxiety that is causing you significant distress, ask your doctor about medication that can help. Short-term medications known as beta-blockers (e.g., propranolol) can be taken prior to a speech or presentation to block the symptoms of anxiety.

Other medications may also be prescribed for longer-term treatment of SAD, including selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) and serotonin-norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors (SNRIs). When used in conjunction with therapy, you may find the medication helps to reduce your phobia of public speaking.

In addition to traditional treatment, there are several strategies that you can use to cope with speech anxiety and become better at public speaking in general . Public speaking is like any activity—better preparation equals better performance. Being better prepared will boost your confidence and make it easier to concentrate on delivering your message.

Even if you have SAD, with proper treatment and time invested in preparation, you can deliver a successful speech or presentation.

Pre-Performance Planning

Taking some steps to plan before you give a speech can help you better control feelings of anxiety. Before you give a speech or public performance:

• Choose a topic that interests you . If you are able, choose a topic that you are excited about. If you are not able to choose the topic, try using an approach to the topic that you find interesting. For example, you could tell a personal story that relates to the topic as a way to introduce your speech. This will ensure that you are engaged in your topic and motivated to research and prepare. When you present, others will feel your enthusiasm and be interested in what you have to say.
• Become familiar with the venue . Ideally, visit the conference room, classroom, auditorium, or banquet hall where you will be presenting before you give your speech. If possible, try practicing at least once in the environment that you will be speaking in. Being familiar with the venue and knowing where needed audio-visual components are ahead of time will mean one less thing to worry about at the time of your speech.
• Ask for accommodations . Accommodations are changes to your work environment that help you to manage your anxiety. This might mean asking for a podium, having a pitcher of ice water handy, bringing in audiovisual equipment, or even choosing to stay seated if appropriate. If you have been diagnosed with an anxiety disorder such as social anxiety disorder (SAD), you may be eligible for these through the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA).
• Don’t script it . Have you ever sat through a speech where someone read from a prepared script word for word? You probably don’t recall much of what was said. Instead, prepare a list of key points on paper or notecards that you can refer to.
• Develop a routine . Put together a routine for managing anxiety on the day of a speech or presentation. This routine should help to put you in the proper frame of mind and allow you to maintain a relaxed state. An example might be exercising or practicing meditation on the morning of a speech.

Practice and Visualization

Even people who are comfortable speaking in public rehearse their speeches many times to get them right. Practicing your speech 10, 20, or even 30 times will give you confidence in your ability to deliver.

If your talk has a time limit, time yourself during practice runs and adjust your content as needed to fit within the time that you have. Lots of practice will help boost your self-confidence .

• Prepare for difficult questions . Before your presentation, try to anticipate hard questions and critical comments that might arise, and prepare responses ahead of time. Deal with a difficult audience member by paying them a compliment or finding something that you can agree on. Say something like, “Thanks for that important question” or “I really appreciate your comment.” Convey that you are open-minded and relaxed. If you don’t know how to answer the question, say you will look into it.
• Get some perspective . During a practice run, speak in front of a mirror or record yourself on a smartphone. Make note of how you appear and identify any nervous habits to avoid. This step is best done after you have received therapy or medication to manage your anxiety.
• Imagine yourself succeeding . Did you know your brain can’t tell the difference between an imagined activity and a real one? That is why elite athletes use visualization to improve athletic performance. As you practice your speech (remember 10, 20, or even 30 times!), imagine yourself wowing the audience with your amazing oratorical skills. Over time, what you imagine will be translated into what you are capable of.
• Learn to accept some anxiety . Even professional performers experience a bit of nervous excitement before a performance—in fact, most believe that a little anxiety actually makes you a better speaker. Learn to accept that you will always be a little anxious about giving a speech, but that it is normal and common to feel this way.

Setting Goals

Instead of trying to just scrape by, make it a personal goal to become an excellent public speaker. With proper treatment and lots of practice, you can become good at speaking in public. You might even end up enjoying it!

Put things into perspective. If you find that public speaking isn’t one of your strengths, remember that it is only one aspect of your life. We all have strengths in different areas. Instead, make it a goal simply to be more comfortable in front of an audience, so that public speaking anxiety doesn’t prevent you from achieving other goals in life.

A Word From Verywell

In the end, preparing well for a speech or presentation gives you confidence that you have done everything possible to succeed. Give yourself the tools and the ability to succeed, and be sure to include strategies for managing anxiety. These public-speaking tips should be used to complement traditional treatment methods for SAD, such as therapy and medication.

Crome E, Baillie A. Mild to severe social fears: Ranking types of feared social situations using item response theory . J Anxiety Disord . 2014;28(5):471-479. doi:10.1016/j.janxdis.2014.05.002

Pull CB. Current status of knowledge on public-speaking anxiety . Curr Opin Psychiatry. 2012;25(1):32-8. doi:10.1097/YCO.0b013e32834e06dc

Goldstein DS. Adrenal responses to stress . Cell Mol Neurobiol. 2010;30(8):1433-40. doi:10.1007/s10571-010-9606-9

Anderson PL, Zimand E, Hodges LF, Rothbaum BO. Cognitive behavioral therapy for public-speaking anxiety using virtual reality for exposure . Depress Anxiety. 2005;22(3):156-8. doi:10.1002/da.20090

Hinojo-Lucena FJ, Aznar-Díaz I, Cáceres-Reche MP, Trujillo-Torres JM, Romero-Rodríguez JM. Virtual reality treatment for public speaking anxiety in students. advancements and results in personalized medicine .  J Pers Med . 2020;10(1):14. doi:10.3390/jpm10010014

Steenen SA, van Wijk AJ, van der Heijden GJ, van Westrhenen R, de Lange J, de Jongh A. Propranolol for the treatment of anxiety disorders: Systematic review and meta-analysis . J Psychopharmacol (Oxford). 2016;30(2):128-39. doi:10.1177/0269881115612236

By Arlin Cuncic, MA Arlin Cuncic, MA, is the author of The Anxiety Workbook and founder of the website About Social Anxiety. She has a Master's degree in clinical psychology.

Overcoming Public Speaking Anxiety: Strategies For Confident Presentations

• Presentation , Public Speaking

Do you ever feel anxious when asked to give a presentation? If so, you’re not alone. Public speaking is one of the most common sources of anxiety for many people. 

But it doesn’t have to be that way! With the right strategies and mindset, anyone can become a confident public speaker. 

We’ll discuss some practical tips on how to overcome your fear of public speaking and deliver engaging presentations with ease. 

Before we move forward, it’s important to take some of the heat off and you can do that by taking this quiz , calming some of your anxiety, and getting to know more about yourself. 

From understanding your audience’s needs to using powerful body language techniques, these strategies will help you create memorable experiences for your listeners and boost their engagement with your message. 

So let’s get started!

Understand Your Audience

Understanding the needs and expectations of your audience is a key step in overcoming public speaking anxiety.  

To start, it’s important to find out as much information as possible about the people you’ll be addressing. What are their goals? What kind of language do they use? Are there any cultural considerations that should be taken into account? 

Once you have an understanding of the people you’ll be talking to, you’ll be better able to craft your message in a way that resonates with them. 

Make sure to do some research on similar topics and use analogies or stories that will appeal to their interests. 

By taking the time to understand your audience, you’ll have greater confidence when it comes time to present. 

Prepare Thoroughly 

Once you have a better understanding of your audience, it’s time to begin preparing. 

Start by writing down the main points you want to make in your presentation and practice saying them out loud. 

This will help ensure that you’re speaking clearly and confidently when it comes time for your talk. 

Don’t forget to prepare visual aids —like slides or handouts—to back up your points and keep the audience engaged. 

Finally, make sure to practice in front of a mirror or record yourself speaking so you can identify any areas for improvement before delivering your presentation. 

By taking the time to thoroughly prepare, you’ll have greater confidence when it comes time to present. 

Make A Connection With Your Listeners

Connecting with your audience is key to any successful presentation. 

To start, make sure you’re making direct eye contact with individuals in the room and smile often . 

Be sure to use body language that conveys enthusiasm for the topic. 

If possible, tell a personal story or anecdote related to the subject to further engage your listeners. 

Finally, use humor when appropriate to keep the audience interested and energized. 

By taking the time to make a connection with your listeners, you’ll be better able to engage them and gain their trust. 

This will help you maintain greater confidence throughout your presentation and create a memorable experience for everyone involved.  

Project Confidence Through Body Language 

Your body language can play a huge role in how confident you appear when speaking. 

To start, stand or sit up straight with your shoulders back —this gives off an air of authority and will help you feel more confident in yourself . 

Don’t be afraid to use hand gestures when appropriate to emphasize certain points or create emphasis. 

Finally, make sure to keep your movements fluid and natural —avoid rigid motions or fidgeting which can undermine your confidence. 

By using body language that projects confidence and authority, you’ll be able to effectively engage with your audience and present your message with ease.  

With practice and dedication, anyone can become a confident public speaker.

Speak Slowly And Clearly 

Speaking slowly and clearly is essential to any successful presentation. 

To start, pause regularly to ensure everyone in the audience has time to process your words. 

Don’t be afraid to emphasize certain points by speaking louder or slower —this will help keep your listeners engaged and make sure they don’t miss a single point. 

Finally, make sure to practice ahead of time so you can get a feel for how quickly or slowly you should be speaking . 

By taking the time to practice, you’ll be able to deliver your presentation with confidence and clarity. 

With dedication and preparation, anyone can become a confident public speaker! 

Use Visual Aids To Engage The Audience 

Visual aids are a great way to engage and captivate your audience. 

Use slides or handouts to break up your speaking points and add visuals that will help reinforce certain ideas. 

Consider using props or demonstrations to illustrate difficult concepts or show how something works in action. 

Be sure to make the visual elements of your presentation interactive and engaging. 

This will help keep your audience involved and create a memorable experience for everyone. 

By taking the time to prepare visuals, you’ll be able to effectively engage with your audience and provide an enjoyable experience for all those involved.  

With practice and dedication, anyone can become a confident public speaker!

Adopt Positive Affirmations 

Positive affirmations can help to boost self-confidence and performance in any setting. 

To start, think of two or three positive statements that are relevant to your presentation such as “I have all the knowledge I need to deliver an effective presentation” or “I am confident and capable”.  

Repeat these phrases out loud or in your head the morning of your presentation to help boost confidence. 

Finally, try to imagine yourself delivering a successful presentation as you repeat these affirmations—this will help build positive feelings around the event and further increase self-confidence. 

With practice and dedication, anyone can become a confident public speaker!  Adopting positive affirmations is an easy and effective way to boost confidence before any presentation. 

With time and dedication, these affirmations can help create a memorable experience for both the speaker and their audience. 

Public speaking can be daunting, but with the right strategies and techniques, anyone can become a confident presenter. 

