why do presentations make us nervous

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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.

Understand Yourself Better:

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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.

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17 Expert Tips to Avoid Feeling Nervous for a Presentation

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Most of us have a childhood memory of going blank in some school competition. How we dreaded standing in front of all those people, trying to recall the lines?

While it is easy to converse one-on-one in any setting, the same task might become daunting if the strength increases to 15 or 20.

Stage fright kicks in, resulting in an anxiety-inducing scenario for many.

Stage fear is common, and most of us have or continue to go through that even after having addressed people previously.

Nervousness before an important presentation is all the more common as the stakes feel higher. And in anticipation for everything to go well, fear, anxiety, or even paralysis can kick in as a byproduct.

So, how do you deal with that? How do you make sure that you deliver your content as you planned it in your head?

Read on to find some quick tips that will alleviate this nervousness and help you deliver your presentation with poise and purpose.

Why Do People Feel Nervous Before Presentations?

Glossophobia, aka stage fright, is one of the most common fears.

According to NIMH (National Institute of Mental Health), a whopping 73% of people suffer from fear of public speaking.

The major reason for feeling this is our habit of creating internalized fears. These fears create mental blocks from outside judgments and ridicule, making us avoid any form of vulnerability.

Symptoms include dry mouth, sweating, palpitations, shaking, freezing, etc.

The reason for forgetting or freezing (when speaking in front of people) is – the increased stress causes the brain’s frontal lobe (the region responsible for memory) to shut down temporarily.

  Tips to Avoid Feeling Nervous for a Presentation

Being edgy or tense during your presentation can prove to be detrimental to your interests. But there is nothing to worry about, as the following tips will help you calm your nerves and shift from reactive to proactive thinking. Let’s find out!

1. Keep Notes Handy

You are presenting in front of people and not taking part in a memory championship. It might so happen that you forget bits and parts here and there. Most of us have gone through this problem of forgetting and blacking out, and it is entirely okay. 

More often than not, since only you know the content, your audience wouldn’t even notice the difference if you don’t make it too apparent. So, if you forget, it is just a minor blip and not a catastrophe. 

Unless told otherwise, take the help of notes to guide you through your presentation. The notes will serve as your visual cue to keep you on track and not miss out on anything important. 

It will also be less pressure on you to remember everything by yourself. If you are using a slideshow, print your speaker notes.

2. Sip in between

Water calms you down. A bottle of water can also serve as a reminder to take periodic breaks. Also, if you forget anything in between, the break will help you recollect your thoughts. 

Water will help regulate your breathing and help you combat dry mouth symptoms. It will keep you hydrated, compensating for the loss of sweat due to stage lights and uneasiness, if any.

3. Make use of impression management

The strategy is about projecting an image that contradicts your actual feelings. It’s a ‘fake it till you make it’ strategy.

Worried about forgetting important details in your corporate presentation; counteract it by imagining how meticulous and entertaining you were by remembering every detail and space.

4. Have reasonable expectations

It’s normal to slip into a – I want it to be a perfect presentation – mindset.

However, remember to set reasonable and human expectations, as slip-ups are not uncommon. And it won’t make you any different from others if you face something like that in your presentation. 

Perfection comes with practice, and even people, who are pros, make mistakes.

5. Practice and take regular feedback

There is nothing that will help you more. Practice so much that you know your presentation like the back of your hand. Remember the quote – the more you sweat in training, the less you bleed in combat.

Practice in front of your colleagues, friends, and family, and take honest feedback. Keep working on them till you perfect your talk.

You can also elevate your confidence by practicing in front of the mirror and taking the help of affirmations, constructive self-talk, and positive thoughts.

6. Who are your people?

How important is it to know the audience you will be presenting to?

Very. The more you know those people, the more apt you will be with your content and in addressing the needs of those people. After all, you are not presenting for fun; the presentation has some purpose. 

And understanding your audience will help you take care of it properly and be more confident.

7. Something as simple as breathing

It might sound too simple and basic. But regulating your breathing is one of the quickest and most potent ways of calming down instantly. Taking deep breaths will help you in the following ways-

• Reduce anxiety and stress
• Regulate adrenaline and endorphins (flight or fight mechanisms)
• Circulate more oxygen in the bloodstream, helping you think better and more clearly.
• Slow your heart rate 
• Breathing from the diaphragm or the belly will also help you control the sound and pitch of your voice.

8. Don’t forget the structure

A clear structure will help you organize your presentation in your head and for your audience. In case you forget something, you can quickly find your place in the outline and move on gracefully. 

It will also help you remember better, as each topic will follow a certain defined sequence.

9. Say no to stimulants

Avoid stimulants, like caffeine, before your presentation, as it might induce sweating, shaking, and increased heart rate. It will give an impression to your audience that you are nervous, even when you are not. 

So, stay off the stimulants to be relaxed and calm for the presentation.

10. Work out if you can

Workout releases happy hormones and is a great way to blow off some steam. Any stress or tension that you have built up can be released during the exercise, and you will be all fresh and focused for your presentation.

11. Acceptance is the key

When you have acceptance of something, half the battle is won. Rather than fighting or avoiding the fear of speaking in front of people, accept it and choose to act, despite the fear. 

It will help you build confidence and move on from the fearful mind of stage fright to a responsive reaction.

