{"id":10149,"date":"2012-04-27T22:20:51","date_gmt":"2012-04-28T06:20:51","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/?p=10149"},"modified":"2013-09-18T12:09:37","modified_gmt":"2013-09-18T20:09:37","slug":"5-ways-to-overcome-nerves-before-giving-a-speech","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/blog\/5-ways-to-overcome-nerves-before-giving-a-speech\/","title":{"rendered":"5 Ways to Overcome Nerves Before Giving a Speech"},"content":{"rendered":"
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\u00a0<\/a><\/p>\n

Most people feel nervous prior to giving a speech.\u00a0 This is human nature and indeed some degree of nerves is absolutely essential to remain alert and deliver the speech clearly.\u00a0 However nerves do become a problem if they are debilitating in any way.\u00a0 Thankfully, there are practical ways to overcome this which are outlined below.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Rationalize your nerves<\/strong><\/p>\n

First of all, silently and in advance of your speech, rationalise your thoughts.\u00a0 What are nerves?\u00a0 Nerves are simply a fight or flight response to danger.\u00a0 If you anticipate something you fear adrenaline will pump around your body causing you to feel anxiety.\u00a0 Although it may feel uncomfortable, nothing bad will happen to you.\u00a0 In fact look at your nerves as a positive thing as they will give you the energy to deliver your speech in an emotive, engaging and passionate way.<\/p>\n

Prepare and Practice<\/strong><\/p>\n

The more familiar you are with something, the less uncomfortable it makes you feel.\u00a0 Think about your first day at work and think about how you feel at work now?\u00a0 The anxiety levels will have undoubtedly reduced the more familiar you are with your role, surroundings, colleagues etc.\u00a0 Apply this principle to your speech.\u00a0 First of all, know the subject of your speech inside out.\u00a0 Write the speech in the format it is to be delivered i.e. on PowerPoint or acetates.\u00a0 Prepare speaker notes that give you prompts on the title of the slide and its contents.\u00a0 If there are any names or statistics that you might find difficult to remember, include them on your speaker notes.\u00a0 These notes are not designed to be read from, but are designed to be held by the speaker and glanced at every so often to prompt the speaker and facilitate the flow of the presentation from beginning to end. \u00a0They should be produced on small, discrete cards that can be hand held.<\/p>\n

Engage with the audience<\/strong><\/p>\n

Familiarise yourself with who the audience is going to be, how many people will be listening and what their objectives are by listening to your speech.\u00a0 You must understand your target audience before writing the presentation so that you hit the correct tone and deliver it using the appropriate vocabulary.\u00a0 If it is fitting, circulate your presentation to a select few members of the audience ahead of the speech and ask for their feedback.\u00a0 Again once this is done, if it is appropriate, circulate the speech to the audience beforehand so that they know what to expect and have an opportunity to prepare any questions in advance.<\/p>\n

Structure the presentation<\/strong><\/p>\n

Make sure you structure your speech in a logical way.\u00a0 You want your message to be delivered in as clear and concise way as possible i.e. a beginning (introduction), middle (main body) and end (conclusion).\u00a0 The best way to remember this is to \u2018say what you are going to say; say it; and say it again!\u00a0 Always thank the audience for listening at the end of the speech and invite them to ask any questions.<\/p>\n

Keep Calm<\/strong><\/p>\n

There is no need to panic.\u00a0 What is the worst that can happen?\u00a0 Even if you mix the presentation up, chances are the audience will not even notice.\u00a0 If your mind goes blank, take a sip of water.\u00a0 If it helps to imagine the audience have no clothes on, then use this visualisation technique!\u00a0 Take deep breaths, talk slowly, make eye contact and smile.\u00a0 Remember that everyone in the audience is there because they want to hear what you have to say.<\/p>\n

—-<\/p>\n

Oliver Carding is an experienced writerfrom The UK, his writing tends to focus on business and finance. He\u00a0operates on a freelance basis as well as providing on page content for\u00a0the “Fast payday loans<\/a>\u00a0review” & Venue Hunter<\/a>\u00a0blogs<\/em><\/p>\n

Photo credit: ‘Public Speaking<\/a>‘ by Big Stock<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Most people feel nervous prior to giving a speech. This is human nature and indeed some degree of nerves is absolutely essential to remain alert and deliver the speech clearly. However nerves do become a problem if they are debilitating in any way. Thankfully, there are practical ways to overcome this which are outlined below. Continue reading →<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":12163,"featured_media":10209,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0},"categories":[6],"tags":[1746,66,104,4629,1982],"yoast_head":"\n5 Ways to Overcome Nerves Before Giving a Speech - Pick the Brain | Motivation and Self Improvement<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Most people feel nervous prior to giving a speech. 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