By using body language to project confidence, speaking slowly and clearly, incorporating visual aids into your presentation, and adopting positive affirmations you’ll be able to engage audiences of any size. 

With practice and dedication, anyone can master these principles of public speaking – all that remains is for you to take action! 

Start today by writing out some positive affirmations or practicing in front of the mirror. You’ve got this!

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How to not be nervous for a presentation — 13 tips that work (really!)

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Why do I get nervous before presenting?

How not to be nervous when presenting, 5 techniques to control your nerves, quotes for inspiration, speak with confidence.

If you feel nervous or scared about talking to someone new, giving a speech, or being on stage, rest assured: you’re not alone. 

Experiencing symptoms of performance anxiety like an increased heart rate, trembling hands, or excessive sweating is perfectly normal. In fact, people often fear public speaking . But the more you’re immersed in these types of situations, the more comfortable you’ll become . 

We’ll explore how to not be nervous for a presentation and offer inspirational quotes to help you step out of your comfort zone.

Based on data from the National Social Anxiety Center, fear of public speaking is the most common phobia . The official term for this fear is glossophobia, colloquially termed stage fright.

Stage fright typically arises from the perception that when you're in front of a group of people, they'll judge you. The brain’s frontal lobe aids in memory, and when we’re stressed, increased stress hormones temporarily shut that region down . This is what causes us to freeze up and stop talking. 

There’s nothing wrong with being nervous. We all have different social comfort zones, communication styles, and presentation skills. But we can expand and improve our skills if we’re cognitively flexible .

Cognitive flexibility plays a big role in our behavior and attitudes and impacts our performance. You can use your fears as a catalyst for growth and learning — including giving a great presentation.

The following techniques will help you shift your thinking from reactive to proactive to combat nerves throughout the presentation experience:

Before the presentation:

1. Know your topic

Don’t wing it when it comes to presenting any topic. The better you understand your subject matter, the more confident you’ll feel. You can answer questions right away and won’t have to rely on your notes.

If there are a few points or any information you think might arise during the presentation or Q&A, research it and become comfortable speaking to the subject.

Here are a few ways to study: 

• Break down concepts onto notecards
• Practice answering questions  (especially the hard ones you hope no one asks)
• Explain complex information to peers and colleagues

2. Be organized

Take time to thoroughly plan each aspect of the presentation. Often, that means designing PowerPoint slides or other visual aids like videos. Clarify with the organizer what format and technology you’ll be using.

If it’ll be virtual, get your background and room organized, too. This ensures the presentation will go smoothly, in turn reducing stress.  Consider the following preparations:

• Invite your support network to the event
• Arrive early to set up tech and get comfortable in the space
• Practice timing your presentation with the time tracker you’ll use day-of
• Bring a water bottle and a snack
• Contact your manager or venue staff to discuss any accessibility or tech concerns

3. Practice, practice, practice

Whether you’re rehearsing in front of a mirror, family member, or pet, you can never practice enough. Ask for feedback about your body language , eye contact , and how loudly you project your voice.

If you’ll be giving the presentation on a video conference, record it on the platform to see how you look and sound.

4. Visualize your success

Thinking through possible outcomes is a great way to prepare — but it can also backfire on you. If you obsess over negative what-ifs, this failing mentality might become a self-fulfilling prophecy. 

The more often you fill your mind with positive thoughts and visualize your success, the more automatic they’ll be. Positive self-talk can make a big difference to your confidence. Run through the presentation — successfully — in your head.

During the presentation:

5. Focus on your material, not the audience

Your audience is there for your presentation — not to assess you. They’ll be looking at your colorful slides and listening to what you’re saying. Don’t let your mind fill with insecurities . 

6 . Don't fear silence

If your mind suddenly goes blank, that’s okay. It may seem like an eternity to you as you try to figure out what to say next, but it’s only a few seconds at most. 

Pausing isn’t a bad thing, anyway. You can use dramatic breaks advantageously to draw attention before the most important bits. 

7 . Speak slowly

Presentation anxiety often causes nervous energy, so we speak faster than normal. This might make you fumble your words or forget important details.

Slow down. Audience members will be thankful since they can understand you , and drawing out your speech will give you time to calm down, ground yourself , and stay organized.

8 . Take deep breaths and drink water

Breathing delivers oxygen to your brain, allowing you to think more clearly. Drinking water ups your energy, and also gives you a moment to pause. 

Smiling is a simple yet effective way to soothe your nerves. Doing so releases endorphins, helping you physically feel more confident. And a friendly face will make the audience more open to what you’re saying. 

10 . Remember the three "audience truths"

These include: 1) for the duration of the presentation, the audience believes you’re the expert, 2) they’re on your side, and 3) they don’t know when you make a mistake. 

After the presentation:

11. Recognize your success

Giving a presentation is something worth being proud of — celebrate it! In addition to family, friends, and coworkers, you deserve a high five from yourself, too.

1 2. Collect feedback

Feedback is a wonderful gift if you use it as a tool to help you do even better next time. Ask some of your audience members what they liked and what they didn’t. Remember, you can learn a lot from your mistakes . 

1 3. Don't beat yourself up

You did the best you could, and that’s all anyone — including you — can ask for. 

Nervousness is perfectly normal, but sometimes our symptoms hold us back from doing — and enjoying — scarier tasks. Here are five tips for overcoming nerves:

1. Practice impression management

Impression management requires projecting an image that contradicts how you actually feel. It’s essentially a “fake it ‘til you make it” strategy.  Let’s say you’re about to make a corporate-wide presentation and feel worried you’ll forget important information. You’ll counteract this worry by imagining yourself remembering every detail and delivering it entertainingly.

Learn from this practice by noting the information chosen in your hypothetical and how you expressed it effectively. 

2. Talk to someone

Emotions are contagious. We absorb others’ positive vibes . Chatting with people who are excited about and confident in our presentation abilities rubs off on us. 

Before a presentation, call a cheerleader in your life — someone who’s on your side and understands your nerves. Be specific, discussing which parts of presenting are nerve-wracking and what you need from them.

3. Do breathing exercises

Mindful breathing is when you pay attention to the sensation of inhaling and exhaling while controlling and deepening breath length. Breathwork has several health benefits, including reducing stress and anxiety and improving memory, attention, and focus. 

Before the presentation, find a quiet and solitary space. Breathe deeply for at least a minute, focusing on sensation and depth. This practice brings you into your body and out of your mind (away from nerve-wracking thoughts).

4. Practice reframing 

Reframing is a technique used in cognitive behavior therapy (CBT) to improve negative automatic thought patterns over time. One such pattern is viewing certain emotions as bad, and others as good. Nervousness feels the same in the body as excitement. Instead of panicking even more when realizing you’re nervous, reframe your impression of nerves as excitement for what you’re about to do.

This excitement will propel you forward with confidence and pride for stepping out of your comfort zone and doing something scary.

Here are seven inspirational quotes to help you feel confident and excited when doing something you’re nervous about:

“You can speak well if your tongue can deliver the message of your heart.” John Ford

“ When speaking in public, your message — no matter how important — will not be effective or memorable if you don't have a clear structure. ” Patricia Fripp

“The most precious things in speech are the pauses.”  Sir Ralph Richardson

“The way you overcome shyness is to become so wrapped up in something that you forget to be afraid.” Lady Bird Johnson

“It’s what you practice in private that you will be rewarded for in public.” Tony Robbins

“The worst speech you’ll ever give will be far better than the one you never give.” Fred Miller

Like any other skill, learning how to not be nervous for a presentation takes time and practice. Acknowledging this hurdle is the first step to making a change in the right direction.  Facing your fears will empower you to take on scarier — and more fulfilling — goals and enjoy the experience along the way. You don’t have to start with a TED Talk. Tackle small challenges like presenting an idea to your manager or practicing a short speech with a friend.  We won’t sugarcoat it — it’s hard to change our minds and habits. But if you’re willing to put in the effort, you’ll be rewarded with increased confidence and new experiences.

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Elizabeth Perry, ACC

Elizabeth Perry is a Coach Community Manager at BetterUp. She uses strategic engagement strategies to cultivate a learning community across a global network of Coaches through in-person and virtual experiences, technology-enabled platforms, and strategic coaching industry partnerships. With over 3 years of coaching experience and a certification in transformative leadership and life coaching from Sofia University, Elizabeth leverages transpersonal psychology expertise to help coaches and clients gain awareness of their behavioral and thought patterns, discover their purpose and passions, and elevate their potential. She is a lifelong student of psychology, personal growth, and human potential as well as an ICF-certified ACC transpersonal life and leadership Coach.

30 presentation feedback examples

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University Counseling Service

30 ways to manage speaking anxiety, initial considerations.

Glossophobia – the fear of public speaking

It is the single most common phobia (fear)

Approximately 75% of people experience this

You are not alone in your fear

You cannot eliminate your fear–but you CAN manage and reduce it. 

Thirty ways to manage public speaking anxiety

Getting ready .

Select a topic of interest to you

Prepare carefully–know your material

Practice–rehearse your talk with a friend

Know your audience

Challenge negative thinking–make 3 x 5 cards of positive thoughts or have friends write out inspirational thoughts for you.

Expect positive reactions–expect success!

Know the room–if unfamiliar, visit your speaking space before you talk.

Employ aerobic exercise strategies–daily aerobic exercise can cut anxiety by 50%.

Eat for success–foods containing tryptophan (dairy products, turkey, salmon) and complex carbohydrates tend to calm the body. Eliminate caffeine, sweets, and empty calories.

Sleep for success–know and get the number of hours of sleep you need for optimal performance. 

The Day of the Presentation 

11.   Eat several hours before the talk–not immediately before 

12.  Dress for success–your success! Dress comfortably and appropriately for the situation. Look your best

13.  Challenge negative thinking–Continue positive thinking

14.  If you need to, express your fears to a friend 

15.  Review 3 x 5 cards of inspirational thoughts

16.  Practice your talk one last time

17.  Go to the room early to ready equipment and your podium.

18.  Exercise immediately before the talk to reduce adrenalin levels. 

• Employ anxiety reduction techniques
• Aerobic exercise
• Deep muscle relaxation
• Visualization strategies
• Deep, rhythmic breathing (4 hold 7) 

19.  Use the restroom immediately before the talk 

20. Take a glass of water to the talk 

The Presentation: A positive experience stemming from careful preparation! 

21.  Interpret anxiety symptoms as excitement

22. Use the podium to practice grounding strategies. Touch the podium to steady yourself and to remind yourself that you are safely connected to the ground which is firm and steady beneath your feet.

