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Curb Your Nerves: 10 Tips to Help You Manage Stress

Even the best and most carefully prepared presentation will be ineffective if the presenter is not calm, centered and focused. If the thought of giving a presentation makes you stressed and nervous, use this checklist to help you manage stress and be in top form when you walk up in front of your audience.

1. Make sure you are well-rested. Get to bed early the night before, so you can get a good night’s sleep and wake up in plenty of time to have breakfast and prepare for the day without feeling rushed.

2. Watch what you eat! Start the day with breakfast. A high protein breakfast helps keep your blood sugar steady throughout the day.

3. Stay away from sugar and hi-carbohydrate foods, as they play havoc with your blood sugar. Blood sugar swings can make you “fuzzy headed”, tired and unable to concentrate. Avoid juices and breads of any kind, they are highly processed and work just like sugar. (These are coincidently most of the foods you find at presentations and meetings)

4. Watch your caffeine intake. You’ll find caffeine in coffee, tea and sodas. Excessive amounts of caffeine can exhaust your adrenal glands, causing irritability, and a lowered ability to concentrate. Remember, caffeine is a stimulant so if you get nervous at all the caffeine will just accentuate the nervousness.

5. Breathe consciously. Breathe deep into your belly, and then exhale completely before inhaling again. Deep breathing will help calm your nerves and bring oxygen to your brain, relaxing your muscles and giving you an energy boost.

6. Exercise in the morning if it is an early morning presentation or at lunchtime if it is an afternoon presentation. The endorphins (body chemicals that are created by exercise) are really useful in keeping your nerves at bay.

7. Use visualization. Visualize yourself giving the presentation successfully to an appreciative and attentive audience. Relax by visualizing yourself in a place where you feel calm and joyful, such as walking on the beach. You might even visualize yourself giving the presentation on the beach, or some other unlikely, but pleasant spot. This can give your subconscious the cue to feel relaxed during the presentation.

8. Know your opening. There is nothing more relaxing than knowing you’ve made a terrific start to a presentation. The opening is important because it establishes the tone, mood and energy of the presentation. If you stumble into your talk with a poor opening you set yourself up for a bad case of nerves. Know your opening like the back of your hand. It’s worth the time spent.

9. Get to the room you will be presenting in early. Greet your listeners as they come in. This helps you connect with your audience, establishes a good report and creates a friendly atmosphere. This also gives you the chance to get comfortable with your surroundings.

10. Finally, approach your presentation with an attitude of service. Your purpose in giving a presentation is to share information that you believe will be of use to your audience. Don’t think of your audience as judges of your performance, but as learners. They may be required to be there, and you may be required to give the presentation, but you are still giving them a gift of information, and often inspiration. Let your focus be on how you can serve and inspire them, not on how they might judge you.

Taking care of yourself should be as much a part of your preparation for a presentation as checking your PowerPoint slides to make sure they are in order. Remember that you are the most important part of your presentation, and treat yourself accordingly!

Present with Confidence: Business communication is about conveying information to your listener and inspiring them to take action. Call us now to find out how we can help your people hone and polish their communication skills and project the confidence and credibility that bring results.

Confidence, credibility and personal style are essential components in connecting with a listener.Successful people learn by doing and seeing themselves as others see them. This course utilizes a highly participatory format which accelerates learning while at the same time creates a fun and supportive environment for the participants. Our next open-enrollment program will be held on September 15-16, 2015 in Oakbrook, IL. To read more about the program, click here. For more information, contact us