Leadership: Leaders, Followers, Environments

Nervousness

Many individuals struggle with public speaking. Nearly one in five has great apprehension, and even fear, when speaking before a group or on television and radio shows.⁴¹ Appearing before an audience can raise blood pressure and heart rates of some individuals to dangerously high levels. The same adrenaline rush affects many athletes before competitions. Their nervousness is often expressed in the form of screaming in the locker room, being irritable with reporters, and even by vomiting. Experienced and gifted speakers are not exempt: videos appear to show that Martin Luther King, Jr. and John Kennedy, for example, were visibly nervous before big speeches. Some nervousness is actually good; it brings energy and focus to the presentation. The trick is to harness the nerves and not let them control or paralyze you. The good news is that, unless the speaker is shaking violently or faints on the stage, the audience usually will not notice. There are hundreds of books and articles on public speaking, many of them very useful. Here are a few tips experienced speakers use to deal with nerves:

• Speak about something you know.
• Know your audience well. Who will be there? What are their characteristics and interests? Anticipate possible antagonistic questions and reactions.
• Prepare fully. Don't write your comments in the airplane or during the meeting or banquet.
• Practice and rehearse. The better prepared you are, the less nervous you will be.
• Don't ever read your speech, but ...