23. Take a security blanket with you–a complete typed version of your talk to only be used as a backup strategy.

24. Use tools to reduce audience attention on you.

• PowerPoint presentation 
• Video film clips
• “Show and tell” objects to pass

25.  Get out of yourself–engage the audience

26.  Look at friendly faces in your audience

27.  Use humor as needed

28.  Use the room’s physical space to your advantage–walk around as appropriate.

29.  Appropriately regulate your voice

• Speak clearly–enunciate
• Open your mouth–do not mumble
• Slow down if necessary
• Lower your voice–speak from your diaphragm
• Project your voice–use energy when you speak
• Use appropriate animation 

Additional Considerations 

Seek out public speaking opportunities to desensitize (reduce) your fear of communication apprehension.

Consider use of anti-anxiety medication

Join Toastmasters International to have a supportive and safe way to practice

public speaking

Gain experience–practice makes perfect. 

• academic skills

Current enrolled students can call University Counseling Service at 319-335-7294 to schedule an appointment. Initial Consultation appointments can also be scheduled online. Students must be in the state of Iowa to attend virtual/Zoom appointments.

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Detailed Guide for Overcoming your Fear of Public Speaking

February 16, 2021 - Dom Barnard

Public speaking is a common form of anxiety and fear. Over 75% of people experience some degree of anxiety or nervousness when it comes to speaking in front of others.

People who have been surveyed commonly rank this fear above spiders, heights and death. So the first thing to remember is that your fear is totally normal.

It can range from slight nervousness to paralyzing fear and panic, with more extreme fear known as glossophobia. Many people with this fear avoid public speaking situations altogether, or they suffer through them with shaking hands and a quavering voice.

But with preparation and experience, you can overcome your fear.

Sections in this article:

Glossophobia: more than a common fear of speaking, what fear does to us during a speech, verbal communication is essential for your career, why do we have this fear.

• Video: Tips to overcome anxiety

8 tips to overcome your fear of public speaking

What to do before and after the event.

• The cure for insecurity is preparation

Speaking Up without Freaking Out  webinar , with Matt Abrahams, Lecturer in Organizational Behavior at Stanford University’s Graduate School of Business.

Most of us have experienced some sort of fear when speaking in public. However, a person with glossophobia is unable to control their nerves and has an extremely strong fear of public speaking, sometimes to the point of a nervous breakdown.

With this can come uncontrollable trembling, sweating, and a racing heartbeat.

This anxiety may not be confined to speaking to large audiences – people suffering with glossophobia may struggle to speak in a meeting, classroom and other smaller group settings.

This can make it very difficult for sufferers to communicate verbally in order to express their ideas and thoughts. As a result, glossophobia may hamper the sufferer’s ability to further his or her academic, social or career opportunities.

• Read more:  What is Glossophobia and How to Overcome it

Being nervous during a public speaking event affects the way we come across to an audience and the quality of our delivery. Nervous speakers tend to  talk too quickly  and generally  ignore the audience , focussing instead on their presentation slides or the floor.

They  talk in a flat voice , with little excitement or vocal pitch variation, and they try to get through the experience without committing to the speech or presentation.

Talk too quickly and in a monotone

Rushing through a talk requires that you talk fast, and talking fast interferes with your breathing. Instead of breathing comfortably, you breathe in a short, shallow manner, or you might even hold your breath.

This gives you the sensation of running out of air and being unable to breathe, a common fear in this situation, and one that greatly increases fear of public speaking.

Talking quickly reduces the chance the audience can enjoy your speech. It creates a barrier between you and them, as they might struggle to understand what you are saying.

Here are some common issues with talking too quickly:

• You won’t be breathing deeply enough to fill your lungs with air
• You’ll sound monotone due to lack of vocal range and air in your lungs
• You’ll sound nervous to the audience
• The audience will struggle to understand what you are saying

Remember, the human voice is in theory capable of paying 24 notes on the musical scale. Most people only use 3 in their everyday speech so if you can incorporate more then you’re already well on your way to becoming an interesting and engaging public speaker.

• Read more about how to  Use your Vocal Toolbox

Ignore the audience and avoid eye contact

Fearful speakers often try to ignore the audience, hoping this will decrease their speech anxiety. For instance, lots of speakers  avoid eye contact  with the audience. This prevents you from noticing any audience reactions. You won’t notice when people seem more interested, or have questions.

When you have no audience contact, you focus on your own thoughts. And if you’re a nervous speaker, your thoughts are virtually guaranteed to be far more negative, and unrealistic, than anything your audience might think or say.

Fight to hide your fear

Finally, efforts to hide your fear create the additional fear of being “found out” as a nervous person. This only adds to the public speaking anxiety you already experience.

It has another negative side effect. After you’ve given a speech, even if it has gone well, you may not feel like it was a success because you think: “If the audience knew how afraid I was, they’d think less of the presentation.

Despite many people fearing speaking in public,  communication skills are essential in the workplace :

83% of human resource directors saying employees who couldn’t develop social skills would not  become high performers .

So, if you manage to overcome your fear of public speaking, this is a brilliant skill for your resume and you’ll be able to accelerate more quickly in your career, as well as be more confident in your personal life.

The core of being a great public speaker lies predominantly in one thing:  confidence .

GMAT study on skills companies demand in new graduate business school hires.

Let’s discuss how this fear comes about and why so many of us fear speaking in public. Understanding the root cause will hopefully help you deal with it better.

In the book, “Confessions of a Public Speaker” by  Scott Berkun , he suggests that our brains identify the following four conditions as extremely bad for survival:

• Standing alone
• In an open territory with no place to hide
• Being without a weapon
• In front of a large crowd who are staring at you

These conditions made sense during the early years of humans. Being alone, or without a weapon for example, could have been very dangerous with wild animals and other fierce tribes nearby.

There conditions happen to all be experienced during public speaking. You’re often alone on a stage, open to the audience who are looking at you, without a weapon and with nowhere to hide (assuming you don’t hide behind your laptop).

So what exactly can you do to gradually overcome the fear of public speaking? Here are key tips that you can apply before, during and after the speech.

Videos: Tips to overcome public speaking anxiety

Speech anxiety tips:

Watch 10 anxiety management tips to use when giving a presentation.  Matt Abrahams  talks us through these tips and explains how best to deal with your fear of public speaking.

Learn more about  practice in virtual reality (VR) .

1. Practice aloud

This is the most important point – you need to practice, over and over again. You can practice in front of friends or family for feedback, join your local  Toastmasters club  or use a virtual reality (VR) app. VR apps are highly effective at tricking the brain into thinking the audience in the app is real.

Methods of practicing aloud:

• Join a local Toastmasters club
• Give a  speech in virtual reality
• Present to a friend or colleague
• Practice with a mirror (ideally full length)
• Practice in a  video conferencing simulator

This is a great way of bridging the gap between practicing in front of a mirror to practicing in front of a group of people (something that you might avoid altogether depending on your fear of public speaking).

Grow your confidence with  interactive practice exercises , on skills such as public speaking, impromptu speaking, giving feedback, and more.

2. Remember why you’re there

Usually you are on stage because people value your expertise and knowledge – or at the very least, whoever has put you there has confidence in your capability. You might be speaking about a recent publication, or a branch of research you successfully tested.

Use this thought to try and relax – people aren’t there to give you a hard time. In fact, most people are probably just grateful it’s you speaking on stage and not them!

To ensure you connect with your audience, you need to plan your speech accordingly. For example,  don’t use jargon or acronyms  if your audience is from a different industry to yours. Keep your language and your slides as simple as possible.

3. Have a script, but don’t memorise it

What are people most afraid of? Forgetting what to say in front of hundreds of people. Even the most  notable public speakers  in history have used scripts, forgotten what they were going to say, and then panicked. The fear of public speaking can consume all we think about.

This might seem really daunting at first and will increase your anxiety levels just thinking about not having the safety of a script. However, remember that when you have a script you tend to either read from it (and therefore lose your connection with the audience) or you memorise it word for word.

The problem with the second method is that if you lose your place, you’ll panic, stumble, and not know what to say next.

A better approach is to make your script into a series of bullet points or, better yet, a list of themes or connecting sentences on a cue card. This will make the speech sounds more authentic and less rehearsed, and you’ll be more likely to show your passion for your topic when speaking from your heart rather than your head.

Method for going from a topic to a speech

Start with a rough outline of the topic you want to talk about. Type up this outline in a conversational style and read it aloud several times to yourself. When certain parts of the speech don’t sound right, correct the outline accordingly.

As you keep rehearsing, try to use your written outline less and less. Highlight certain keywords and phrases you need to mention and add those to cue cards or something similar.

Now start practicing with just the cue cards as you would when speaking at an actual event. On the day of the event, keep the cue cards as backup, maybe next to your laptop, and you’ll be able to speak much more naturally than if you had rehearsed from a script.

4. Don’t rely on technology

If there was something more nerve wracking than forgetting the lines of your speech, it would be for a live  demo to fail . It is a horrible, gut wrenching feeling.

One way to have more confidence and reduce your fear of public speaking on the day is to make sure you have a backup such as a video showing of your presentation or a second method of presentation.

Make sure you’re prepared for technology breaking, including your slides or videos not loading.

For example, if you’re using PowerPoint software and the computer or projector isn’t working, it can be handy to have printed out the presentation for the audience (and yourself if you need it).

Similarly, you should import your presentation offline so that if the internet doesn’t work, you can still present without becoming flustered.

What can go wrong with technology during a speech:

• Embedded videos might not play or have no sound
• The presentation pointer / clicker may stop responding
• Projector doesn’t link to your laptop
• Any live demo may fail (an example being the face recognition for the iPhone X demo)

5. Know your audience

The type of audience you’ll be facing affects your choice of language, humour, opening sentences, length and many more. There are several ways to understand the audience you’re speaking to:

• Research the event using their social media and blog posts
• Learn about the other speakers (if it’s a conference) and the types of presentations they are giving
• Greet audience members when they enter the room and ask them a few questions about their background, expertise, what they expect etc.
• Find out the size of the audience (this may determine the structure of your speech, including where to do the question and answer session, whether to include humour etc.)

Once you understand your audience, you’ll feel more confident about the questions and answers session at the end and that you are delivering a speech the audience actually want to hear.

• How to Analyse your Audience before a Presentation
• Guide to Choosing a Successful Speech Topic

6. Pause and take deep breaths

This simple advice cannot be emphasized enough. When you’re nervous, you breathe rapidly and shallowly. This is telling the audience that you’re not confident. Slow and measured breathing is a sign that you’re in control.

Before you go to the front of the room, concentrate on taking a few slow breaths. Repeat this several times. When you start to speak, remember to pause and breathe after you make a point.

It’s important to remember that there is nothing wrong with a bit of silence during a speech. It can actually be a good thing and bring emphasis to what you’ve just said. Be aware that on stage, pausing for just a few seconds can seem like a very long time – resist the urge to break the silence for at least 3 seconds.

• 10 Effective Ways to use Pauses in your Speech

7. Create backup slides for audience questions

One reason people often experience anxiety before a presentation is the fear that they’ll be asked questions that might be difficult to answer. Don’t get caught off guard.

