Every client I’ve worked with has asked me one common question: “Julian, how do I control my nerves when speaking?” I usually pause, and give a little grin. This throws them off for a few seconds because they don’t realize that I’m asked this question over, over, and over again. I always follow up with the question: “Well, do you think your nervousness will ever really go away?” And then they pause for few seconds. You see, many people who are new to public speaking or haven’t been speaking for very long, automatically assume that nervousness is a bad thing. It can definitely affect your performance negatively if you let it get the best of you, but you must realize that your nervousness just means that you are human. It’s normal. So many of us are nervous in job interviews and even when it comes to starting a conversation with a stranger. And a lot of us forget that it’s all perfectly normal.

One thing I teach all of my clients is to be comfortable in their nervousness, because the truth is that for many, it may never go away. You have good nerves, such as anxiousness to start your talk. Or, you could have some nerves simply because you want to do a good job for your audience. Then you have the nerves that come from not preparing properly.. or showing up late to an event. I’ve encountered both sets of nerves. Personally, my nervousness can get to the point where I can feel my heart pounding. Yet, it doesn’t show up on stage or affect my performance. Why? Because I’m comfortable in knowing that I prepared and this is part of my process. I’ve prepared for “perfect presentation” and I’ve prepared for the inevitable. I know how to talk to people and I know how to keep a smile on my face. But most of all, I know that I’m nervous because as a human, I’m doing what many people are scared to do. So although my heart is beating fast, I embrace it. You should too!

One of the first things your audience will notice about you is if you are nervous or not. It doesn’t have to always be obvious through you messing up your words. It could be something as simple as nervous habits with your hands or pacing back and forth too fast. Those things will be obvious from your audience’s point of view, but maybe not yours. Even so, many will give you the benefit of the doubt, because you’re doing something courageous. It takes a lot to speak in front of people, strangers at that. One of the first things you must realize is that if the roles were reversed, practically everybody would feel the same way. You aren’t alone in how you feel. You already have something in common with your audience before you say your first word. You are now starting to become in control of your nervousness.

At the end of the day, you aren’t alone. So try not to focus so much on how nervous you are, and put all your energy into delivering great content. As I always say, there is no perfect speaker, so don’t try to be one. Your audience will show leniency when it comes to nervousness and mistakes. If you beat yourself up about it, you’ll never really come to terms with being nervous. Besides, good content can overshadow your nervousness. It’s all about leaving your audience in a better position once they finish listening to you. Remember, most of the speakers that you think are very good have some type of nervousness. They simply know how to control it and not let it get the best of them. If you work hard and constantly improve, you can too!

Make your next presentation, your best presentation!

Sincerely,

Julian A. Leonard
(Founder of The JLeonard Group LLC)

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