Calm your nerves before speaking in public
- Practise out loud, not in your head. At least three times, standing up, with a timer.
- Know your first 30 seconds by heart. Nerves are worst at the start; once you're going, it gets easier.
- Slow breathing: breathe in for 4, out for 6, a few times before you start. A longer out-breath calms your body.
- Look at friendly faces. Find two or three nodding people in different parts of the room and talk to them.
- Pauses are fine. They feel long to you and natural to everyone else.
- Reframe the nerves. The racing heart of fear and of excitement feel almost the same. Telling yourself "I'm excited" works better than "calm down".
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