Managing anxiety in presentations

Colin Neville

Anxiety and public speaking

• The specific fear of public speaking is called Glossophobia

• It can affect many people: some estimates put it at 75% of the population

• Comedian, Jerry Seinfeld, once said that at a funeral, most people would rather in be in the coffin than giving the eulogy!

• But some anxiety before any presentation is normal and positive, as it can help you to stay focused, alert, and not take your audience for granted

• However, the severity of the condition can vary and is determined by the context; some public speaking situations are more threatening than others.

• There are often one or more of six aggravating factors:

Six aggravating factors

Previousexperience

Technical ability

Technical ability

Comfort with

venue

Comfort with

venue

Comfort with

audience

Comfort with

audience

PreparationPreparation

PenaltyPenalty

Anxiety AboutPublic

speaking

Anxiety AboutPublic

speaking

Aggravating factors1. Penalty: social embarrassment; loss of marks; career

penalties 2. Preparation: dissatisfaction with your level of

preparation can aggravate the risk3. Comfort with audience: how you feel about your

audience – or you perceive they feel about you4. Comfort with venue: how you feel about the place you

have to deliver your presentation; how it makes you feel, e.g. intimidated; secure; comfortable etc.

5. Technical ability: level of technical competence about using the equipment, e.g. PowerPoint etc.

6. Previous experience: early attempts at public speaking were unsuccessful; people laughed at you, or you were ‘judged’ critically by others

Physical manifestationsInner• Throat dry• Heart beating faster than usual• Stomach churning!

Outer• Voice: tremulous, jerky; it rises a

pitch, or your rapid breathing is visible and audible to the audience

• Blushing• Hands shaking• Sweating• Avoidance of eye contact• Turning away from audience

What the eye can’t see…

• It is the outer manifestation of extreme anxiety that you need to try and manage.

• The audience doesn’t know how you feel, but can see if your hands are shaking or hear if your voice is tremulous

• They want you to be comfortable, as it makes them relax

• If you are a student presenter, 99.9% of the audience is on your side – they sympathize with you!

You can beat it!

“The only way I could get over my glossophobia was to pretend that the audience was all dressed in chicken outfits!”

“One tried and true formula is to imagine the audience in their underwear”

(contributors to Urban Dictionary online)

How to beat it (1)

• If you can, get to the lecture room before the audience, rather than rushing in when they have arrived.

• Arriving at the last minute, will put the focus of attention on you…

• every eye will be on your every fumble of the PowerPoint or OHP!

How to beat it (2)

• The audience is expecting you to stand and speak to them

• Confound this expectation – get them doing something in the first few minutes of your presentation

• It takes all the eyes off you• Give them an exercise of some

sort to do at the beginning; get them talking to each other

• It gives you a chance to settle in, and makes you feel more in control

How to beat it (3)

• Get control of your breathing

• Engage in deep and slow breathing exercises: before your presentation (and during it, if the audience are busy with an exercise)

How to beat it (4)

• Look good – feel good – sound good• Dr. Morton Walker, in his book The Power of

Color, (chapter 3) suggests that Blue represents peace, tranquility, calm, stability, harmony, unity, trust, truth, confidence, conservatism, security and order

• Blue is considered a ‘good business colour’ because it reflects reliability (note the School colours!).

How to beat it (5)

• Do you understand what you are talking about?

• No?

• Then you are asking for trouble! Your insecurity with the subject will manifest itself to the audience (typically, you lose eye contact with them)

• You need to really understand the subject

How to beat it (6)

• Memorise your first line• Once presenters get started, they

often begin to relax• …but don’t read from a script – use

cue cards. These will help you to appear more spontaneous & natural

• If you are making a professional presentation, never tell your audience that you are nervous

How to beat it (7)

• Positive affirmations is a technique that seems to work, providing you persist with it

• People scared about presentations often have an inner voice that says “ I am going to mess this up!”

• Positive affirmations are about changing the ‘inner script’.

• Colin Rose (1999) promotes this technique as a way of overcoming anxiety in presentations.

• Continued…

Positive Affirmations• Affirmations help create a more positive self-

image.• They are simply positive statements that express

what you choose to become, e.g. “I am a confident public speaker”.

• You repeat this affirmation, aloud or internally, over a period of time.

• The affirmation influences your thoughts and behaviour. The more you repeat it, the more comfortable you feel with it.

• You don’t notice the difference immediately, but the results come with time

• This technique links with creative visualisation

Creative Visualisation

• This links with positive affirmations in that you also visualize yourself in the new, positive role you are affirming.

• You visualize yourself standing confidently in front of an audience delivering a successful presentation

• You imagine the sensation of feeling good, looking good, sounding good, and getting good feedback.

• Top athletes and sportsmen and women frequently use this technique to help them toward success

How to beat it (8)

• Talk about it: to Counselling Service, Effective Learning Officer, or anyone else who will listen and advice sympathetically and constructively

• Read about it: The University Counselling Service has a leaflet: ‘Anxiety and Panic Attacks’, that contains practical advice (available online)

• Listen to advice about it: the Counselling Service has a tape you can listen to online to help you manage your anxiety and learn to relax (see ‘Relaxation Techniques’ on their website.

How to beat it (9)

But above all…

• Preparation (subject)

• Preparation (visual aids etc)

• Preparation (emotions)

How to beat it (10)

What are your tips?

What has worked for you?

References

Walker, M. (1990). The Power of Color. New York: Avery Publishing Co..

Rose, C. (1999). Master it Faster: how to learn faster, make good decisions and think creatively. London: The Industrial Society.