Which of the following should you do to quickly manage your nervousness before a presentation?

Initial Considerations

Glossophobia – the fear of public speaking

Inhaltsverzeichnis Show

Initial Considerations
THIRTY WAYS TO MANAGE PUBLIC SPEAKING ANXIETY
From Mayo Clinic to your inbox
Which of the following is one of the best ways to relax immediately before a presentation?
What is a good way to reduce tension immediately before a presentation?
What is a good way to reduce tension immediately before a presentation quizlet?
What should be avoided during most presentations?

It is the single most common phobia (fear)
Approximately 75% of people experience this
You are not alone in your fear
You cannot eliminate your fear–but you CAN manage and reduce it.

THIRTY WAYS TO MANAGE PUBLIC SPEAKING ANXIETY

Getting Ready

Select a topic of interest to you
Prepare carefully–know your material
Practice–rehearse your talk with a friend
Know your audience
Challenge negative thinking–make 3 x 5 cards of positive thoughts or have friends write out inspirational thoughts for you.
Expect positive reactions–expect success!
Know the room–if unfamiliar, visit your speaking space before you talk.
Employ aerobic exercise strategies–daily aerobic exercise can cut anxiety by 50%.
Eat for success–foods containing tryptophan (dairy products, turkey, salmon) and complex carbohydrates tend to calm the body. Eliminate caffeine, sweets, and empty calories.
Sleep for success–know and get the number of hours of sleep you need for optimal performance.

The Day of the Presentation

11. Eat several hours before the talk–not immediately before

12. Dress for success–your success! Dress comfortably and appropriately for the situation. Look your best

13. Challenge negative thinking–Continue positive thinking

14. If you need to, express your fears to a friend

15. Review 3 x 5 cards of inspirational thoughts

16. Practice your talk one last time

17. Go to the room early to ready equipment and your podium.

18. Exercise immediately before the talk to reduce adrenalin levels.

- Employ anxiety reduction techniques
- Aerobic exercise
- Deep muscle relaxation
- Visualization strategies
- Deep, rhythmic breathing (4 hold 7)

19. Use the restroom immediately before the talk

20. Take a glass of water to the talk

The Presentation: A positive experience stemming from careful preparation!

21. Interpret anxiety symptoms as excitement

22. Use the podium to practice grounding strategies. Touch the podium to steady yourself and to remind yourself that you are safely connected to the ground which is firm and steady beneath your feet.

23. Take a security blanket with you–a complete typed version of your talk to only be used as a backup strategy.

24. Use tools to reduce audience attention on you.

- PowerPoint presentation
- Video film clips
- Handouts
- “Show and tell” objects to pass

25. Get out of yourself–engage the audience

26. Look at friendly faces in your audience

27. Use humor as needed

28. Use the room’s physical space to your advantage–walk around as appropriate.

29. Appropriately regulate your voice

- Speak clearly–enunciate
- Open your mouth–do not mumble
- Slow down if necessary
- Lower your voice–speak from your diaphragm
- Project your voice–use energy when you speak
- Use appropriate animation

Additional Considerations

Seek out public speaking opportunities to desensitize (reduce) your fear of communication apprehension.
Consider use of anti-anxiety medication
Join Toastmasters International to have a supportive and safe way to practice
public speaking
Gain experience–practice makes perfect.

Created by Kathleen H. Staley, Ph.D., for the University Counseling Service at The University of Iowa, 3223 Westlawn S, 52242-1100, 319-335-7294

Answer From Craig N. Sawchuk, Ph.D., L.P.

Fear of public speaking is a common form of anxiety. It can range from slight nervousness to paralyzing fear and panic. Many people with this fear avoid public speaking situations altogether, or they suffer through them with shaking hands and a quavering voice. But with preparation and persistence, you can overcome your fear.

