Commanding the Stage: Strategies for Overcoming Nervousness and Building Stage Presence
According to the National Social Anxiety Center (NSAC), “the fear of public speaking is the most common phobia, ahead of death.” meaning more people would rather be in the coffin than delivering the eulogy at a funeral.
BODY AND MIND
Whilst your sessions with a presentation coach will focus on developing the practical skills required for a public speech or funding pitch, given your needs, a portion of the time may be spent on the emotional and intellectual preparation required. Very often, the two aspects go hand in hand.
Anxiety, driven by an upcoming pitch or presentation, can have physical effects; spiked adrenalin; quickening of the heart; shortness of breath, or shaking hands. These emotional and physical responses can be eradicated through the proper preparation, and sessions with a qualified pitch coach. Calm, intentional breathing exercises go a long way to reducing both the physical and emotional pressures you are feeling.
OVERCOMING NERVES
Focus on your audience so that they remain focussed on you. Nervousness can creep in when we are too focused on ourselves. The additional scrutiny under which we place ourselves, especially in front of a crowd, can lead to a hyper awareness that isn’t helpful in performance. Self-awareness is important but too much inward focus can lead to us fixating about the sound of our voice or the position of our hands.
A great way to overcome this is to redirect your focus to your audience. Once again, this shouldn’t be something you fixate on - stand-up comedians will often talk about the occasions when all but one audience member is laughing along. They become fixated on that one audience member which can be detrimental to the performance they are giving to the 99% who are enjoying the show.
Broadly focusing on your audience allows you to redirect your attention and home in on what truly matters - the information you are sharing with the crowd and the ways in which your message matters to them.
LOVE YOUR MESSAGE
The simplest way to gain and sustain an audience’s attention is to be passionate about your subject. As an audience, we want to listen to someone who is excited about the story they are telling. If you display any hint that you are uninterested or distracted, the audience will also be bored.
This enthusiasm should ideally be organic but sometimes, if you have been working on an idea for months, or taking the same funding pitch to a series of investors, you may need to manufacture that enthusiasm.
Thinking about each audience is a great way to refresh your enthusiasm. Think about how lucky the audience is that you have a secret that you are about to share with them. Secrets are powerful as a concept. They can often make the foundation of a fantastic stage performance; the detail beneath the surface waiting to be revealed.
Thinking of your idea as a secret is a fantastic way to build excitement and intrigue. Regardless of whether you are delivering a presentation thick with financial minutiae or heavily industry-focused language, if you step in front of your crowd with the thought that you have a secret, it will showcase your intent and bring the audience to you.
Think about the last time you had gossip or inside knowledge about something. What was the energy you had the first time you shared that information? Chances are it was thrilling, in large part, because you knew the person you were telling would be fascinated to learn what you knew. Think of your audience as the friend or colleague you are sharing salacious gossip with and they will be invested and geared up to hear more.
KNOW THE SPACE
If the opportunity is available to you, practise your pitch in as close to the real environment as possible. Walking the stage is invaluable for finding comfort in this environment. You should feel at home giving your presentation, and allowing yourself the time to take in the space is incredibly helpful.
If the timing doesn’t work out for a full run-through, take time to be present on stage. What do you notice? How bright are the lights? Is there a whistling sound coming from an air vent? Granting yourself this moment allows you to take notice of the environment without the pressures of an audience.
The environment will change once an audience arrives, but, if you aren’t a stranger to the stage, you will be much more present once the pitch begins. Taking an inventory of all the possible distractions will allow you to ignore them and focus on your presentation and your audience when the time comes.
If you aren’t able to see the space in advance; if the room is unavailable until gametime, give yourself room to take in the space before you get to the meat of your presentation. Opening lines, e.g.; ‘thanking the host’, or ‘discussing the previous day’s conference activities’ are a useful way to get used to the space, hear your voice, and gauge levels whilst taking in the room. Give yourself the time to adapt to the environment, breathe steadily, and ground yourself.
You won’t do yourself any favours if you rush. Give yourself the freedom to focus solely on your stage presence before you jump into the thrust of your presentation.
PREPARE TO BE SURPRISED
There are times when you head out onto the stage and everything goes exactly according to plan. These are magical times when preparation and performance go hand in hand flawlessly. However, being prepared for exclusively smooth experiences will put you on the backfoot should anything go awry.
Working with a communications coach, you will develop a set of presentation skills that impress, and elevate your message. Equally importantly, you will build skills to navigate upsets or glitches without losing your thread. Building in fluidity will help you improvise around your message and get back on track with confidence in the event of disruption.