12. Try to connect with people by maintaining eye contact

Take the help of the leadership gaze to appear in control and confident to the audience, maintaining eye contact with the singular person for a chain of thought and moving on at the appropriate time. 

Don’t forget the distant members (the upper part of the auditorium) and shift your gaze in all directions. Try to mimic the glance and focus even if you face a dark crowd due to the stage lights. Eye contact helps people connect and resonate better and will boost your confidence as a presenter.

13. Go for a confident body posture

How confident will you be of a speaker who walks with slouchy shoulders or maybe cracks his knuckles throughout the presentation?

Your body posture can portray you as a leader worth listening to or a regular presenter (like most). Take appropriate room on the stage and keep your arms open and spread across on both sides of the body. 

In doing so, you can make hand gestures effectively (like reaching towards the sky with arms open) that make you appear confident and bold. 

You can also use body movement and hand gestures to emphasize relevant points.

14. Research and learn your topic well

Don’t think of just winging it when you are presenting a topic to people. Researching and preparing well will help you be confident with the subject matter. Unexpected questions are one thing that can make you feel really uneasy and jittery. 

If you prepare well in advance, you can also practice answering the questions. Also, break your content into note cards to refer to later.

15. The more organized you are, the better it is

Thoroughly plan each aspect of your presentation. Notify the organizer of the format and technology you intend to use. You can do the following to mitigate any operational stress – 

• Get your support network at the venue.
• Arrive early for all tech and other arrangements.
• Try timing your presentation with the time-tracker.
• Discuss in advance any concerns/issues with the respective people.

16. Smile and speak slowly

Remember, during the presentation, the audience feels you are the expert, and they are there to listen to you. Also, they won’t know if you make a mistake, so remember to smile. 

Speak slowly and confidently so you don’t end up fumbling words or forgetting details. Speak clearly and confidently (with a smile) to help people be more open towards you.

17. Reframe your mind

Reframing is a technique used in CBT (Cognitive Behavior Therapy) to rewire automatic negative thought patterns. One such pattern we follow is to assign good and bad to certain emotions. Your body feels nervousness the same way it feels excitement.

So, instead of feeling more scared and ruining things when you realize you are nervous, you could rewire your nervousness into thinking of it as excitement. It will help you propel forward with more confidence and pride regarding doing something out of your comfort zone.

To Sum It Up 

Just like any other skill, learning how not to be tense and uneasy during a presentation is a skill that you learn with practice. Acknowledging and accepting is the first step that will catapult you in the right direction.

Take the help of the tips to get better each time. And with time, you will see that those pre-event jitters don’t affect you as much as they used to.

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It is entirely natural to feel nervous before making a presentation.

Many seasoned teachers, lecturers and other presenters feel nervous beforehand despite having given hundreds of presentations. The same is true of actors and actresses, celebrities, politicians, preachers and other people working in the media or in the public eye.

Being nervous is not a problem or a weakness, you just need to channel your nervous energy wisely. On the other hand, being over-confident and not nervous could be a weakness!

The symptoms of nerves (or stage fright) can include "butterflies" or a queasy feeling in your stomach, sweaty palms, a dry throat and the panic that your mind has gone blank about your opening lines.

Fortunately, there are some tried and tested strategies and techniques to manage your nerves so that you can concentrate on delivering an effective and engaging presentation.

These techniques will not get rid of your nerves; instead they will help you to use your nervous energy to your advantage. When you are in a heightened state from the adrenaline that is being pumped around your body, you can use that energy to communicate enthusiastically, convincingly, and passionately. The key is to decrease your level of nervousness so you can focus your energy on these positive activities, not on trying to control your nerves.

Managing Presentation Nerves

Leading up to the presentation.

It is essential to always be well prepared and well-rehearsed in order to feel confident.

Do not fixate on the presentation delivery at the expense of good preparation. 

Spend time preparing, good preparation, knowing your subject well, and knowing what you are going to say and how you are going to say it, will boost your confidence and help reduce your nerves. 

Think of a presentation like an iceberg: what your audience sees - the delivery - is a small percentage of the whole.  What goes on out of sight, the planning and preparation, should make up the bulk of the work.

Read our Presentation Skills pages for tips and advice on how to best prepare for your presentation, starting with: What is a Presentation?

Practice your presentation; rehearse to family, friends or just in front of a mirror. Listen to any feedback. Check your timings, speak slowly and think about the types of questions that your audience may have.

If possible visit the presentation venue before the event to see the room layout and check what facilities are available. This will help ensure that everything runs smoothly on the day and help you visualise giving your presentation, which can help reduce feelings of nervousness.

Keep Your Mind and Body Healthy

Nervousness can be heightened if you're not feeling 100%.

Avoid alcohol the night before and on the day of your presentation. Reduce or avoid your caffeine intake from coffee, tea and other sources.

Try to engage in some exercise the day before your presentation. This will not only release endorphins, which make you feel better, but exercise will also make it more likely that you'll sleep well and feel more refreshed on the day of your presentation.

See our pages The Importance of Exercise and The Importance of Sleep for more information.

Eat healthy. If you're feeling nervous then you may not feel like eating. However eating something healthy, fruit and vegetables are always good choices, will make you feel better and give you the energy you need to get through presentation day.

