How to Manage Nervousness When Public Speaking
Sorry to say, your nerves are never going away
by David Henderson, Esq.
As a presentation-skills coach and training facilitator, nervousness comes up a lot. Speakers want to know how to get rid of it. It may sound disheartening, but you can’t get rid of it. The nervousness won’t go away.
Now, there are a small percentage of speakers who say they don’t get nervous at all. I find that’s usually because there’s not enough at stake. For comparison, this would be like feeling no nervousness at all when asking someone out on a first date. It might happen, but that’s not going to become a long-term and fulfilling relationship because you aren’t that invested. Similarly, if you don’t have anything at stake as a speaker, you aren’t likely to deliver a memorable presentation. If you care and want to do a good job, you will have nerves.
There are also some people who say they don’t get nervous when presenting who have a difference in experience and vocabulary. They may be highly experienced speakers with their own process for preparing thoroughly and controlling nerves so they are calm during a speech. Or they experience the increase in adrenaline, heart rate, and respiration as excitement rather than nervousness. The nerves are there, but they are processed or labeled differently.
And for the vast majority of speakers who struggle with nervousness, it’s not going away. But it can get better. Significantly better.
Think about it in terms of cardiovascular fitness: if you go from your couch to running one mile, the first mile will be extremely difficult. It may feel overwhelming. You may have poor control of your body. You may be gasping for air. You may be exhausted after you finish the mile. You may be very sore the next day.
But in six months of running on a regular schedule, you’ll run the mile much faster, with less overwhelm, and with more control of your body and breath. With consistent practice and exposure to running, it'll get easier. But it will never be a walk in the park — there will always be the hurdle of lacing up your shoes and getting out the door; there will always be an increase in heart rate and respiration; and there will always be exertion, sweat, tiredness, and some soreness. But, the discomfort will be less acute.
Communication works the same way. You will need to practice consistently. You will have uncomfortable experiences that you have to work through. You will find nervousness less overwhelming and more manageable.
When I tell you that your nervousness will never go away, please don’t despair. With consistent practice and experience, it will get easier. It will get better.
If you or those at your organization or law firm need strategies and techniques to manage and reduce nervousness so they can communicate confidently, check out our training programs and coaching engagement options.