Subtle strategies to handle presentation nerves
Are nerves getting the best of you in a presentation? It happens to everyone at some stage. The heart racing, the sweaty palms, and feeling of complete overwhelm. But being nervous is okay. Nerves don’t mean you can’t do it, they mean you care about the outcome. The key is finding a strategy to ensure nerves don’t ruin your presentation.
Being able to calm your mind to focus on what you are saying is not easy. It is less easy to focus on your connection with the audience. There are a million and one things that could be racing through your mind. Having a plan in place to deal with this scenario is a huge part of public speaking that nobody talks about.
You can be both nervous and confident at the same time. You just need a strategy to deal with it in the moment. This is something I discussed on the 21st Century Expression Podcast last year.
Dealing with nerves before your presentation
You can be both nervous and confident at the same time. Nerves mean you care about the delivery. Your preparation should start on the pieces you are least confident in. That is the preparation that makes the most difference to you.
In your preparation, work to define:
- Your key messages (in one sentence)