Immediately before the presentation

When you feel nervous immediately before a presentation, the following strategies and exercises should help you:

Practice Deep Breathing

Adrenalin causes your breathing to shallow. By deliberately breathing deeply, your brain will get the oxygen it needs and the slower pace will trick your body into believing you are calmer. This also helps with voice quivers, which can occur when your breathing is shallow and irregular.

Drink Water

Adrenalin can cause a dry mouth, which in turn leads to getting tongue-tied. Have a glass or bottle of water handy and take sips before you start your presentation and occasionally during your presentation, especially when you wish to pause or emphasize a point. Take care not to take large gulps of water.

Chewing gum before a presentation may help you to feel more relaxed. Research has shown that the act of chewing can increase your alertness and help to reduce anxiety. It is usually best to get rid of the gum when you start your presentation.

Use Visualization Techniques

Imagine that you are delivering your presentation to an audience that is interested, enthused, smiling, and reacting positively. Cement this positive image in your mind and recall it just before you are ready to start.

Self-Massage

Press and massage your forehead to energize the front of the brain and speech centre.

Relaxation Exercises

Although you may not feel relaxed before you give your presentation relaxation, exercises can help.  Try the following relaxation exercises, but do not continue with them if they cause any pain or discomfort although remember that you may use some muscles you have not exercised for a while and so feel a little stiff afterwards.

Quick Relaxation Exercises

• Stand in an easy position with your feet one pace apart, knees 'unlocked' and not rigidly pushed back, spine straight, shoulders not tense, and head balanced.  Try to keep your face muscles relaxed by not clenching your jaw or clamping your teeth together.
• Now stretch SLOWLY upwards, aim to touch the ceiling but keep your feet flat on the floor.  Then flop forward from the waist bending your knees slightly as you go.  You are now hanging forward like a rag doll - your arms and head totally unsupported and relaxed.
• Straighten up SLOWLY, almost vertebra by vertebra, as if you were puppet and a giant puppet master was pulling you up by the strings keeping your head until last, when you are standing in your original easy position.

Repeat this exercise three times.

Alternatively you can relax in a chair:

• Sit comfortably with your lower spine pressed into the back of the chair.
• Raise your arms above your head and stretch as high as possible.
• Release your arms to your sides and bend forwards with your legs stretched out and stretch your arms out far as possible.
• Return to your starting position.

See our section: Relaxation Techniques for more information and ideas of how you can learn to relax effectively.

During the presentation

Many people find that once they are actually giving their presentation or speech they feel a lot better and more relaxed. But it's important to remember to:

Just before you start talking, pause, make eye contact, and smile. This last moment of peace is very relaxing and gives you time to adjust to being the centre of attention.

Smiling is a natural relaxant that sends positive chemical messages through your body. Smiling and maintaining eye contact also help you build rapport with your audience.

Speak more slowly than you would in a conversation, and leave longer pauses between sentences. This slower pace will calm you down, and it will also make you easier to hear, especially at the back of a large room.

Move Around

Move around a little during your presentation as this will expend some of your nervous energy. However, try not to pace backwards and forwards, or rock on your heels, as these activities can be distracting or irritating to your audience.

Stop Thinking About Yourself

Remember that the audience is there to get some information and that it is your job to put that information across to them. Try to put your nerves aside and think about communicating your message as effectively as possible.

After the event

It's important to focus on the positives of your presentation once you've finished. Experience is the single most effective way of overcoming presentation nerves and delivering better presentations in the future.

Get feedback

When possible, ask members of your audience for constructive feedback on your presentation. Listen to what they say and focus on areas that need improvement. Try to see any negative points not as a measure of failure but as learning opportunities for future presentations. Our page on Giving and Receiving Feedback may help here.

Use reflective practice

Reflective practice is a useful technique to help you think about and analyse your experiences and can be used for many aspects of life. The use of reflective practice for a presentation can be particularly useful for helping to minimise feelings of nervousness for future presentations. See our page of Reflective Practice for more help and information.

Don't beat yourself up

Like most things in life, presentations are unlikely to be perfect and there are always ways you can improve. When you get feedback from others and reflect on your own performance, it is important that you understand this and give yourself a break. Think about the positives and what went well, and learn from any mistakes or elements that you feel unhappy with.

Treat yourself

Treat yourself to something that you'll enjoy. Perhaps a glass of wine, or a nice cake or just a relaxing soak in the bath. Something to make you feel a bit special and recognise your achievement.

Continue to: Dealing with Presentation Questions Stress and Stress Management

See also: Preparing for a Presentation | Organising the Material The Newbie Blueprint for Virtual Presentation Success

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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!

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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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10 Reasons Why You Get Nervous During Presentations

Hrideep barot.

• Body Language & Delivery , Presentation , Public Speaking

Why do I get so nervous during presentations? This question comes to the mind of every person who is about to deliver a speech or presentation. Anxiety frequently takes the form of a fear of public speaking. From mild trepidation to paralysing fear and terror, it can fluctuate in intensity. Many persons who have this phobia either completely avoid public speaking situations or endure them while trembling and speaking shakily. But you can get over your fear if you prepare and persevere.

Public speaking is one of many circumstances where feeling nervous or anxious is normal. Other manifestations of what is known as performance anxiety include stage fright, test anxiety, and writer’s block. However, a social anxiety disorder may be present in people with severe performance anxiety that includes significant worry in other social situations (also called social phobia). Cognitive behavioural therapy, medicines, or a combination of the two may be necessary to treat social anxiety disorder.

