Fear of Public Speaking, Pt III
Written by Matt Eventoff
Fear of Public Speaking, Pt. III
Fear doesn’t just exist for the days and hours prior to an event.
In Pt. III of this series, I am going to address tips and tactics when the nerves kick in within minutes of your presentation actually beginning (although every one of these tactics also work hours and days before as well).
1. Body Movement - A few minutes before “taking the stage” – “Waggle” (lateral movement) your jaw; bend forward and dangle your arms and let them shake; shake your hands over your head; utilize simple stretches and isometric stretches (more on that later) — all of these movements, when incorporated with proper breathing, warm the body, relax the mind and calm your nerves.
2. Body Movement, Pt II - As a former amateur boxer, nothing prepares me to speak better than light shadow boxing a few minutes before I have to speak. I know a CEO who (literally) does 20 pushups prior to every earnings call. Still another prominent political figure actually “swings” a tennis racket prior to giving a major address.* The point is, focused movement helps even more than just for generic movement because…
3. Visualization – …it works. Professional boxers, when shadow boxing, do not throw random punches — they are visualizing an opponent and quite literally sparring with that visualization. Ballplayers do the same thing before approaching the plate. Elite athletes, musicians, actors and dancers utilize visualization regularly — Todd Hargrove has an excellent article on visualization in athletics here. Visualization, if done properly, works for speakers and presenters as well.
Stay tuned, Pt IV will focus on tools and tactics when the presentation or speech actually begins….
*If you are in a crowd or a situation where you are not by yourself immediately prior to presenting, please send an email and I will give you some pointers on how to improvise.
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About the Author
For over 15 years, Matt Eventoff has served as a communication and messaging strategist for C-level executives in organizations ranging in size from startups to Fortune 100 firms, political leaders, nationally- recognized litigators, public figures and leaders from myriad other industries. He has trained clients throughout the United States, as well as Western Europe, Eastern Europe, Central America and Asia.
Matt’s specialties include communication training, message development and training, communication strategy and media training. He is regarded as an expert in determining an individual’s communication intangibles – verbal, non-verbal and messaging strengths and weaknesses – and creating an effective customized communication system that works in any situation.
Matt has successfully prepared clients to appear before almost every audience and in multiple venues, including: the United States Senate and U.S. House of Representatives, State and Federal courts, corporate settings ranging in size from small board meetings to interviews on the floor of the NYSE and on nearly every network and major cable news program, including 60 Minutes, 20/20, Nightline, Dateline, Frontline, Hardball, and Good Morning America. He is regularly retained by prominent litigators for his ability to identify key messages that have led to multi-million dollar settlements.
He is a frequent lecturer on crisis communications, public speaking and interacting with the media at colleges and universities — including MBA programs at Wharton, Rutgers University and Notre Dame, as well as undergraduate and graduate programs at the University of Maryland, Rutgers University, University of Pennsylvania, Notre Dame and Academy of Science in Ukraine. Matt also teaches “Legal Crises: Preparing & Dealing with the Unexpected” accredited by the Supreme Court of New Jersey’s Board of Continuing Legal Education (CLE 2 credits).
Matt is frequently cited by leading publications and news outlets on issues related to communication, including U.S. News & World Report, BusinessWeek, Bloomberg, The Associated Press, BBC, Newsweek, The (U.K.) Guardian, E! Online, The Boston Globe, Dallas Morning News, NY Daily News and The Washington Post, among others.
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