Your body and mind are full of autonomous responses to anxiety and nervousness. If like me you sometimes find yourself almost a slave to these nerves before a presentation then here are a few steps you can take to regain control.
Start with a warmup
It is extremely common for people who regularly do public speaking to have a pre-ritual that they complete beforehand. For some people it is about visualizing something, verbally repeating something, listening to music or eating something.
This may sound like superstition or something trivial, but repeating this activity each time will train your brain to get into the right zone.
Use your body to trick your mind
Your body and your mind are closely intertwined and while you may think it is your mind that controls your body, the opposite is also true. Using your body to manipulate your mind can help to break cycles of negative or nervous thoughts.
Moving your body by deliberately striking a pose can help to trick your brain. Natural power poses such as standing up straight, hands-on-hips, shoulders back and chin up can begin to immediately change your frame of mind. Other people find simply dressing more powerfully or assertively can immediately boost their confidence.
Don’t stop moving
If you are prone to freezing with nerves or becoming rigid then make deliberate efforts to move and if needed don’t stop moving. Reach for a glass of water, focus on the small movements and use the small movements to transition into larger ones.
Taking time during a pitch to have a glass of water can make you appear calmer, in control and demonstrate that you are comfortable with potential silence.
Priming your body and mind before your pitch is necessary to get yourself in the right zone. Setting yourself a pre-pitch ritual and understanding how your body can trick your mind will help you to overcome those pre-pitch nerves.