Think carefully about  potential questions  that might arise and rehearse the answers. Go one step further by creating slides for some potential questions about complex issues.

You can include in your extra slides important information, numbers, stats or even an interesting graph or pie chart that would be helpful to the audience. If such a question arises, it’s okay to say, “I thought I might be asked this question and I’ve got a slide which explains it well…”

8. Focus on the beginning and ending

Your opening sets the tone for your speech and your closing is what you will leave your audience with. You’ll have a few seconds when you start to capture the attention of the audience and prevent them returning to their mobiles.

So you need to make it good. Try starting with an attention grabbing statement, statistic or interesting quote.

• How to Start a Presentation Effectively

The ending brings the presentation to full circle and is when your audience’s attention peaks again. This may be one of the few sections they remember so it’s important you get it right.

• Different Ways to End a Presentation or Speech

Rather than leaving the opening and ending to chance, write and practice them over and over again. What you can do is memorize certain sentences or phrases you think are key to your speech and note down bullet points of other information you want to include in these sections.

Video: How I Overcame My Fear of Public Speaking

In this talk, Danish Dhamani discusses how overcoming your fear of public speaking is key to leading a fulfilling life and unlocking your true potential.

Before the public speaking event

Use these tips to help deal with your fear before an event:

• Greet audience members as they enter the room you’ll be presenting in. Knowing a few of them before you start will ensure you have a few friendly faces you can look at during the presentation
• Do the breathing exercises detailed below this section to slow down your heartrate
• Check that your slides and laptop are working with the projector
• Drink some water to prevent a dry mouth
• Perform some vocal exercises to  warm up your voice before a speech

After the public speaking event

It’s a good idea to reflect on your speech afterwards. Dale Carnegie once said about public speaking, “There are always three speeches, for every one you actually gave. The one you practised, the one you gave, and the one you wish you gave.”

For that speech you wish you gave, this is why you need to invest some time to reflect in your performance. Be honest with yourself on three points – what was good about your speech, what didn’t work about your speech and what could have been improved?

If you have trusted friends who were part of your audience, run through these questions with them to obtain a better and more diverse perspective.

Better still, record all your speeches and review them personally. Yes, it can be painful and you will probably cringe while watching yourself on video or listening back to an audio recording. But this process is absolutely necessary for you to become a better speaker and one who is committed to overcoming their fears of speaking.

The cure for insecurity is preparation and experience

The key to overcoming your fear of public speaking is preparation and experience. Solid preparation will leave you feeling more confident in your ability as an excellent public speaker, able to deliver a clear, engaging speech.

Experience will help you become more comfortable with the whole experience and stop you dreading that presentation. You’ll need to get out there and speak in public a few times, so join a local Toastmasters, volunteer to speak at a conference, practice in virtual reality or try any other method of overcoming your fear of public speaking.

• See our top rated  public speaking courses  to help you improve your speaking skills.

Summary of tips

• Prepare by practicing aloud
• Remember why you were chosen to speak
• Don’t memorise a script word for word
• Don’t reply on technology, practice without it if possible
• Know your audience
• Pause and take deep breaths
• Create backup slides for audience questions
• Focus on the beginning and ending of your speech

Note:  If these tips are ineffective despite repeated attempts, you may need to look further into the causes of your anxiety and consider seeking medical advice. See the  NHS website  for more information on treatments.

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Here's How to Overcome Presentation Anxiety

By rob biesenbach, july-august 2020.

If you’re like most people, then you get nervous or anxious before a presentation. It’s OK. Even professional speakers go through this.

The difference is in how you manage it. You can let the anxiety drive you crazy and even affect your performance, or you can meet it head-on and at least subdue it, if not conquer it.

Billions of words have been written about overcoming stage fright. Beyond the usual menu of tactics, I’m going to offer a way to reframe your thinking, with a healthy dose of tough love.

But first, let’s clear the air on an important issue.

Bust a popular myth.

One little factoid that we hear all the time is that people fear public speaking even more than death. Death! 

But while that’s the premise of a memorable Jerry Seinfeld bit — “Now this means to the average person, if you have to go to a funeral, you’re better off in the casket than doing the eulogy” — nobody has found an actual study to support this claim.

I may be biased because I speak for a living but, personally, I would rather be up there doing the eulogy.

While some people suffer from truly debilitating anxiety that might require a deeper level of intervention, most people’s fear can be managed with a handful of simple tools. 

And, like I said, some tough love.

Check your ego at the podium.

When you explore the source of people’s speaking anxiety, it often comes down to the fear of making mistakes or looking dumb in front of colleagues or other people they need to impress. 

And some are self-conscious about their appearance or the sound of their voice.

For this group, I would say, “Get over it!”

Yes, get over it. That’s your ego talking. Your presentation is not about you, it’s about them — your audience.

Your only job is to provide useful information that will help them in some way, large or small — information that will lead them to change their thinking or even their behavior on a particular issue.

So set aside the notion of dazzling or impressing them. Turn the tables on your anxiety. Ask yourself, “How can I help today?” Show up to serve.

Manage your expectations.

Take note of the language I’m using here. It’s modest. Your impact may be small, but it’s useful. You will probably not rock their world and spark a 180-degree turnaround in their viewpoints or actions.

But if you can plant some seeds, give them some food for thought and prompt them to do some further exploration on an issue, then that’s a win.

While it’s true that a speech can change the world, most of them don’t. And they rarely, if ever, make that kind of impact entirely on their own.

So take the pressure off yourself and be modest in your ambitions.

Stop undermining your credibility.

We’ve all seen people visibly work themselves into a near-frenzy in the hours and days before a presentation, telling anyone and everyone how nervous they are. Maybe we’ve done it ourselves.

That’s a natural instinct — we’re talking things out and perhaps seeking reassurance that everything will be OK.

But beyond creating a self-perpetuating doom cycle of anxiety, this behavior seriously undermines your credibility as a professional.

Stop for a minute and think about the impression that you’re making on the people around you — those who look up to you and those who have a role in your future advancement.

This is about how we show up every day as professionals and as leaders.

Act like the leader you are.

When this issue comes up in my speeches and workshops, I often ask about that person’s regular, daily responsibilities. They walk through a few of the important things they do — managing budgets, counseling teammates, moving projects along.

Then I ask how they handle those duties. Do they conduct themselves with calm assurance, or do they run down the hallway like their hair is on fire?

Of course, it’s the former. The point is to treat a presentation like a normal part of your responsibilities. For PR pros, of course, communication is our job. But communication is the heart of everyone’s job, whether they’re managing teams, enlisting support for plans and initiatives, seeking compliance with policy or procedures, cultivating customer relationships or reassuring investors. 

So put yourself in the mindset that speaking in front of groups is simply one more of your normal duties and carry yourself accordingly. You’re cool, comfortable and contained.

In other words, you’re a leader.

Use the tactics for managing anxiety.

Those steps involve a major shift in thinking. Now let’s look at a few simple tactics that may be easier to implement:

• Understand your audience. What are their interests, needs, moods and objections? Use that insight to create truly relevant content and to forge a stronger connection. • Practice and prepare. There really isn’t a substitute for doing your homework and taking the time to practice. The better you know your material, the more poised and confident you will be. • Warm up. Before you go on, do some stretches to burn off excess energy, get your blood flowing and prepare your body. Take three deep breaths to calm yourself.

• Mingle (or don’t). Some speakers become energized by working the room beforehand — introducing themselves, getting to know audience members and asking questions. If you’re not wired that way, then that’s OK. Move on to the next step. 

• Focus. In the moments before you speak, put down your phone and think. Remind yourself of what you’re trying to accomplish and go through your intro in your head. That way, you’re more likely to hit the ground running and feel confident from the start. 

• Psych yourself up. Turn your nervousness into excitement. Convince yourself that you can’t wait to get out there, connect with people, share valuable information and make a difference — large or small — in people’s lives. • Ignore your mistakes. If you flub something, then keep going. The less you call attention to it, the less likely the audience will care or even notice. And silence your inner critic. Be cool.

Keep working at it.

Like anything else, the more you do it, the more you will improve. Many people have found Toastmasters to be a great way to get comfortable in front of groups. There are also plenty of books, training and coaching options to check out.

Put in the time to get better. Make it a priority. Yes, it’s a lot of work. But isn’t the benefit of relieving all of that anxiety worth it? photo credit: digitalvision vectors

Rob Biesenbach

Rob Biesenbach  helps leaders break free from death by PowerPoint, tell their story and communicate like humans should. He’s an in-demand speaker, workshop leader and coach, an award-winning communicator and a bestselling author. He’s worked with great organizations including AARP, Allstate, Caterpillar, Coca-Cola and Lockheed Martin.

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Overcoming Presentation Anxiety: Building Confidence and Conquering Your Fears

If you’ve experienced the pounding terror that comes before a crucial presentation, you’re not alone. Studies indicate 75% of adults are affected by a fear of public speaking.

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Presentation anxiety, which manifests as an unsettling mix of fear and dread, can greatly inhibit personal growth and career advancement. 

But it’s crucial to remember that this anxiety is not insurmountable.

This article is your guide to defeating presentation anxiety, replacing fear with confidence, and mastering the art of public speaking.

Recognizing and Managing Nervousness

Presentation anxiety manifests itself in various ways; these can be physical, such as a racing heart and sweaty palms, or cognitive, such as a blank mind or negative self-talk. Beneath these surface-level symptoms lie deeper underlying issues, often rooted in fear of failure or harsh judgment. Therefore, recognizing these elements is vital to mapping your journey toward overcoming presentation anxiety.

Understanding the root of your anxiety gives you the power to tackle it head-on. Is it the fear of public scrutiny, a past embarrassing experience, or the weight of high expectations? Once you identify the source, you can tailor your approach to manage it.

Now, on managing nervousness, it’s essential to note that eliminating anxiety isn’t the goal. Instead, the objective is to harness it constructively. Deep breathing exercises and progressive muscle relaxation can help regulate your physical response to stress. 

Finally, reframing anxious thoughts can lead to a more positive presentation experience. Instead of viewing the presentation as a dreaded event, see it as an opportunity to share valuable knowledge or insights with others.

Remember, feeling nervous is human. It’s an instinctive response to perceived challenges. The key is not to eliminate it but to manage, control, and channel it constructively.

Building Confidence through Preparation and Practice

Preparation is the bedrock of confidence . Begin by delving deep into your topic. Research gives you a solid understanding and arms you with additional information to handle unexpected questions. Once you’ve gathered your data, organize your ideas logically, ensuring your presentation has a clear and engaging flow.

With your content ready, turn to practice. Practice reinforces your familiarity with the material, allowing you to deliver it more naturally. Also, it enables you to identify potential pitfalls and address them proactively.

