***Nervousness Is the Charm in Public Speaking - Do You Feel Lucky?

If you know your material really well, make eye contact with your audience, speak as if in conversation, breathe before and during your delivery, and believe in yourself, then your nervousness is the charm. Trying to eliminate it, stop it, or end that wonderful rush of adrenaline is not the answer. Learning to control it – and put it to good use – is.

The problem with nervousness or fear is that we often become consumed by it. And that consumption affects every aspect of the job that lies ahead. Whether it is the creation of your script or your hesitant approach to the lectern or the actual the delivery of your material, if your nervousness is in control, you are not. It is then that your outcome is questionable.

Yes, nervousness is man’s greatest fear but if you allow it to have the upper hand, then you will find it affecting other aspects of your life as well. Once it is in control, your mind and body will become captive to its negativity. Being captive to nervousness means a dramatic increase in your level of stress. You may find that you are not sleeping well; your digestive system may suffer; and, it can even make you sick by weakening your immune system.

Instead of being imprisoned by your fear, I suggest you take control of it and actually allow it to work for you. Your fear is unfounded if you:

1. know your material;
2. practice it out loud so that you are competent in your delivery; and,
3. breathe.

This is what all performers and professional athletes do in advance. Then when that hormone is produced in a physically exhilarating situation, their heart rate is stimulated and their blood vessels and air passages dilate. The body is then able to pass more blood to the muscles and they get more oxygen into their lungs. This, in turn, increases physical performance, be it acting on a stage, playing a musical instrument, hitting the puck in a hockey arena or addressing an audience with a speech or presentation.

If you are able to meet those 3 conditions, you will be able to face you audience with that wonderful rush of adrenaline and allow it to work for you. You will be more alert, more perceptive, more astute, and more engaging. And, that is when nervousness is the charm.

Don’t try to eliminate your fear or those nervous jitters. Put them to good use and believe in yourself. If you are prepared and well-rehearsed, your nervousness will be the charm.