These steps may help:

Know your topic. The better you understand what you're talking about — and the more you care about the topic — the less likely you'll make a mistake or get off track. And if you do get lost, you'll be able to recover quickly. Take some time to consider what questions the audience may ask and have your responses ready.
Get organized. Ahead of time, carefully plan out the information you want to present, including any props, audio or visual aids. The more organized you are, the less nervous you'll be. Use an outline on a small card to stay on track. If possible, visit the place where you'll be speaking and review available equipment before your presentation.
Practice, and then practice some more. Practice your complete presentation several times. Do it for some people you're comfortable with and ask for feedback. It may also be helpful to practice with a few people with whom you're less familiar. Consider making a video of your presentation so you can watch it and see opportunities for improvement.
Challenge specific worries. When you're afraid of something, you may overestimate the likelihood of bad things happening. List your specific worries. Then directly challenge them by identifying probable and alternative outcomes and any objective evidence that supports each worry or the likelihood that your feared outcomes will happen.
Visualize your success. Imagine that your presentation will go well. Positive thoughts can help decrease some of your negativity about your social performance and relieve some anxiety.
Do some deep breathing. This can be very calming. Take two or more deep, slow breaths before you get up to the podium and during your speech.
Focus on your material, not on your audience. People mainly pay attention to new information — not how it's presented. They may not notice your nervousness. If audience members do notice that you're nervous, they may root for you and want your presentation to be a success.
Don't fear a moment of silence. If you lose track of what you're saying or start to feel nervous and your mind goes blank, it may seem like you've been silent for an eternity. In reality, it's probably only a few seconds. Even if it's longer, it's likely your audience won't mind a pause to consider what you've been saying. Just take a few slow, deep breaths.
Recognize your success. After your speech or presentation, give yourself a pat on the back. It may not have been perfect, but chances are you're far more critical of yourself than your audience is. See if any of your specific worries actually occurred. Everyone makes mistakes. Look at any mistakes you made as an opportunity to improve your skills.
Get support. Join a group that offers support for people who have difficulty with public speaking. One effective resource is Toastmasters, a nonprofit organization with local chapters that focuses on training people in speaking and leadership skills.

If you can't overcome your fear with practice alone, consider seeking professional help. Cognitive behavioral therapy is a skills-based approach that can be a successful treatment for reducing fear of public speaking.

As another option, your doctor may prescribe a calming medication that you take before public speaking. If your doctor prescribes a medication, try it before your speaking engagement to see how it affects you.

Nervousness or anxiety in certain situations is normal, and public speaking is no exception. Known as performance anxiety, other examples include stage fright, test anxiety and writer's block. But people with severe performance anxiety that includes significant anxiety in other social situations may have social anxiety disorder (also called social phobia). Social anxiety disorder may require cognitive behavioral therapy, medications or a combination of the two.

With

Craig N. Sawchuk, Ph.D., L.P.

From Mayo Clinic to your inbox

Sign up for free, and stay up to date on research advancements, health tips and current health topics, like COVID-19, plus expertise on managing health.

To provide you with the most relevant and helpful information, and understand which information is beneficial, we may combine your email and website usage information with other information we have about you. If you are a Mayo Clinic patient, this could include protected health information. If we combine this information with your protected health information, we will treat all of that information as protected health information and will only use or disclose that information as set forth in our notice of privacy practices. You may opt-out of email communications at any time by clicking on the unsubscribe link in the e-mail.

May 17, 2017

Social anxiety disorder (social phobia). In: Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders DSM-5. 5th ed. Arlington, Va.: American Psychiatric Association, 2013. http://dsm.psychiatryonline.org. Accessed April 18, 2017.
90 tips from Toastmasters. Toastmasters International. https://www.toastmasters.org/About/90th-Anniversary/90-Tips. Accessed April 18, 2017.
Stein MB, et al. Approach to treating social anxiety disorder in adults. http://www.uptodate.com/home. Accessed April 18, 2017.
How to keep fear of public speaking at bay. American Psychological Association. http://www.apa.org/monitor/2017/02/tips-sidebar.aspx. Accessed April 18, 2017.
Jackson B, et al. Re-thinking anxiety: Using inoculation messages to reduce and reinterpret public speaking fears. PLOS One. 2017;12:e0169972.
Sawchuk CN (expert opinion). Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minn. April 24, 2017.

See more Expert Answers