Today, technology enables you to use tools to record your presentation or you can practice in front of a mirror. Both strategies help you review and enhance your delivery style.

Remember that seeking feedback from trusted individuals can provide valuable insights into areas for improvement. Their perspective can help pinpoint parts of the presentation that may need more clarity, better engagement, or a different pace.

Using Relaxation Techniques Before Presenting

Relaxation techniques are excellent tools for mitigating pre-presentation stress. Let’s explore some of these techniques in detail.

First, progressive muscle relaxation involves sequentially tensing and relaxing different muscle groups. This procedure can assist you in achieving a profound level of relaxation and increasing your awareness of physical sensations. You can release tension before a presentation by starting at your toes and moving up to your head.

Another effective strategy is visualization. Imagine giving a presentation that is successful from beginning to end. Picture yourself confident, articulate, and engaging on stage, answering questions with ease and receiving applause at the end. This mental rehearsal primes your mind and body for a successful real-life performance.

Furthermore, mindfulness exercises help you stay present, focused, and calm, rather than getting caught up in future “what if” scenarios that fuel anxiety, mindfulness anchors you in the present moment. Simple practices like mindful breathing or a quick body scan can be done minutes before your presentation to calm your nerves.

Incorporating these techniques into a pre-presentation routine can provide stability and comfort, helping you transition into your presentation with reduced anxiety.

Overcoming Fear of Public Speaking

Public speaking fear, or glossophobia, affects many people but can be conquered with the right strategies and persistence.

One effective strategy is exposure therapy, where you gradually face your fear of public speaking. Start by giving a speech to a mirror, then a small, supportive group, and gradually increase the size of your audience as your confidence grows. The process helps to desensitize your fear response over time.

Moreover, positive visualization can be highly beneficial. This practice involves imagining yourself speaking confidently and receiving a positive response from your audience. Doing so can help reduce your fear and replace it with anticipation for a successful presentation.

Don’t forget that fear is often linked to perceived rather than actual threats. Reframing your perception of public speaking from a threat to an opportunity to share knowledge, influence others, and grow professionally can greatly reduce fear.

It’s also important to celebrate small victories along the way. Each step you take towards overcoming your fear of public speaking is progress worth acknowledging and celebrating.

Handling Unexpected Challenges and Technical Issues

In the realm of presentations, uncertainty is a given. Yet, being able to navigate unexpected challenges smoothly can set you apart as a confident and competent presenter.

Know that disruptions can come in many forms, including interruptions from the audience, environmental distractions, or technical difficulties. The key to handling these situations is maintaining composure and demonstrating adaptability.

If you’re interrupted, calmly acknowledge the interruption, address it if necessary, and then seamlessly return to your presentation. In the case of environmental distractions like noise, take a brief pause, allow the distraction to pass, and then continue.

Another common challenge, particularly in the era of virtual presentations, is technical issues. So, familiarize yourself with the technology you’ll be using and always have a backup plan, such as having your presentation saved on multiple devices or a printout for worst-case scenarios.

Lastly, remember that perfection is not the goal. Instead, aim for poise, adaptability, and resilience. Even the most experienced presenters face challenges; it’s how they handle them that makes them successful.

Overcoming presentation anxiety is a journey. It begins with recognizing and managing your nervousness, then building confidence through preparation and practice. Relaxation techniques can help reduce anxiety, while facing your fear of public speaking helps with personal growth. Lastly, developing the ability to handle unexpected challenges and technical issues gracefully will aid in honing your overall presentation skills.

Remember, with consistent effort, patience, and these practical strategies, you have what it takes to conquer presentation anxiety. You are capable of delivering compelling and confident presentations. The stage is yours to take, and the audience awaits your voice. So go ahead, embrace the opportunity, and shine.

About the Author

Nikole Pearson is a highly skilled environmental consultant with a diverse life sciences education. In the past 23 years, she has successfully managed and executed numerous environmental and regulatory projects across the western US. Nikole is a leading expert on utilizing AI for writing, editing, meeting management, presentation development, SEO, and social media management.

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• For General Anxiety
• For Panic Attacks
• For Fears and Phobias

Presentation Anxiety: How to Overcome Stage Fright (Complete Guide)

Tyler Ellis

Glossophobia, the fear of public speaking, is thought to affect as much as 75% of the population. For both students and professionals alike, this phobia tends to take the form of presentation anxiety. So, how can we overcome stage fright and presentation anxiety once and for all?

While avoiding presentations may bring some short-term relief to your anxiety, this will worsen your stage fright in the long-run. To overcome presentation anxiety long-term, presentation tools and gradual practice are the most effective solutions.

Maybe, right now, you’re extremely anxious about a presentation coming up. Maybe the only thought racing through your mind is how in the world am I going to get out of giving this presentation?

No worries. This guide is going to cover everything – and I mean everything – you’ll need to know. Make sure not to skip the section on “alternative ways of presenting,” I think you’ll find those really useful!

No need to stress; let’s get right into this.

What Causes Presentation Anxiety?

First things first… why do we feel presentation anxiety in the first place?

Sure, we might expect our heart to pound and breathing to accelerate as we walk along the edge of a cliff – but during a presentation? What part of talking about George Washington Carver inventing peanut butter should cause our hands to tremble and our voice to stutter?

Well, as it turns out, presentation anxiety is caused by ancient mechanisms in our brain responsible for our survival. For anxious people, our brain perceives being the center of attention in large group to be a threat. This triggers the “fight or flight” response, causing us to panic as we try and escape our uncomfortable setting.

Obviously, we are in no real danger while giving a class presentation or work presentation. Many years of evolution, however, have trained us to avoid stage fright with a passion. In ancient times, being surround by a (potentially angry) mob could have fatal consequences; as could being humiliated, rejected, or otherwise cast out from the tribe.

For many of us – especially those of us prone to social anxiety – such fears have stuck with us since caveman times. It’s important we remember these fears are harmless. Just being aware of their nature can help with this process. Despite what your brain and body may be telling you, these feelings of anxiety are not dangerous; they are going to pass.

Feel free to check out this article for a better understanding of the evolutionary psychology behind anxiety .

How to Get Out of a Presentation

I recommend against avoidance in most cases, as it only reinforces our anxiety in the long-run.

However, I know what it’s like to be a student with presentation anxiety.

I know how hard it is juggling academics, a social life, relationships, and newly blossoming anxieties all at once. I know that it can get so bad the most logical option feels like dropping out of school altogether. I don’t want you to feel like you have to do that.

So, if you’re really just not ready to overcome your stage fright:

• Intentionally Choose Classes That Don’t Require Presentations
• Tell the Teacher or Professor About What You’re Going Through
• Ask the Teacher or Professor for Alternative Assignments
• For Group Presentations, Ask Someone Else to Take the Lead
• Present Your Assignment in an Alternative Format Using Presentation Tools and Software (more on this in a bit)

If this seems a bit vague, it’s only because I’ve actually dedicated an entire article to this topic already. Check out this piece on how to get out of giving a presentation in class for more help with this.

Like I said, ultimately, avoidance is a poor strategy. However, I believe it’s just as detrimental to be “forced” into facing our fears before we are mentally prepared to do so. Having been there myself, I want you to be able to rest easy knowing that you do have some options here.

For this guide, however, I want to focus more on how to actually overcome presentation anxiety and stage fright.

My secret is – believe it or not – I get incredibly nervous before public speaking, no matter how big the crowd or the audience and, um, despite the fact that I laugh and joke all the time I get incredibly nervous, if not anxious, actually, before going into rooms full of people when I'm wearing a suit... And now that I've confessed that, I'll probably be even more worried that people are looking at me.

Prince Harry - Duke of Sussex, Member of the British Royal Family

How to Stop a Panic Attack While Presenting in Class

When I first started having panic attacks, I had no idea what they were or why they were happening. Prior to my first panic attack, I had never had an issue with public speaking or presentation anxiety at all. In fact, I had voluntarily participated in several clubs and activities that required public speaking.

Yet, when my first few panic attacks started (I was around 16 at the time), they would occur in any random situation. Wherever they occurred, I'd quickly develop a phobia associated with that location or situation. One such random panic attack occurred – you guessed it – during a class presentation.

While this experience was terrifying, embarrassing, and extremely uncomfortable, I had – fortunately – managed to keep it together enough for most people not to notice. For the many class presentations that would follow, however, I had to develop some tricks to stop panic attacks while presenting in class.

Here’s what worked for me:

• Volunteer to go first. This may seem strange, but I always felt it easier to volunteer first and get it out of the way. Oftentimes, it’s easier to deal with presentation anxiety when we don’t feel cornered. By choosing to do it yourself, you maintain some control of the situation and get the jump on things before anticipation anxiety kicks in .
• Remember you are not going to die. This is just a panic attack, and it’s going to pass. It may be uncomfortable, but it will be over within a few moments.
• Take control of your breathing. 478 breathing is a simple technique that works. Simply breathe in for 4 seconds through the nose, hold for 7 seconds, exhale for 8 seconds through the mouth.
• Find a focus object. Choose a point, or several points, to focus on in the room. This could be a ceiling tile, a lightbulb, a pile of books, anything. Whenever your thoughts start to wander or spiral out of control, recenter your thoughts on that focus object.
• Try and remember the other times you’ve given a class presentation with anxiety. Chances are, this isn’t your first time. Remember those past successes and visualize this presentation as one where you overcome stage fright as well. If your mind is drawn to a time when it didn’t go so well, at least remind yourself that it passed and you survived it; just as you’ll survive this one.
• If you have a friend in the class, look to them from time to time. Flash them a smile or a wink, and try not to laugh out loud while you’re up there. This may seem silly, but I’d rather stifle a laugh than grapple a panic attack.
• Remember that no one’s really paying attention. Just as you were sitting at your desk nervously thinking about your own turn to present, most people are doing the exact same now. And even if they’re not anxious, they’re probably zoned out or drifting off; it’s quite difficult to keep an involuntary crowd’s attention. Trust me, they’re probably not thinking about you much.

These are just a few ways to stop a panic attack while presenting in class. Of course, just about any method for stopping panic attacks can work well here, so feel free to explore our site a bit to learn some other methods.

There are only two types of speakers in the world:

1. The nervous

Mark Twain - American humorist, novelist, and travel writer

Alternative Ways of Presenting to Help Overcome Stage Fright

If you take nothing else from this article, I believe that this is the section that can help anxious students and professionals with stage fright the most. When I was dealing with presentation anxiety myself, most of these options didn’t even exist. If you’re anxious about standing in front of class and presenting, any of these could be fantastic alternatives to presenting.

Basically, any of these presentation software tools can help you to quickly create a visually stunning presentation; all without having to speak in front of the class. They utilize audio, video, and/or animation to create informative videos that get the point across even more effectively than conventional presentations.

