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Dealing with Nervousness

Nervousness before a presentation is natural and can enhance performance if managed properly. Strategies to control nervousness include being well-prepared, organized, and practicing regularly, as well as techniques like smiling, treating the audience as friends, and breathing deeply. It's important not to apologize for being nervous, as this can draw attention to it and exacerbate the feeling.

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4 views2 pages

Dealing with Nervousness

Nervousness before a presentation is natural and can enhance performance if managed properly. Strategies to control nervousness include being well-prepared, organized, and practicing regularly, as well as techniques like smiling, treating the audience as friends, and breathing deeply. It's important not to apologize for being nervous, as this can draw attention to it and exacerbate the feeling.

Uploaded by

mkocyigit22
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Dealing with Nervousness

Being nervous before and during a presentation is natural and should be considered a good thing--a little adrenalin
often helps you perform better because it sharpens your senses and self-awareness. However, if it is not held in
check, nervousness can also undermine your confidence and be a distraction to you and your audience. As a
consequence, the audience focuses on you being nervous rather than the content of your presentation.

Keep the following strategies in mind to help control your nervousness:

1. Be well-prepared. Practice giving your talk more than once. Practice in front of a mirror so you are aware
of any unintentional body language [e.g., swaying back and forth; not looking up to engage your audience,
etc.] and practice in front of someone whom you trust will provide an honest assessment of your delivery.

2. Be organized. If you are well organized, your task will be easier. If your overhead slides are out of order,
or your notes are disorganized, you are more likely to get flustered and lose focus, and so will your
audience.

3. Remember: The way you perform is the way your audience will feel! Giving an oral presentation is a
performance--view yourself as an actor. If you act the part of someone enjoying themselves and feeling
confident, you will not only communicate these positive feelings to the audience, you will also feel much
better as you proceed with your presentation.

4. Practice, practice, practice. Even the most accomplished public speakers can feel nervous before and
during a talk. The skill comes in not expressing your nervousness and in not letting it take over from the
presentation. Over time and with repeated practice, you will feel less nervous and be able to control your
nervousness more effectively.

Here are some things to consider doing to help ensure that nervousness does not become a problem during
your presentation:

1. Smile! Your audience will react warmly to you if you smile and look relaxed.

2. Treat your audience like friends. Think of your presentation as a welcomed opportunity to share the
research topic with the audience.

3. Breathe deeply. It will help calm you down and help to control the slight shaking that you might get in
your hands and voice.

4. Bring a water bottle. Constantly sipping water or taking a drink mid-sentence can be a distraction to
your audience. However, if you feel yourself getting a dry mouth while speaking and you begin to show
it, you'll be glad you have some water on hand. Taking a sip of water also gives you a chance to gather
your thoughts and the audience a moment to contemplate what you've stated so far.

5. Slow down! When people are nervous, they tend to get confused easily; your mind may start to race and
you may feel panicky. To help regain your composure, make use of pauses. Force yourself to stop at the
end of a sentence, take a breath, and think before you continue.

NOTE: A possible trigger of nervousness can be an odd or unanticipated question from the audience, particularly
if it's asked during your presentation. The question could be unrelated to your talk or it may be an issue that you
had never considered. Don't panic in this situation. Answer the question to the best of your ability. If you are unable
to provide a suitable answer or it's tangential to the topic, note the importance of the question and invite the
audience member to discuss the topic in more detail after you have completed your presentation.

Speaking Tip

Never Apologize for Being Nervous!


It's natural to be nervous when giving a presentation. Members of your audience understand this. Just because
you're nervous on the inside, though, doesn't necessarily mean you're showing it on the outside. Most of the time
your nervousness is not as pronounced as you think it is, so if you don't say anything, nobody will notice. However,
if you apologize, you'll only succeed in calling continuous attention to the fact that you're nervous, and worse yet,
apologizing won't help eliminate being nervous. In fact, it may make it worse because--congratulations!-- now
everybody knows you're really nervous! The bottom line is that you should never apologize for being nervous
because had you remained silent, your listeners may have never thought that you ever were.

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