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10 reasons for getting nervous during presentations 

The information you need to get started on the path to greater confidence and enjoyment in public speaking is provided here. These are the ten main causes of your fear, along with the advice on how to get over it and, in essence, reclaim your life!

1. Discomfort in front of large crowds.

This is the justification for performance anxiety that is most usually given. “I’m alright speaking to small groups, but when there’s a big crowd, I get tremendously nervous” , is a common statement made to speech instructors. Two tactics will be useful: 

• Remember that the individuals you speak with one-on-one are also those in a large audience. 
• Focus on merely chatting to them rather than “presenting” to them. You will be at your peak.

2. Fear of coming out as tense. 

Do you worry that you’ll appear frightened? A lot of speakers do. So it’s simple to suppose that if the audience notices your anxiety, they’ll assume you don’t know your subject. However, the two are obviously unrelated. Don’t you feel sorry for the speaker when you see them shaking rather than passing judgement on their professionalism? If anything, your audience will sympathise with you rather than reject you.

3. Fear that you are being judged by others. 

The hard-love message in this situation is that nobody genuinely cares about you. They are there to learn something from your speech, presentation, or lecture. They want to make the most of their time. Everyone feels embarrassed when they witness a speaker stumble. Therefore, the crowd is actually rooting for you!

4. Previous failures 

Fear of public speaking is frequently an acquired tendency. In other words, you failed in the past, and that’s when the seed of self-doubt was planted. However, if you are knowledgeable and ready this time, there is no need for things to go wrong the way they did in the distant past. Not unless you firmly think it will happen. Instead, make a success plan.

5. Inadequate or poor preparation 

There is no reason you should succeed if you haven’t done your research, which includes understanding your target. You are the only one to blame. Being unprepared has a negative impact on public speaking confidence. However, nothing inspires confidence like knowing you’re prepared. Your decision.

6. Narcissism. 

The toughest love message that can be provided to clients who are stage nervous is this. Speaking while exhibiting severe self-consciousness is narcissistic. If you are completely preoccupied with yourself, how can you possibly impact others? Not at all. Therefore, “illuminate” your audience by turning that strong spotlight around. You are irrelevant. It’s true.

7. Unhappiness with your performance.

Okay, I admit that this is a valid worry. But among the Top 10 reasons, it’s also one of the simplest to fix. If your speaking abilities are lacking, you should be unhappy. But frustration may be a great motivator. Get the speech therapy you’ve been considering. You can feel a tonne more confident just by knowing you are a top-notch worker. You will probably become considerably more eager to communicate as a result.

8. Feeling uncomfortable in your own body. 

Why are we all at ease physically with friends but awkward and self-conscious in front of a crowd? If it describes you, read the advice about engaging listeners in the conversation above. You should be able to unwind by doing that. When you’re in a cosy setting, take attention to how you stand, sit, gesture, and move as well. Recreate that organic movement in front of bigger crowds.

9. Poor breathing techniques 

You likely have no idea how to breathe for speech unless you’ve studied acting or singing. More air is needed for public speaking than “vegetative breathing.” In order to maintain sound through the conclusion of your concept, you must also manage your exhalation. The method for doing all of this is diaphragmatic breathing. Additionally, it does wonder for slowing your racing heart.

10. Evaluating yourself against others.

Never do it! Never try to be a “great” public speaker. Your topic or area of interest should be engaging when you talk about it. That is it. The really wonderful news is that you are the only person in the universe who can tell us about it as well as you can. Indeed, you are the speaker we wanted to hear.

Ways of controlling your nerves while presenting 

The dread of speaking in front of a large audience often results from the belief that others will evaluate you when you’re in front of them. Memory is aided by the frontal lobe of the brain, which is temporarily shut down when we are agitated due to an increase in stress hormones. We freeze up and stop talking because of this.

There’s nothing wrong with being anxious; the key is learning to control and go through those feelings.

The following advice will assist you in managing your anxiety before, during, and after a presentation.

Prior to the presentation

1. know your subject.

You’ll feel more assured as you get more knowledge about your subject. You won’t need to refer to your notes in order to respond to queries.

2. Keep order

Spend some time carefully planning every part of your presentation. Creating PowerPoint slides or other visual materials like films is a common example of this. Tell the organiser in detail what format and technology you will use. Prepare your background and space if it will be virtual. This guarantees a smooth presentation and lowers your tension.

3. Practice

You can never practise enough, whether you’re practising in front of a mirror, a family member, or a pet. Request comments regarding your voice volume, eye contact, and body language. If you plan to deliver the presentation through video conference, record it there so you can check your appearance and voice quality.

4. Think about your success

Positive thinking will become more instinctive the more frequently you do it. Your confidence can significantly increase if you use positive self-talk. Successfully practise the presentation in your brain.

During the presentation

1. concentrate on your content, not the audience.

Your audience isn’t there to judge you; they are there to hear your presentation. They’ll be watching your vivid slides while also paying attention to what you have to say. Put enjoyment of the presentation to one side and deliver it as you practised.

2. Don’t be afraid of silence

It’s acceptable if your mind wanders for a moment. Although the time you spend trying to decide what to say next may seem like an eternity to you, it really only lasts a few seconds at most.

3. Talk slowly

Slow down. You might speak more quickly than you intended if you’re experiencing presentation anxiety. The fact that the audience can understand you will make them grateful, and if you speak slowly, it will allow you time to collect yourself.