For the most part, all a teacher or boss really cares about is that you: 

• Put hard work and dedication into your assignment
• Learned something throughout the process
• Are able to communicate what you learned to educate your peers

Telling the teacher “Sorry, I just can’t present today,” won’t meet any of these points, and is likely to land you a failed grade.

Instead, ask your teacher if you can use one of these presentation tools to create an even more engaging and informative presentation. This way, it’ll seem like you’ve put in the most effort in the class, rather than the least; all without having to speak in front of the class.

Here are the automated presentation tools I currently use myself and recommend:

I go into much greater detail on these tools here: automated presentation software . Before buying anything, I strongly suggest giving that article a read. Otherwise, Toonly and Doodly are my top picks.

What is the Best Presentation Anxiety Medication for Stage Fright?

Giving a presentation in high school or college can be extremely stressful for many people. If standing in front of the class feels like an impossible task, you may be wondering about presentation anxiety medication. So… what are the best drugs for presentation anxiety?

Since I’m not a doctor, I can only offer you a friendly opinion here.

In general, I think it’s a good idea to steer clear of anti-anxiety medication whenever it isn’t absolutely necessary. If your doctor prescribes you presentation anxiety medication, so be it. In the long-run, however, this can often create cycles of reliance and dependence that are best avoided.

But what about taking an over-the-counter supplement for anxiety before a presentation?

I have personally found one supplement to help me relax and communicate more confidently. This is my favorite supplement for stage fright, as it has helped me tremendously in situations where I would normally feel a bit socially anxious. I’ve used this supplement for presentations, job interviews, and even first dates.

My favorite supplement for presentation anxiety symptoms is phenibut. It just helps me feel significantly calmer while simultaneously boosting my sociability and confidence. This supplement is extremely affordable and legally sold online in most countries. If you want to learn a bit more about it, I have an article going into greater depth about phenibut here.

I do urge responsibility when using phenibut, as you don’t want to become reliant on it. But if it makes the difference between shirking your presentation vs. delivering a great one, I highly recommend it.

Let our advance worrying become advance thinking and planning

Winston Churchill - Former Prime Minister of the UK, Famous Orator

Tips for How to Present a Project Effectively

Few things help to eliminate anticipation anxiety like truly preparing for the situation. If your fears are rooted in delivering a poor or ineffective presentation, take some time to prepare.

Here are some tips for how to present a project effectively:

How to Overcome Stage Fright and Presentation Anxiety

There are many strategies we can take when dealing with our presentation anxiety or stage fright. Here are three of the most common strategies:

• Complete Avoidance – Post-college, public speaking occasions like presentations are pretty few and far between. As an adult, it isn’t too difficult to avoid presentations, although not overcoming stage fright can be a hinderance in many career fields.
• Reluctant and Occasional – Here’s where most people in the world probably fall. Most of us aren’t 100% comfortable with presenting, yet we suck it up and get it done when we have to. This isn’t a bad place to be, although it's uncomfortable occasionally.
• Conquering Presentation Anxiety – Some brave souls will choose to completely crush their fear of public speaking, overcoming stage fright and glossophobia entirely. This path is not for the faint of heart, as it isn’t easy; however, it has the largest payoff in the end with regard to career and confidence.

We’ve already discussed strategies for the first two earlier in this guide. Let’s now focus on the third.

How can we overcome presentation anxiety and glossophobia?

Well, whenever we want to eliminate a fear or phobia long-term, the best way to do so is through exposure therapy. We do have a full article on how to extinguish fears through exposure therapy if you’re curious to really understand this process.

For now, I’ll fill you in on the basics:

By gradually stepping outside of our comfort zone and exposing ourselves to our fears, we can eliminate those fears over time. The key here is that we are stepping a bit outside our comfort zone, but not immersing ourselves so fully to induce panic. In other words: challenge yourself at a fair pace.  

So how do we apply this to overcome presentation anxiety and stage fright?

My suggestion would be to identify the smallest voluntary step you can take outside of your comfort zone without panicking. Perhaps presenting may induce a panic attack, but are you at least able to read aloud from your seat? Perhaps reading aloud is difficult, but could you at least volunteer an answer from time to time?

This process will be as unique as a fingerprint for each person, as we all have different comfort zones and stressors. Try and find where your comfort zone ends and take small steps just outside of it. With repeated practice, you’ll notice your comfort zone expanding as you become more confident with the activity.

In general, here are some opportunities you may find useful for stepping outside of your comfort zone:

• Start raising your hand more often to ask or answer questions
• Volunteer to read aloud or answer a problem on the board whenever you’re feeling confident
• Create a presentation using presentation software (recommendations above), but see if you can actually get through it without relying on the audio. If you get too nervous, you can use it
• Rather than trying to get out of a presentation, ask your groupmates if you could take a lesser role with speaking; perhaps you could do more of the research to make up for it
• Seek out your local Toastmasters group to practice public speaking away from the pressures of your own social circles
• Try and attend small open mic nights and similar opportunities to gain experience with public speaking

Fun Fact: I successfully avoided presentations for the majority of my high school and college career. Afterward, I wound up working several jobs that forced me to confront this fear. First came a sales job, and next came a job that required me to speak in front of 150-200 people multiple times per day.

Turns out, I liked money more than I disliked public speaking.

List of Famous People with Public Speaking Anxiety

Sometimes a bit of solidarity goes a long way. Here’s a list of famous/successful people who have long been known to have suffered from public speaking anxiety:

• Winston Churchill
• Mahatma Gandhi
• Abraham Lincoln
• Prince Harry
• Warren Buffet
• Mark Zuckerberg
• Sigmund Freud
• Arnold Schwarzenegger
• Tiger Woods
• Rowan Atkinson
• Jackie Chan
• Thomas Jefferson
• Margaret Thatcher
• Princess Diana
• Eleanor Roosevelt
• Sir Richard Branson

As you can see… we’ve got some big names up there. And this is just a very small list of successful people who have been open about their public speaking anxiety – to say nothing of the silent majority!

Never forget, you’re far from alone in experiencing this – you can absolutely overcome presentation anxiety, stage fright, and glossophobia if you wish to!

Unlock the Secrets  to Managing Anxiety  without Harmful Meds

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About the Author

Years of personal experience with anxiety disorders and panic attacks have led me to devise some pretty creative ways to keep my anxiety in check. In the past, anxiety and panic attacks felt like something I'd have to live with forever. Nowadays, panic attacks are a distant memory for me, and I'm free to pursue passions like writing and traveling the world. Hopefully, the information on this website can help you achieve the same. I do all the writing here myself, so don't hesitate to reach out with questions!

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How to Manage Your Anxiety When Presenting

Do you get nervous speaking in public? Learn how to mitigate your fear.

January 29, 2016

Tricia Seibold

For media inquiries, visit the Newsroom .

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Power, culture, persuasion, and the self: communication insights from stanford gsb faculty, lose yourself: the secret to finding flow and being fully present, speak your truth: why authenticity leads to better communication, editor’s picks.

March 02, 2015 Matt Abrahams: Tips and Techniques for More Confident and Compelling Presentations A Stanford lecturer explains key ways you can better plan, practice, and present your next talk.

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Presentation Anxiety

by Dr. Alan Jacobson | Aug 28, 2023 | Public Speaking Fear

Presentation anxiety is a common psychological phenomenon where individuals experience nervousness, fear, and unease when speaking or presenting in front of an audience. It can affect people of all ages and backgrounds and is considered a natural response to the fear of being judged, evaluated, or making mistakes in a public setting.

I differentiate presentation anxiety from the more general speech anxieties because it relates to speaking in front of a large group with prepared remarks. A more general fear of public speaking can occur in small groups or even when just talking to one person, and it can occur whether or not the material is prepared. The treatment for each of these situations is very similar, but there may be small differences in my approach depending on the type of presentation you are likely to give.

I use various techniques to help people conquer presentation anxiety, including cognitive behavioral therapy , relaxation, self-talk, and general positive psychology . I also offer a specialty service that provides more intensive treatment that can be timed to meet your specific needs before and after a presentation.

Symptoms of Presentation Anxiety

Symptoms of presentation anxiety fall into three general categories. Many people experience all three types of symptoms, while others have only one or two.

Physical Symptoms of Presentation Anxiety

Presentation anxiety can manifest in physical symptoms, including rapid heartbeat, sweating, trembling, dry mouth, nausea, difficulty breathing, and a shaky voice. The challenge of these symptoms is that they come to feed the anxiety – you feel these symptoms, are convinced that the audience can perceive them, and this makes you more nervous. Also, some symptoms can make it hard to present clearly and effectively. Relaxation and visualization can often help with the physical symptoms, as can some medication.

Cognitive Symptoms of Presentation Anxiety

There are also common cognitive symptoms that occur with presentation anxiety. These include negative self-talk, racing thoughts, and self-doubt. Cognitive symptoms can feel like a snowball rolling down the hill, building as it goes. These symptoms may appear both before and during the presentation. They become the target of cognitive-behavioral therapy since they are usually irrational or at least exaggerated.

Other Symptoms

Most symptoms fit within the cognitive or physical buckets, but others do not. For example, some people experience fear and anxiety without specific thoughts co-occurring, while others feel fine during presentations but are suddenly hit with a wave of anxiety. These are less common situations but still worth addressing in treatment.

The symptoms you experience are helpful in that they point the way toward the treatment methods we will choose together.

Causes of Presentation Anxiety

Presentation anxiety can stem from various factors, including a fear of failure, a fear of judgment from others, concerns about forgetting what to say, perfectionism, lack of experience, and past negative experiences. Some people are more naturally predisposed to anxiety, which can also play a role. Here is more detail:

Fear of Judgement or Failure

One of the primary causes of presentation anxiety is the fear of being judged or evaluated negatively by the audience. The pressure to perform well and meet the expectations of others can lead to heightened anxiety. The fear of making mistakes or not meeting one’s standards can also contribute to anxiety. The thought of forgetting lines, stumbling over words, or experiencing technical difficulties can trigger this fear.

Lack of Confidence and Presentation Anxiety

If individuals lack confidence in their speaking abilities or knowledge of the topic, they may feel more anxious about presenting in front of an audience. The anticipation of social evaluation and the desire to fit in can lead to anxiety, especially when the presenter is in the spotlight. Presenters might fear being rejected by the audience if they perceive their presentation as uninteresting or unconvincing.

Physical Symptoms and Presentation Anxiety

Physiological responses, such as increased heart rate, trembling hands, sweating, and a dry mouth, can be triggered by anxiety. These symptoms and how they feel to you, in turn, can intensify the anxiety further.

Cognitive Distortions and Presentation Anxiety

Negative thought patterns, such as catastrophizing (imagining the worst possible outcomes) or mind reading (assuming that the audience thinks negatively about the presenter), can fuel anxiety.

Self-Consciousness and Striving for Unrealistic Perfection

Being overly self-conscious about appearance, mannerisms, or speech patterns can contribute to presentation anxiety. Striving for perfection and having unrealistically high standards for one’s performance can add to this anxiety.

