How to overcome nerves when speaking in public

It is essential to have everything well prepared. The main ideas of the speech must be clear and simple: what you want to convey, what are the key points you want your audience to understand and what terms you want them to retain or remember once the presentation is over. 

In addition, having a good grasp of the topic you are going to talk about will give you calmness if questions arise from the information you have given or if a debate about the concepts opens up. If you need to, practice in front of a mirror, this will increase your confidence.

The first 5 minutes are the most important to make a good impression and create a good feeling with your audience. These moments will determine the final result of the exhibition.

Start by introducing yourself, this way your audience will feel comfortable, because they know who is talking to them and this will help you to build trust. Even if you are giving a class, you can have your students introduce themselves before you begin, thus creating a much more relaxed atmosphere. 

Before getting into the subject, break the ice with a witty phrase or quote that captures the attention, so little by little, you can introduce the topic you are going to talk about.

A good way to relax the atmosphere and involve your audience is to ask some questions and invite them to interact with you. Questions such as: what is their job sector? what do they know about the company? how can it improve their life? what do they think about the topic? how do they expect to feel when they finish?... 

Turn the presentation into a dialogue where both parties are active elements of the conversation, this way you will reduce the anxiety of the moment. In addition, you will be able to learn about your target audience and ask them questions of interest as you continue your presentation.

Feeling nervous, a little scared, uneasy... it's normal. It happens even to the best speakers in the world. It is nothing more than a biological response of the body that allows it to adapt to changes, you just have to convince yourself that the danger you are perceiving is not a real danger to escape from, but a controlled situation that is part of a learning process. In this case, public speaking.

There will always be a small level of nervousness during these moments, what you have to try to do is reduce it to levels that do not influence or interfere in the development of the action. But if you thought that there are people who do not get restless during these acts ... it is not so, everyone feels some tingling before a public presentation, just show confidence and try not to make it noticed.

Before going on stage, practice some relaxation techniques to help you control your nerves:

• Inhale slowly and deeply several times before you start.
• Drink some water to hydrate and cool your throat. This also serves to relax your brain a little.
• Motivate yourself. Believe and repeat it several times: you have everything under control and it will be fine. Phrases like: "I'm going to make it", "I'm capable", "Nerves are normal", will help you to face the situation much better.

On the Slidesgo website we have hundreds of templates that will help you with your presentation and will make you feel much calmer. You can search by theme, color or style and display your content on them, your audience will be amazed.

And if you are curious about how to improve your presentations, we recommend reading this post on how to become a great speaker.

Bonus tip: if you need help breaking the ice, check out our AI icebreaker generator. Write the theme, select your audience, and the type of energy you’re aiming for, then watch as the AI cooks up engaging conversation starters or activities.

You already know how to calm your nerves before an exposition, now enjoy your exhibition!