It’s a cruel trick of the nervous system that even well prepared, experienced speakers get stressed ahead of an event.

In fact, a lot of my trainees tell me that it’s the idea of getting nervous, as opposed to the speaking event itself, that worries them.

It’s not surprising. Most people get nervous when they have to do a presentation or talk. There is even research that shows some people find public speaking so stressful it produces a temporary inflammatory response in the body.

Why do we get nervous ahead of public speaking?

You’ve probably heard of the flight or fight response. This is generated by the older more reptilian parts of our brain, which make up something called the sympathetic nervous system. This part of the  brain detects threats (among other things). And when it takes over, it  disconnects us from the newer, more rational part of the brain, the pre-frontal cortex.

So yes, you can thank your sympathetic nervous system for the sweaty hands, butterflies pounding the wall of your stomach and the adrenaline surges that refuse to subside.

It’s also the reason why telling yourself to calm down usually backfires spectacularly.

The ‘sensible’  part of your brain just isn’t in charge.

What can I do to manage my public speaking nerves?

So, what to do?

The equal and opposite of the sympathetic nervous system is the parasympathetic nervous system. This is our ‘rest and digest’ mode that helps us to self-regulate. You may have come to it already through breathing exercises, meditation or yoga.

Being able to kick start it is the first step to calming yourself down before or during your talk.

Unfortunately, you can’t do a quick downward dog pose during a presentation. And you’d look pretty silly doing slow breathing too.

But there are some very practical in the moment things you can do to kick start your parasympathetic nervous system before and during your talk. They pre-suppose that you are well prepared and have done a warm up.

In this video, I outline three simple ones.

Get in touch

Let me know your thoughts.

How do you manage your nerves?

This was my first video. So if you have any feedback on what could be improved (for example, I think the brick wall is too dark) please let me know.

I’m also open to ideas for other tips videos that could be useful.

Thanks.