Sometimes, there is no specific trigger for presentation anxiety. Some people experience sudden anxiety during a presentation even though past presentations have gone fine. Other people do feel anticipatory anxiety and presentation anxiety but cannot figure out where it comes from or why it is there. Treatment is still effective even if the anxiety’s cause is unclear.

Presentation Anxiety Tips

I offer the following tips to reduce presentation anxiety. For some, this helps enough to reduce the symptoms. For others, a more specific and uniquely tailored approach is more helpful.

Preparation, positive thinking, and relaxation

Adequate preparation is one of the most effective ways to reduce presentation anxiety. When you are well-prepared and knowledgeable about your topic, you’ll feel more confident in delivering your message. Practice your presentation multiple times, preferably in front of friends or family, to become more comfortable with the material.

Visualizing yourself succeeding and delivering a successful presentation can help reduce anxiety. Positive affirmations and reframing negative thoughts into more constructive ones can also be beneficial.

Deep breathing exercises and relaxation techniques can help calm your nerves before and during a presentation. Focusing on your breath can slow your heart rate and help you regain control of your emotions.

Start Small and Learn to Engage

If you’re particularly anxious about public speaking, start by speaking in smaller, more comfortable settings before moving on to larger audiences. Gradually exposing yourself to speaking in public can help desensitize you to anxiety. Also, i nteracting with your audience can help create a sense of connection and reduce the feeling of isolation. Establishing eye contact, asking questions, and involving the audience in your presentation can make the experience less one-sided.

Reduce Presentation Anxiety by Accepting Imperfection

It’s important to recognize that nobody is perfect, and even experienced speakers have moments of imperfection. Accept that some level of nervousness is normal and part of the process. Remember that the audience will be able to connect well with a presenter who seems real to them.

Conclusions and Our Services

Remember that presentation anxiety is a common experience, and most people feel at least a little nervous before speaking in public. The goal is not necessarily to eliminate all anxiety but to manage it in a way that allows you to deliver your presentation effectively. With practice, preparation, and a positive mindset, you can gradually build your confidence and reduce the impact of presentation anxiety. The tips here and on the self-help page may be enough, but many people find it beneficial to work with a therapist who can design a specific and unique treatment course around your symptoms and the types of presentations you give.

If presentation anxiety severely affects your personal or professional life, or you want to speed up the process, I would be happy to talk to you about my services, both regular therapy and intensive therapy , so feel free to contact me any time.

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Overcome Public Speaking Anxiety

Fact checked.

Micah Abraham, BSc

Last updated October 10, 2020

Fear of public speaking is incredibly common, and not just in those with anxiety. While anxiety tends to fuel public speaking fears, nearly anyone can suffer from this type of phobia. Public speaking anxiety is one of the most common fears shared among the general population, and unfortunately these days few people have the tools necessary to overcome this fear.

What Causes Fear of Public Speaking?

Fear of public speaking - also known as Glossophobia - has its roots in social phobia. It comes from the fear of being judged, which stems from all the attention that people place on you when you're speaking. Ideally, you need to be able to deliver a loud, effective speech. Yet doubts over our own ability combined with the knowledge that others are forced to pay attention to the words we share can create a feeling of fear that is tough to shake.

Public speaking fears are also frequently reinforced. No one gives a perfect speech. If you go up there and do a great job but make a few mistakes, your mind tends to focus on the mistakes, and your fear is then confirmed.

In addition, there is reason to believe that the modern day lifestyle makes glossophobia more common than it had been in the past. Consider the following:

• More and more people spend their free time in less public situations, like online, which not only reduces public social interactions but also allows for complete anonymity. Those that spend a lot of time online become less used to the idea of talking in public and being judged.
• Increasingly, people have work-related communication that requires fewer public speaking engagements. Now you can send emails, talk on the phone, or use online workrooms. No longer do you need to worry as much about others looking at you and judging you, which is a problem for future public speakers because it means less experience speaking in public.

It doesn't matter if you're younger or more experienced - the modern day lifestyle has less interaction with other people, which can only increase the ease to which people develop public speaking anxiety.

How to Reduce Public Speaking Anxiety

A little bit of anxiety as you prepare for a big speech or presentation is common. Even the best speakers in the world get a small amount of anxiety before they get on stage or speak in front of a large group. You should never expect yourself to be completely anxiety free. What you need is for that anxiety to fuel you into giving a great speech, not hold you back from speaking.

When your fear of public speaking overwhelms you, you need help. The problem is that we have a tendency to focus on the mistakes, so it's not always easy to overcome that anxiety right away. One mistake (and yes, everyone makes mistakes), and you may accidentally convince yourself that your fears were justified.

In order to cure your public speaking anxiety, you need to make smart decisions before, during, and after you speak. Some people get public speaking anxiety just by talking in front of their friends when their friends are in large groups.

In this case, we're talking about learning to speak in front of a group. It may be planned (such as a presentation at work) or unplanned (such as talking at a meeting when you have a good idea), but you still need to make the right choices and deal with your anxiety directly.

Below are strategies that will help you overcome your public speaking anxiety.

Before Your Speech or Talk

Practice thoroughly.

Obviously practice is step one, and the step that you need to complete beyond adequately. You practice for several reasons. You practice to remember your speech or your lines. You practice because it turns the act of speaking into more of an instinct. You practice because you become more familiar with what giving your speech and speaking up is like, so that if you do lose your way and your speech is derailed you have an easier time making your way back.

But you need to over-prepare. Don't just stop because you think you know it. Stop when you're annoyed that you have to keep doing it. Then do it three more times. The point isn't just to know your speech. The point is to know it so well that you don't even want to give it anymore. That's when you're ready to go.

Visualization and Relaxation

Your next step is to try to get used to the fears you're going to have. Do this only after you've practiced thoroughly. Then, imagine a huge crowd of people judging you. Imagine upset faces and anger. Imagine the things that will cause you anxiety.

Once you've done that, you should start to experience a bit of anxiety. Your heart rate should increase a little and your fear should start to take over. Once that happen, take some deep breaths. Try to relax. Imagine those frowning faces mean something better. Imagine that they really love your speech, and they're glaring at you because they can't handle it. Try to calm yourself down until you feel better, then keep going.

Once it no longer brings you anxiety, give the speech and imagine you're giving it in front of a hostile audience. See if you can calm yourself down while giving the talk without any distractions. That'll help you get used to it.

Get Used to Embarrassment

You can also try a strategy that some people use to get over their social phobia. You can try to get used to the idea of embarrassment. If you no longer fear embarrassment, your ability to overcome some of your public speaking fears will be cured with it.

How to do this is up to you. One of the easiest ways is to dress up in some ridiculous outfit and simply sit outside somewhere public. People will look at you, and people will think you look funny, and you'll feel embarrassed. But if you stay out there for a long time, eventually that embarrassment won't bother you anymore.

You can also do something a bit more active. You can try yelling in a bar ("who here loves baseball?!") or try to say "hi" to everyone you walk past. It's not that important what you do, but it is important that you do a lot of it. You do it until you it bores you, and you stop worrying about whether people are judging you.

This isn't a cure for public speaking anxiety on its own, but every little but helps.

What to Do on the Day of the Speech

On the day the speech arrives, you need to make sure you do all of the little things that help your body and mind control anxiety. You need to make sure that you're fully rested, with a good night's sleep. You need to make sure you're properly hydrated and that you've had full and healthy meals. You need to go jogging, or do something to relieve some of your muscle tension.

You should also prepare everything you need in advance, so that you don't have any worries about whether or not you have everything ready. You can try practicing the presentation one more time and do the visualization techniques again - or you can integrate many relaxation strategies to make sure you're calm for the day, such as:

• Progressive Muscle Relaxation

The less anxiety you experience that day, the easier a time you'll have on the speech. The buildup can be one of the worst parts, and avoiding the buildup will decrease the way that anxiety affects you.

Finally, remind yourself that it doesn't matter what people think. Don't go in there worrying about everyone else. Go in there reminding yourself that you've done what you can, and that no matter how well it goes you'll continue to get better.

There are strategies you can integrate when you start speaking to reduce anxiety as well. These include:

• Starting Strong Don't try to ease into it. Start as loud as you can't. Don't even worry if you're a bit too loud. Many people think they'll start slow and ease into it, but the best thing you can do is start strong.
• Look at No One Don't worry about looking at people. Look around the room as though you're talking to everyone. You may find yourself getting more nervous if you can't help but look at one or two people and they're not giving you the "face" you want. Look around the room to ease some of the tension you have about someone specific judging you.
• Don't Worry About Stumbles It's easier said than done, but you should never expect it to go perfect. Perfection takes years of practice, and none of the most world renowned speakers were as skilled right away. You can look back at old YouTube videos of well-known speakers and see the way that they stumble. If you lose your place or something happens, just figure out where you were and keep going.

Once you're into the speech there isn't as much you can do. But there are ways to improve the likelihood of a positive outcome. As soon as it's over, pretend you did a great job. Worry about any mistakes you may have made later.

After the Speech is Over

One thing that many people don't realize is that what you do after a speech can also affect how well you are able to handle the next time you speak. If you sit in the corner and think about all of the things that went wrong, then you'll worry about the next speech more. If you allow yourself to feel too "relieved" as well, you'll reinforce the idea that what you did was scary, and increase the likelihood of fear next time. Consider the following:

• Write Down 10 Positives The mind has a tendency to focus only on the negative, but the truth is that ample positive things occurred during the speech. Make sure that you acknowledge them for yourself. Even if you had a terrible presentation and stumbled over every word and cried on stage, there are things that you can write out that were positive. For example, remembering some important lines, some degree of eye contact, speed of talking - don't worry about the negatives and write out the positive things so that you're not letting your mind increase your anxiety.
• Don't Party There's a tendency after big speeches to party hard. After a college graduation, for example, many people go out and celebrate. Some celebration is okay, but keep it moderated. You don't want to see the speech as something tremendous you overcame, and partying too hard can actually cause more anxiety. If you must go out, keep it as low key as you can, and don't try to numb your high emotions.
• Give the Speech Again Finally, if you did have a truly bad presentation, or you simply can't stop focusing on the negatives, give the speech one more time in the comfort of your own home, either to your family or to your dog or to nobody at all. One of the problems is that your last memory of giving the presentation is up on stage when you were anxious. Replace it, by having your last memory be of you sitting in your pajamas talking to a wall with a poster of a cat hanging from a tree branch.

How You Can Overcome Public Speaking and Anxiety

The reality is that you can recover from your fear of public speaking. Using the above tips can be a big help. If you're also someone that suffers from anxiety regularly, you'll also benefit greatly from controlling your overall anxiety. Anxiety tends to be cumulative, and those with anxiety are far more likely to develop public speaking fears.