4. Breathe deeply and sip water

Your brain receives oxygen through breathing, improving your ability to think clearly. Drinking water provides you with more energy and a chance to take a break.

The simplest yet most powerful approach to calm your anxiety is to smile. Endorphins are released when you do this, which makes you feel more self-assured. A smile will also help the audience be more receptive to what you have to offer.

6. Always keep in mind the “three truths of the audience”

There are three of these: 

• The audience believes you are the expert throughout the presentation 
• They support you 
• They are oblivious to your errors 

After the presentation

1. celebrate your achievements.

Celebrate giving a presentation because it is an accomplishment to be proud of. In addition to your loved ones, friends, and coworkers, you should give yourself a high five.

2. Take reflections

If you utilize feedback as a tool to help you perform even better the following time, it’s a beautiful gift. Find out what certain individuals of your audience loved and disliked. Remember that mistakes can teach you a lot.

3. Do not criticize yourself

The only thing anyone — including you — can ask for is that you tried your best.

Read this article for more useful insights: 17 tips and tricks to stop shaking and ease your anxiety during a speech

Final words 

It’s totally normal to experience performance anxiety feelings occasionally. In actuality, many people shy away from public speaking. But the more you encounter these kinds of circumstances, the more at ease you’ll feel.

Concentrating on your sentiments will only make matters worse if you become apprehensive when giving a presentation. To combat your nerves, consider your talk as an act of kindness: You’re giving something valuable to other people. Research has shown that being kind and generous lowers our stress levels. 

When you are putting together the presentation, use this frame. Start with some reflection rather than with your topic. Who will be in the room, you could ask? What are they expecting of me? Create a presentation that specifically answers those demands. 

Take slow, deep breaths and keep in mind that you are there to assist your audience when you are feeling particularly anxious on the day of your talk. Make eye contact with your audience during the presentation, even if you’d rather be doing something else. Imagine yourself conducting a succession of one-on-one interactions with various people, giving them all the information they require. This attitude of generosity can transform a traumatic event into a giving one.

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Message in a body: controlling your nerves during an oral presentation

According to 'The Book of Lists', which, as you might be able to understand from its title, is not exactly the type of publication you will find on Pubmed, the fear of speaking in public is second only to being burnt alive! Statistically speaking, this means that a certain number of people might even seriously consider being burnt alive rather than have to face the torment and ordeal of speaking before an audience. A peer audience at that. Yet, it has to be said that nervousness before a presentation is more than normal. Unfortunately, it is a problem that causes not only suffering for the speaker, but can also destroy even a well-prepared presentation. A good rush of adrenalin can, of course, be used to your advantage and give you a push in the right direction. The secret is knowing how to conceal and control your nervousness.

Most congress speakers worry about being judged negatively by others. People don’t want to look stupid and, moreover, don’t wish to fail to deliver the correct answers during ‘question time’ (which we spoke about in detail last time). Other reasons why people are nervous during oral presentations involve such things as fear of failure and fear of the unknown, forgetting what you have to say, not having enough to say in the allotted time, having too much to say in the allotted time, feeling inadequate (especially linguistically inadequate) and a general dislike of being 'put under the microscope'.

Body language is a very important part of a presentation. A good way to study body language is by turning down the volume of your TV to watch newsreaders, actors and talk-show hosts who are able to use facial expressions, head nodding, smiles and frowns to convey a million emotions.

People often ask me what they should do with their hands during a presentation. Well, what you shouldn’t do is probably easier to describe:

• do not play with things in your pockets, such as coins or keys

- this is just  too  casual

• do not fold your arms across your chest
• do not wave your arms around so you seem like a windmill
• avoid playing excessively with your hair and your spectacles

You can move your hands around a bit to add some kind of dramatic and theatrical effect to what you are saying. You do not need to keep your arms vertical and rigid, as if you are a soldier standing to attention. In any case, your hands will be necessary to hold your laser pointer, or eventually change slides on your computer, so it will be impossible to keep them in the same position throughout your talk.

Then we have the so-called ‘pause noises’, such as ums and ers , which should never become too noticeable (a teacher at school was so boring that we students would prefer to count his ums and ers rather than listen to his excruciatingly tedious lessons).

Don’t speak too quickly or too quietly, drink water if your throat goes dry and try to control your breathing. Taking one or two deep breaths before speaking will generally make you feel more relaxed. Correct breathing patterns will also enhance voice volume and projection, which will no doubt be appreciated by your audience.

Eye contact is fundamental. Scan the audience and involve everyone present in your presentation, whether they are ten or a thousand. Never stare at people for too long as you might intimidate them, and also avoid private conversations with friends or members of the audience that look nice because they are nodding at everything you say and seem to agree with you all the time. Of course, the main thing to remember when you are speaking in public is that you have to at least give the impression, even when it might not be absolutely true, that you are enjoying yourself and wish for nothing more than to communicate your fascinating data to the gathered peer audience. When speakers are too worried about not being able to tell their story they sometimes disengage and don’t seem interested in communicating at all. This is, of course, a defence mechanism, but flat uninteresting and, what is more serious, uninterested voices are the sad result. The overall impression is that they couldn’t care less about speaking to the audience: not a good tactic to use.

