The storm before the calm - before you speak

The bit just before you speak
Public speaking can be one of the most unnerving experiences you encounter in life. As a toastmaster for 5 over years, I realised that the interesting thing about public speaking is that once you get started, you're generally all right.

The nervousness, stress and worry comes from the five minutes BEFORE you deliver your speech. Assuming you have prepared your speech, have a good idea what you wish to convey in terms of your OPENING, BODY and CONCLUSION of your speech, your nervousness comes from waiting. It is the minutes and seconds before a big race, before an examination or a major interview for a job or for a position. The ANTICIPATION is what scares you are your mind moves at break-neck speeds to think of the 1001 scenarios how you will fumble your speech or forget huge chunks of it. This is normal. Even top athletes or performers get the jitters but they develop mechanisms to cope with it.

How to overcome the storm (in your stomach) before the calm
These are some techniques I use before my own speeches especially during contests or other more high profile events.

1) Adequate preparation
This is fundamental because if you have prepared sufficiently, you should be able to deliver your speech successfully. Of course, what is adequate can be subjective and some speakers can talk off-the-cuff on substantive topics without sitting down to write their speech. Others need to draft their speech entirely before they can deliver. Do what is necessary given your own skills, abilities and experience.

2) Positive Mindset
Think positive, even if you think negative, you cannot change the situation and still have to go through your speech. So might as well be positive and engage your favourite positive affirmation, "I can do it", "I know I can"... etc.

3) Have adequate rest
Sufficient rest the night before is important in allowing us to be as fresh as we can for our speech. If you are listless, tired and anxious, the audience will also sense it and be affected by it. A speech is a performance and you are the performer. Give your best shot by having sufficient rest the night before.

4) Break the ice with the audience
Before speech contests, I try to talk to one or two members of the audience especially if they are people I know from other clubs or areas. This is one way to see the audience as part of people you already know. If the audience is totally new to you, at least you get to break the ice before hand and get a sense of who and how the audience will be to lessen your anxiety before your speech.

5) Enjoy yourself
Public speaking should be fun and not a pressuring activity. I enjoy public speaking because when the audience gives you their full attention, you realise you have the power to get people to listen to you. That is both a privilege and a responsibility and shows how powerful public speaking skills are in connecting with people.

The feeling of nervousness before a speech is normal. It shows you care. It shows you bother about the speech to worry about it. Let the nervous energy turn itself into a better performance during the speech and you will overcome it and become a better speaker.

Speak well. Live well.