Questions? Comments?

Do you have a specific question that this article didn’t answered? Send us a message and we’ll answer it for you!

Where can I go to learn more about Jacobson’s relaxation technique and other similar methods? – Anonymous patient

You can ask your doctor for a referral to a psychologist or other mental health professional who uses relaxation techniques to help patients. Not all psychologists or other mental health professionals are knowledgeable about these techniques, though. Therapists often add their own “twist” to the technqiues. Training varies by the type of technique that they use. Some people also buy CDs and DVDs on progressive muscle relaxation and allow the audio to guide them through the process. – Timothy J. Legg, PhD, CRNP

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Presentation anxiety

Performing in front of a group of other students, colleagues and your lecturers is an inextricable part of the student experience here at Brookes. In principle, this is a fairly straightforward task. Yet speaking in public can unsettle or frighten some students.

This information is for those students who become anxious at the thought, or the reality, of presenting their work to others - even though they are well prepared. It also provides useful transferable skills with especial reference to interview techniques.

What is presentation anxiety?

Presentation anxiety is a response to fear and it manifests itself in a number of ways. Physical symptoms include – for example – blushing, shaking, stuttering, sweating, or being tongue tied.

Mentally, anxiety comes through in feeling muddled, feelings of not making sense, and losing the thread.

These feelings are so unpleasant that there is a temptation to avoid presentations altogether.

What are the causes?

A major cause is an overwhelming sense of others watching and judging, coupled with anxiety that ‘they think I'm stupid’. It is easy for these feelings to spiral into negative thoughts such as ‘I'm a total failure’. At this point, our sense of self esteem gets confused with our academic performance. Common issues are:

• Perfectionism - Sometimes we can pressure ourselves by having unreasonably high expectations of what we should achieve, particularly if this is the first time we have done a presentation.
• Avoidance  - Avoidance makes things worse because we never have the opportunity to test our assumptions. Going through the experience and seeing that we can survive intact will help us build up our confidence for next time.
• Past experience  - Particularly if the experience was a negative one, past situations can influence how we might think and feel about a similar experience even though it is in a new context. Perhaps we were teased for blushing or stuttering at school, or remember times when our ideas were put down or rejected by the family or in public. Being in a situation where others are watching, judging or criticising can trigger feelings of anxiety or rejection associated with those past experiences. As a result we may be over critical of our performance, focusing on everything that went wrong, until we feel we are ‘no good at it’. This sets up a vicious spiral: next time our anxiety levels are even higher and we are less likely to do well.
• Lack of confidence - Lack of self confidence can affect thinking, feelings, behaviour and body language. Labelling oneself unconfident means failing to appreciate the things we do do well. Confidence comes from doing things and having a go, learning from our mistakes.

What can I do about it?

Take control.

The key to success is to think positively; take control of your stress and anxiety by learning effective techniques to combat it. Relaxing bodily tension in order to reduce the physical sensations of stress is a good place to start. If your body is free of tension your mind tends to be relaxed. This helps you concentrate and perform better, take decisions and solve problems. When you are relaxed, you can view each task as a positive challenge, and use stress as a stimulus to help you to carry it out. You could try some relaxation exercises or the breathing exercise below.

Breathing exercise

Place one hand on your chest and one on your stomach. As you breathe in through your nose allow your stomach to swell. This means that you are using the diaphragm to breathe in and allowing air right down into your lungs. Try to keep the movement in your upper chest to a minimum and keep the movement gentle. Slowly and evenly breathe out through your nose. Repeat and get a rhythm going. You are aiming to take 8-12 breaths a minute: breathing in and breathing out again counts as one breath. Practise until it becomes a habit and switch to regular breathing when you next become anxious.

Problem solving

Find a new way to look at the problem. There is always more than one way of seeing things, which means that we may be able to act more effectively by looking at the problem differently. The key is to recognize our thoughts and the way that they have affected our mood and confidence. Think about:

• What went through my mind at the time? What is it about this that matters to me now? What does this situation mean to me now? What does it mean about me now?

Finding a new viewpoint will give you more options and keep your thoughts in perspective. For example:

• How would I think if I felt calmer? Or differently? What evidence is there that I'm useless, hopeless and so on? What is the worst that could happen? What can I do if it happens? Could I be making a mistake in how I see myself?

The run up...

Pigeon hole other anxieties

This involves consciously organizing your mind to temporarily put on one side all the other issues that concern you. Tell yourself that you will address these issues in due course, but for now you want to focus on the task ahead and give yourself time to prepare.

• The more you do the more you'll feel like doing and the better you are likely to be.
• Pretend! Act as if you are not feeling self conscious.
• Have all your materials well organised before you start: pens, props, all your visual aids etc.
• Do seek further advice on the practicalities associated with presentation skills from the  Careers Centre .

Try the following suggestions:

• Refer back to your breathing exercises and concentrate on using them to defuse your anxieties and reduce the chances of shaking or sweating.
• Think positively, challenging those negative thoughts like ‘I'm stupid’, ‘I can't do this’. Replace them consciously with ‘I can do this’. Remind yourself that what feels like an enormous problem to you probably isn't to those watching.
• A useful technique that can help stop worrying thoughts crowding in is to visualise a ‘stop sign’ or draw a red dot on your work. As soon as you become conscious of your worrying thoughts, concentrate on your "stop" message. This helps keep you focused.
• Focus on the content of your talk. As your turn approaches take a deep breath letting go of as much tension as is possible. When it's your turn to take centre stage use the adrenaline rush to feel alert and focused.
• If you feel yourself blushing, ignore it and reassure yourself that it will die down once you've got going ! Say to yourself that you are not likely to be marked down for turning pink.
• Slow your speech down, it helps you feel in control.
• This web page was not designed to address how best to present your information. However, here are 3 basic principles: 1. keep it short and simple, don't be too ambitious, 2. use examples to illustrate your points and 3. have a card with your key points written on it, to which you can refer.

Using drugs of any sort (alcohol, stimulants, even too much caffeine) to ‘get through’ can adversely affect performance leaving you even less able to perform well. Facing your fear now will provide you with a skill for life.

After the presentation

• Be encouraging, not disparaging, to yourself. Don't beat yourself up metaphorically for every mistake you spotted. Maybe the first step is just to survive and be able to stand up in front of the class.
• Be kind to yourself and reward your efforts, focusing on your achievement.
• If you make a mistake, use it to help in the future. Don't let it drag you down.
• Think realistically about what you could have done differently and plan how to improve things next time. Perhaps ask one or two others for constructive feedback.

Where can I go for help?

• Managing your Mind Butler G & Hope T (1996) Oxford University Press
• Overcoming Anxiety Kennerley H (1997) Robinson
• Conquer your Stress Cooper C & Palmer S (2000) Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development 

Your doctor

Brookes students can see a doctor at the Medical Centre on the Headington Campus.

• Tel: 01865 (48)3193
• Email: [email protected]

If you are not registered with the Medical Centre, you should make an appointment with your own doctor.

Careers may be able to give advice on how to do good presentations.

• Tel: 01865 (48)4670
• Email: [email protected]

Academic support staff

Your personal Academic Adviser, Module Leaders or Student Support Coordinator may be able to help with concerns about presentations.

Counselling

Whatever you are experiencing, we are here to help and support you. If you feel, after examining these resources and putting some strategies in place, that you would like to talk to us, please fill in the registration form and we aim to offer you an assessment within 7 days. 

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Provider search, meta data and taxonomies filter, laurel house resource collection , mental health education and awareness, 10 useful tips to overcome presentation anxiety.

Being nervous before any major presentation is a normal thing. However, some people end up having a panic attack by merely thinking of standing in front of a crowd. Read these effective presentation tips and learn how to overcome your anxiety .

1.      Get Familiar with the Room and Its Setup

Familiarize yourself with the surroundings and get to know the seminar room. Check out the setup ahead of time and envision yourself talking to a room full of people. Imagine a large audience before you to anticipate any stressful situations that may come up.

2.      Calm Down Before the Presentation

Take a deep breath before stepping on to the stage and calm yourself down. Think of something that calms you down and focuses all your energy on that. Try forgetting that you will be talking to a crowd and focus on your breathing. Try to get comfortable and feel confident enough to talk to people in a public place.

3.      Know Your Topic

Know the topic you will be discussing and the content you will share. The fact that you know what you will be addressing boosts your confidence. This will make you stand in front of the audience and be ready to deliver the content. Additionally, you will be confident when answering any questions because you know all the details about the topic.

4.      Keep Practicing

One of the simple ways of dealing with presentation anxiety is practicing your speech until you know all the words. Talk in front of your friends and family and let them tell you how you are presenting the topic. You can practice your speech and body language in front of a mirror to boost your confidence and be knowledgeable about your topic.

5.      Get Organized

Be organized and have all content prepared beforehand . Get all the information for your presentation ready, and be sure that everything works great and you are prepared. This will reduce the chances of making mistakes on stage and will make you feel comfortable when presenting.

6.      Focus on your Content

One way to learn how to overcome a fear of speaking in meetings is to learn how to focus on your content and not on the audience. Most people focus on the audience and end up being nervous and forgetting what they were presenting, and they end up doing an awful job. Put all your energy on the content you are presenting and be confident in doing so.

7.      Don’t Be Afraid of a Silent Moment

When you forget what to say, or how to continue with the speech, a moment of silence to collect yourself isn’t all bad. Pause and take a deep breath and think of what to say next. Most likely, your audience won’t notice the silent moment and will appreciate a moment to take in what you have been saying. Be confident when you face such a moment and do not panic.

8.      Engage Your Audience

Having a monologue can be nerve-wracking and can increase your stage anxiety. Try engaging your audience and allowing them to participate in the topic. Make your presentation to be more like dialogue, as this will eliminate the nervousness you feel and allow you to relax. Additionally, this will make your audience be alert and listen to your speech.

9.      Visualize Your Success

Learn presentation fear management by visualizing your success and imagining that the speech went perfectly. Try seeing yourself after the presentation and feeling that you had a great time. This will boost your confidence and help you reach your potential. It also allows you to be able to talk with the audience. Seeing yourself as successful allows you to know that you can do it and this reduces the stress you might be having.

10.    Avoid Caffeine and Alcohol

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Guest Author for www.rtor.org

1 thoughts on “ 10 useful tips to overcome presentation anxiety ”.

I have most of the symtoms described under Catalonia, but so many of the health proffesionals don’t know what it it is. I’Even in hospital settings nurses and drs. Think I’m just being uncooperative. I just recently had to be taken to hospital, and one of the EMS the men that wheeled me in to the emergency room said he thought I was as just “playing possum! It’ so disturbing to me that even if I didn’t deal with depression and emotion issues, that would certainly add to it. What to do seems impossible to me, since I recently spent 5 wks in the hospital.any suggestions on to do ?

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