Remember that successful communication is always a two-way matter. Even though you are talking to the audience, you should still sense their reaction to what you are saying. Work on all these things, and not only on your PowerPoint slides and data, if you want your presentation to be memorable.

Questions from the readers

1. How long should you spend on each slide so as not to bore the audience?

This depends on the type of slide you are describing. Simple slides can be presented in 30 seconds, while more complex ones can take up a minute or more. In any case, as a rule you should never spend more than two minutes on any slide.

2. Considering the fluctuating attention of the audience, and the importance to transmit certain fundamental data, should we aim to transmit our key points when the audience is fully concentrated? Can we use intermediate-conclusion terms such as ‘to summarise’ or ‘in conclusion’ to focus drifting audience attention, and how often might we do so without losing the audience’s respect and trust? Is it absolutely wrong to transmit important data when the audience is not 100% concentrated and can this type of phrase help regain audience attention?

If you are a dynamic speaker and give the impression that what you are speaking about is fundamental for the audience’s professional future, then there is no reason they will not listen to you, with or without intermediate conclusions, as long as your data are valid.

3. How should a case report be set out?

A case description is generally told in chronological order:

• patient’s presenting signs and symptoms and chief complaint(s)
• medical history e.g. family diseases such as heart disease or diabetes
• social history such as alcohol, drugs, tobacco
• medications being used
• results from physical examination and laboratory tests
• differential diagnosis
• final diagnosis (es)
• treatment and follow-up

Different journals have different styles. Each journal will make it clear if they want or not a brief introduction, a presentation of the case report and a discussion/conclusion. The above described order/check list applies to the case report paragraph.

4. While presenting a poster, should we follow the standard IMRAD (Introduction, Methods, Results And Discussion) scheme?

A poster generally follows the standard IMRAD format, although there is usually no abstract, methods are kept to a minimum and, most importantly, there is no long Discussion section. A poster should focus mainly on the principal results of the study being presented and should use as many images (graphs, tables, photographs) as possible to stimulate interest and attract viewers. You can change the order around to make things ‘more interesting’ if you think this will do the job.

5. Which is the best way to use a microphone during public speaking?

A microphone needs to be held close to your mouth so that it actually picks up your voice. Cable microphones can be annoying (due to the cable); radio frequency microphones give you more freedom to move around. Be sure to give a microphone to questioners so the rest of the audience can actually hear the question before you answer.

6. How can you effectively communicate orally during a slide presentation when your audience is divided into two different categories (e.g. nurses and doctors or surgeons and anesthesists)?

Who is in the audience will determine the type of presentation you give. Find out beforehand.

\'This is the eighth of a series of articles on this topic. Send any questions to [email protected] who will answer them as part of this column\'

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To Overcome Your Fear of Public Speaking, Stop Thinking About Yourself

• Sarah Gershman

Tips for before and during your presentation.

Even the most confident speakers find ways to distance themselves from their audience. It’s how our brains are programmed, so how can we overcome it? Human generosity. The key to calming the amygdala and disarming our panic button is to turn the focus away from ourselves — away from whether we will mess up or whether the audience will like us — and toward helping the audience. Showing kindness and generosity to others has been shown to activate the vagus nerve, which has the power to calm the fight-or-flight response. When we are kind to others, we tend to feel calmer and less stressed. The same principle applies in speaking. When we approach speaking with a spirit of generosity, we counteract the sensation of being under attack and we feel less nervous.

Most of us — even those at the top — struggle with public-speaking anxiety. When I ask my clients what makes them nervous, invariably they respond with the same answers:

• Sarah Gershman is an executive speech coach and CEO of Green Room Speakers. She is a professor at the McDonough School of Business at Georgetown University, where she teaches public speaking to leaders from around the globe.

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Why is Presenting so Stressful

Fear of public speaking.

What is it that causes so much fear and trepidation when it comes to speaking in front of other people? Why do we always become so nervous and jittery when giving presentations? Essentially, we are concerned about what people will think of us. This fear has become so embedded that it was etched into Chinese culture by way of the phrase “tiu lien”, or “to lose face.”  And for speakers, the risk of performing badly, of losing face, becomes huge.

In today’s society it’s not only the CEO who delivers presentations. We all have to learn how to present effectively, even if only for self-promotion. We need to find our personal weak points and begin correcting them, and this is a gradual process, a one-step-at-a-time journey to becoming really effective getting up and talking to people, rather than at them. There are several venues to practice this transformation.  Joining Toastmasters is certainly one way, but not everyone has time for a weekly meeting and several years to make incremental progress. Here at Effective Presentations, we have created a non-threatening, interactive and fun presentation skills training class that will meet you exactly where you are and exponentially speed the process along!

Presentation Skills Classes

During our two-day presentation seminar, we involve all participants in several live presentations. In other words, they stand up and talk; we videotape them, and then provide immediate structured feedback. In nearly all cases, this is enough to cause each participant a little nervous anxiety! When our workshop attendees are given their opportunity to stand up and speak extemporaneously, some strange quirk of logic seems to happen. They tend to spend every second focusing on the content of what to say, and absolutely no time on the aspects of delivery that determine what audience is actually going to see!

So how important is what the audience sees? According to “the experts”, in a face-to-face situation body language accounts for approximately 55% of what an audience retains. The eye is drawn to 3 things; color, movement and light. Remember that your wardrobe, ie … choice of colors, tight or baggy clothes, loud jewelry, etc … influence your message tremendously! Add to that the other startling statistic from “the experts”, that your audience retains only about 7% of what you actually say, and you certainly don’t want to distract them even further with nervous habits and wardrobe malfunctions and well – you get the idea.

