Public speaking remains a top source of anxiety for so many adults. There are strategies anyone can use to dial the anxiety back and the confidence up.
Public speaking remains a top source of anxiety for so many adults. There are strategies anyone can use to dial the anxiety back and the confidence up.
Modern Mentor is hosted by Rachel Cooke. A transcript is available at Simplecast.
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Hey, it’s Rachel Cooke, your Modern Mentor. I’m the founder of Lead Above Noise—a firm helping leaders activate performance and change – without the burnout. We do leader Activation bootcamps, keynotes, and Pulse checks to help build custom blueprints. Let us know what you need!
The other day I was scheduling an appointment with my physical therapist. Long story, bad back. Anyway. He threw out a date and I mentioned I couldn’t do that one as I’d be delivering a keynote at a conference.
He looked at me with full-on terror eyes and he said “you mean, like, on a stage? With people watching?” I gently nodded. And chuckled. But I got it. It’s so funny because most of my work has me on a stage or at the front of a room full of people. Well, except for when I’m blissfully recording a podcast in a room by myself
And while I do get some gentle butterflies (which keep me on my toes), I don’t experience terror speaking in front of others. And sometimes I need to be reminded that others do.
But speaking up in front of others is a necessary evil for most people. Whether from a stage or a podium or even just at a conference table of our peers or clients, presenting can be scary.
So let’s talk about some of the strategies I use to prepare and keep the nerves at bay. Hoping something here resonates for you.
1. Know versus memorize what you need to say
So one of the things that I know stresses people out when they have to present is worrying about whether they’ll remember everything. Whether it’s key ideas and data points, or transition comments and critical questions, it’s a lot to ask our brains to hold onto.
My strategy here is to focus on getting to know my material rather than memorizing every piece of it.
“Knowing” your presentation means understanding it deeply enough to deliver it like a natural conversation. “Memorizing” is committing specific lines to memory. And the latter creates a lot of pressure and can make you seem rigid.
Here’s how I approach it. I start with a structured outline that emphasizes key themes rather than specific words, and I practice – on repeat – running through the story line to a fake audience. Who is usually my dog.
With enough practice, I focus on flow more than every single detail. Do I sometimes skip something? Sure. But when I lean into knowing more than memorizing, I have more available brain space to pay attention to the audience experience. To customize it and flex to where their energy is.
Having a sense of direction about your idea rather than a script you’re following, leaves you seeming more polished and informed.
2. Work the room
Next up, when I’m giving a talk or running a meeting, I make sure to schmooze with people as they’re coming in. Depending on the situation, they may be a known client, or they may be a cold audience for me.
But either way, I’m spending those upfront moments chatting. And I’m being intentional in doing two key things: (1) I’m humanizing myself so they’re really rooting for me when I get up there (which makes them more likely to engage when I ask for participation), and (2) I’m getting some intel. I’m asking what they most want to accomplish during our time together. And this helps me choose the right examples to share, to ensure I’m answering their questions.
All of this sets me up to be more successful. Which means I’m less nervous at the start.
Now you may be giving a presentation to your leadership team versus a cold audience. So your version of “working the room” may look different. So what can you do?
You can reach out to key stakeholders individually ahead of the meeting asking what they most want to hear or be convinced of. You can be sure to chat gently as people enter the room, asking after their recent vacation or their yoga practice. Remind them you know them and they know you. It humanizes you. And it will help keep your nerves at bay.
3. Tell a story
So, in public speaking this is the cardinal rule. Most speakers I know start with or weave a story into their talk. It’s a way to trigger the emotional side of people’s minds – to help them feel something, not just learn something.
But in internal presentations I often see people miss the opportunity to do this. I see them get so focused on the business case, on driving executive buy-in, that they lose sight of the fact that people are still people. And even executive-level decisions are impacted by emotion.
In a boardroom meeting, you may not want to choose a story as emotional as a speaker from a stage might tell. But even a quick-hit narrative that highlights how your idea will impact a customer, or how this cost-save will help the company re-invest in the community can go a long way.
When choosing the story, don’t dwell on the detail. Focus on the key points that make it funny or relatable.
Walking into a room ready to make people know and feel more can help set you up for success.
4. Engage with the audience
Whether you’re giving a speech or pitching a client or providing a critical update, you are the primary focus. It’s your wisdom or creativity or certainty that will make or break the thing.
But that doesn’t mean yours is the only necessary voice in the room.
Choose spots ahead of time where you’ll plan to pause and ask a question – to hear from the audience or your clients or colleagues about what they’re thinking, what they’d add, or how they envision this approach or solution playing out.
Inviting others into the presentation makes it more of a conversation – it gives the others in the room a sense of ownership; ability to influence its direction. And the more shared the outcome feels, the more impactful your talk will have gone.
By focusing on knowing rather than memorizing your content, you’ll be better prepared to flex and pivot where others in the room want you to go. The most persuasive talks and presentations feel not just prepared for, but also inclusive of everyone’s ideas.
So next time you’ve got a palm-sweat, heart-rate-increase inducing presentation coming up I hope you’ll grab one of these off the shelf and give it a test drive.
Join me next week for another great episode. Until then, visit my website at leadabovenoise.com if your workplace could use an Activation boost—whether it’s a bootcamp, a keynote, or a Pulse check, you choose. You can follow Modern Mentor on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you listen. Thanks so much for listening and have a successful week.
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