I was in the middle of responding to a post on Reddit’s r/PublicSpeaking sub and realized that like always, I was writing a book instead of a short helpful post. With so much to say on the subject, it’s probably better to just write a quick blog post about it.
As you can probably imagine, the #1 issue on that Public Speaking forum is extreme anxiety. From a nervous stomach to temporary blindness, people come to the forum for tips and encouragement on how to fight the symptoms of sometimes debilitating fear. One user recently asked for help because of the way the feeling of anticipation quickly becomes panic when public speaking. This is a very important concern as it will affect the person’s career if they’re unable to learn how to manage their fears.
What is the Anxiety that Comes from Public Speaking Anticipation?
Anticipation before public speaking is not necessarily anxiety on it’s own. But it can become anxiety if the person experiencing it misinterprets their body’s reaction. Although many people attribute the feeling of anticipation with a “fight or flight” response, the initial feelings of anticipation are actually the body’s way of preparing the individual to perform the task that they’ve rehearsed in their mind. Because the majority of people are not acquainted with the feeling of excitement coming from the brain’s performance response, they often mistakenly re-label the feeling as anxiety. In turn, this creates a feedback loop that opens a bottomless pit of fear- igniting the fight or flight response. No fun.
Does Public Speaking Anxiety Ever Go Away?
Public speaking anxiety will likely never go away, and there’s no magic bullet to turn off the initial feelings of unease that come with each and every presentation. Instead, it’s important to retrain the context of your feelings as they emerge. The only difference between nervous anticipation that can help you, and overwhelming fear that can paralyze you, is your mindset, the way that you interpret those feelings. This is not as simple as knowing the difference, but it helps. And it’s not as simple as repeating a mantra, but that helps. Changing your mindset involves accepting a new truth and habitually reminding yourself of that truth until you deeply believe it. And that truth is this: anxiety is normal, it’s temporary, and it’s meant to help you perform better.
How Anticipation Helps You
Feelings of nervous anticipation will increase your heart rate, giving your muscles more oxygen and energy for quick action, and potentially improve your recall. Your pupils will usually dilate, improving your vision and making you more sensitive to the present moment. Your nervous system will engage, increasing your alertness. All of these sensations are meant to give you superpowers, and they’re usually very short-lived, disappearing in mere minutes at the beginning of a presentation- if they’re interpreted correctly.
3 Tips for Keeping Anticipation from Becoming Anxiety
- First of all, remind yourself that you’re not broken. I have given hundreds of presentations in front of groups ranging from 10 to over 2000, and I’ve been nervous before each and every one of them. The feeling always subsides after the first 2 or 3 minutes. The worst thing that you can do is give those feelings any attention. It’s like if I tell you not to think of a pink elephant- what’s the first thing you think of? It’s important to learn how to acknowledge the feeling and disregard it, like a yappy little chihuahua trying to interrupt your conversation. It’s annoying, but it’s not going to kill you.
- Second, preparation and rehearsal is your best friend. Anticipation is a normal reaction for your body to ready itself. People that blame all of their nerves on “fight or flight” don’t understand how the brain works. You’re not a monkey in the jungle facing a terrible threat, you’re a human being given the energy and focus to perform the task you’ve trained for. Welcome it and use it.
- Third, accept that mistakes will happen. You will say ‘uh’ and ‘um,’ you will misspeak on something and have to repeat yourself, and you will have to check your notes. Your ability as a public speaker is not measured on how perfectly you present, but on how smoothly you continually move forward in your presentation regardless of the imperfections. Trust me, no one notices them, so there’s no need to make yourself sick over them.
The fact is, if you were able to stand onstage in front of a group of people without any feelings of excitement or concern about the outcome, you might be a sociopath. But that’s why a person prepares, so they can have some confidence in their preparation.
The main reason that you feel anticipation is because you’ve prepared, and because it’s important to you to do well. Your mind and body is trying to help you do the best job you can by giving you a shot of adrenaline to push you forward. Don’t fight your body, or you will confuse it and create an unnecessary situation.
Now, this is all easier said than done. It will take time for your conscious mind to accept that those uncomfortable feelings are meant to help. So consider telling yourself and others that you’re working on getting comfortable with those feelings. Over time, you can become more comfortable with them, provided you don’t keep misinterpreting them and sabotaging your superpowers.
As always, if you feel you need professional help, consider our online Public Speaking Coaching. We have coaches of various ages and backgrounds ready to help you increase your confidence and ability to face your fears.