Learn Effective Presentation Skills

Nobody is born a “good presenter.” Those who attended some public speaking or drama classes in school may have a leg-up on the competition, but you are never too young or too old to practice and develop a more effective presentation style. Are you ready to start the journey? Whether you want to improve your individual presentation skills or are a company with a group of employees who would benefit from a customized, Business Presentation Skills workshop, we can help you reduce the stress and make your presentations more fun, engaging and effective.

61 Comments

Good article. Fear of failure can cause paralysis. Performance anxiety anyone ? It’s all in your head. With your program, it’s all in your hands. Good Job John

I was really pleased to find this web-site.I wanted to thanks for your time for this amazing read!! I definitely enjoying each and every little bit of it and I’ve you bookmarked to have a look at new stuff you weblog post.

It would be hard to argue with you about this (not that I really would want to -HaHa). I have to present every week at church and I still get nervous. Very good stuff, just great!

I get extremely stressed every time I think about speaking up in public. I need to take one of your courses that’s for sure!

I give a few presentations every week now and I usually don’t feel as stressed as I used to. The more practice I get the better I feel when I’m in front of my peeps 🙂

As if you are reading my mind. I am already interested in the next topic as this section lays it all out very well.

How do you keep the stress away for good? I usually have to help get my group going and it seems that I am in need of a few pointers-

Presenting and all that comes with it can be a headache. Reading these words and appreciating your time!

I was looking for something like this. Thanks for letting us in to your world and for helping us to benefit.

I am a speaking coach and always feel we can learn from others.

I have tons of stress and appreciate being able to see tips on stress and presenting.

The last time I had to get up in front of a bunch of people, I could barely breathe- I need help!!

I simply want to say I am newbie to blogs and actually enjoyed this blog site. More than likely I’m want to bookmark your site . You absolutely come with very good posts. With thanks for sharing with us your web page.

I’ll tell you why presenting is so stressful; it’s because happy people tell a few people but miserable people tell everybody about you 🙂

I hear this before but a little different. As my interest is peeked and I feel I can learn here.. keep up the message and other topics too.

I have been in front of a small group and I have actually felt all right – it’s the really large groups that seem daunting. Any help I find, I put it in my mental file cabinet.

I believe a lot of pressure is placed on people to look and act perfectly and we know that we are remembered, especially in a meeting or group situation, for the overall take-away of our message. Really, people worry more about themselves than they do about others so let’s stop comparing ourselves and work hard to do the very best we can. Any helpful tips are good tips.

When you prepare you don’t have to worry about being nervous. Its all about the preparation!

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I do get stressed when speaking. I can use all of the help I can get!!

Stressful yes but not completely a problem if you are able to find the proper training.

Hello, yes this article is in fact fastidious and I have learned lot of things from it on the topic of blogging. thanks.

Great web site you have got here.. It’s difficult to find excellent writing like yours these days. I really appreciate individuals like you! Take care!!

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Anytime I have to speak to more than a small group of people I get a bit nervous. Of course my friends know me and that makes it easy but being up in front of poeple who don’t know me…… you think that would be even easier – but it’s not.

Irrespective of the method of delivery, the presenter must consider the following parameters in preparing for the presentation: knowledge of the audience, knowledge of subject, use of time and rehearsal, and personal appearance and grooming. Additionally, the preparation and use of visual aids is an important element of any effective presentation.

I just want to say I am just very new to blogging and honestly savored this web-site. Probably I’m want to bookmark your blog post . You certainly have tremendous well written articles. Appreciate it for revealing your website page.

Presenting used to be awful for me! It was a major source of stress and anxiety, but as I did it more and got better at it, I became much more confident and now it is usually quite easy for me. It also is always helpful reciveing positive feedback about your presentations because then when you have to do it again you feel as if it will go well every time. Even so, the best way to relax about having to give a presentation is to be informed about what you are presenting as well as plenty of tips o presenting in general.

I can certainly relate to this blog. Fear of public speaking is a tough one to overcome.

Terrific blog and very much aligned with your instruction. Thanks!

I dont know why people get so nervous when they have to present. I am glad it comes natural and I look forward to it.

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Why Are We Scared of Public Speaking?

Understanding the roots of this common fear can help us conquer it faster..

Posted November 27, 2017 | Reviewed by Gary Drevitch

• What Is Fear?
• Take our Generalized Anxiety Disorder Test
• Find a therapist to combat fear and anxiety
• There are many benefits to being a good public speaker.
• Fear of public speaking is very common, affecting about 25% of people.
• The fear may be caused by physiology, beliefs, specific situations, or lack of skill.

Communicating your ideas clearly and presenting them openly in a public forum is an essential component of success across several domains of life. Being a good public speaker can help you advance your career , grow your business, and form strong collaborations. It can help you promote ideas and move people to action on issues that affect them directly and society at large. To do any of these things well requires a fair amount of standing in front of an audience and delivering a pitch, an idea, or a body of work. And sometimes the only thing that stands between you and your audience is fear.

