Anxiety

As Mark Twain said, "There are two types of speakers: those that are nervous and those that are liars." However, once you've identified and understood the source(s) of your anxiety, you can set out to control and ultimately conquer your fears. In accomplishing that mission, here are SIX things to keep in mind:

1. Anxiety is better than apathy. Fear means you care.
2. Keep things in perspective. Don't take yourself too seriously and don't overestimate the importance or consequences of your presentation. Remember that most audiences will be thrilled if you're just not awful! Ask yourself, "What's the worst thing that could happen?" Don't worry about what people will think, even if things don't go perfectly. Follow the advice of speaker Steve Eggleston: "I stopped worrying about what people would think about me when I realized how seldom people think about anyone but themselves."
3. Believe in your message. Show your conviction and deliver the presentation you would want to hear.
4. Practice the 3 P's...Preparation, Preparation, and Preparation. Study the final phase of the process involving planning, preparing and delivering a presentation. Despite what you may have been told, it's virtually impossible to over prepare for a speech. And, take every opportunity you can to speak before a group. The more you do it, the better you'll get.
5. Never apologize. Don't make a production out of the fact that you're nervous...believe me, you're much more aware of your anxiety than the audience. In most instances, the audience won't even suspect you're nervous unless you tell them.
6. Never forget that the audience is almost always on your side. Have you ever gone to a presentation hoping that the speaker would be terrible? Of course not. Your audience isn't there to see you fail either. About 10% of the audience will like you no matter what happens...we'll forget, for the moment, the 10% that will not like you no matter how good you are. Identify the former in your audience (hint: they're the ones awake and smiling) and focus on them as your confidence and comfort level builds.