Glossophobia —a really cool and geeky name for the fear of public speaking —appears when you are performing or expecting to perform an oral presentation or a speech in front of other people. Fear of public speaking is frequently but incorrectly cited as people’s biggest fear. Fear of public speaking is often not people’s biggest fear; there are many other things that people are really scared of . Nevertheless, fear of public speaking is very common; approximately 25 percent of people report experiencing it.

While some people experience a debilitating form of glossophobia, even a mild form can have devastating effects. Fear of public speaking can prevent you from taking risks to share your ideas, to speak about your work, and to present your solutions to problems that affect many people—and as a result, it can affect how much you grow personally and professionally, and how much impact you can have. At the same time, any negative public speaking experiences will make it less likely that you will speak in public in the future—fear teaches you to protect yourself from risky situations.

Why Are We Afraid of Public Speaking?

Fear of public speaking is not so much related to the quality of a speech as it is to how the speaker feels, thinks, or acts when faced with speaking in public. There are many reasons why people become afraid when having to speak in public. The theories exploring the fear of public speaking have identified four contributing factors:

1. Physiology

Fear and anxiety involve the arousal of the autonomic nervous system in response to a potentially threatening stimulus. When confronted with a threat, our bodies prepare for battle. This hyperarousal leads to the emotional experience of fear, and it interferes with our ability to perform comfortably in front of audiences. Eventually, it prevents people from pursuing opportunities for public speaking.

Some researchers suggest that there are people who generally experience higher anxiety across different situations, and are therefore more prone to feel anxious about speaking in public as well. People who are predisposed to feeling anxious find it more challenging to master their anxiety and conquer their fear of public speaking and will opt to avoid it. For other people, the anxiety is limited to public speaking situations, but the physiological signs of fear they experience as they anticipate, prepare, and perform in public are similar.

Moreover, some people experience what researchers call anxiety sensitivity, or the fear of fear. Anxiety sensitivity means that in addition to being worried about public speaking, people are worried about their anxiety about public speaking and how their anxiety will affect their ability to perform in challenging communication situations. So, along with worrying about whether they will accomplish their objectives with their speech, people with high anxiety sensitivity also worry that they will be overwhelmingly anxious in front of their audience, and they will come across as a shaky speaker.

2. Thoughts

Another factor involves people’s beliefs about public speaking and about themselves as speakers. The fear often arises when people overestimate the stakes of communicating their ideas in front of others, viewing the speaking event as a potential threat to their credibility, image, and chance to reach an audience. Negative views of oneself as a speaker ( I am not good at speaking in front of crowds, I am not a good public speaker, I am boring , etc.) can also raise anxiety and augment the fear of speaking in public.

Some theories make the distinction between a performance orientation and a communication orientation. Performance orientation means you view public speaking as something that requires special skills, and you see the role of the audience as judges who are evaluating how good of a presenter you are. In contrast, communication orientation means that the main focus is on expressing your ideas, presenting information, or telling your story. For people with this orientation, the objective is to get through to their audience the same way they get through to people during everyday conversations.

Think about this in reverse: If you view any conversation that you have in the presence of another person as a form of “public” speaking, you have enough evidence that you can express yourself clearly and communicate effectively. You would then take the same approach to public speaking events where the focus is simply on sharing ideas and information. However, when the focus shifts from being heard and understood to being evaluated, the anxiety tends to be higher.

3. Situations

While there are people who by nature tend to be more anxious, or people who don’t think they are good at public speaking, there are certain situations that are likely to make most of us more anxious when presenting in a public forum.

• Lack of experience. As with anything else, experience builds confidence . When you don’t have a lot of stage hours under your belt, you are more likely to experience fear of public speaking.
• Degree of evaluation. When there is a real or imagined evaluation component to the situation, the fear is stronger. If you are speaking in front of a group of people who have the evaluation forms ready to fill out, you may feel more anxious.
• Status difference. If you are about to speak in front of people of higher status (e.g., people at your workplace in higher positions, or groups of accomplished professionals in your line of work), you may feel a higher dose of fear tingling through your body.
• New ideas. If you are sharing ideas that you have not yet shared in public, you may worry more about how people will receive them. When your public appearance involves presenting something new, you may feel more uncomfortable stating your position, taking questions from the audience, or dealing with those audience members who try to poke holes.
• New audiences. You may already have experience speaking in public and presenting to familiar audiences. You may, for instance, be used to speaking in front of professionals in your area of expertise. Fear may arise, however, when the target audience shifts. If you are standing in front of an audience that is very different from the people you usually speak to, your confidence may be a little shaky.

Finally, another factor that contributes to the fear of public speaking is how skilled you are in this area. While many people consider themselves naturally good speakers, there is always room for growth. The people who work on their skills, instead of relying on natural talent, are the speakers who stand out the most. There are many different approaches to enhancing this skill set and increasing competence in public speaking. Increased competence leads to increased confidence, which is an effective antidote to fear. Nevertheless, confidence alone does not translate into effective public speaking.

The many benefits of sharing information and ideas in public definitely outweigh the need to protect ourselves from the horror of having to speak in front of others. The next logical question is: How do we conquer this fear? Luckily, there are many approaches that work well, both in terms of building skills and boosting confidence.

Read more about how to conquer the fear of public speaking here .

LinkedIn image: fizkes/Shutterstock

Theo Tsaousides, Ph.D. is a neuropsychologist, assistant professor, and author of the book Brainblocks: Overcoming the Seven Hidden Barriers to Success .

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