Stage fear affects every presenter. Left unchecked, it could seriously impede your presentation. In this post we explore the neuro-anatomy of fear. Importantly, we look at how to prevent stage fear from derailing your presentation. Or in other words, how to overcome stage fear.

1. Cripple Your Presentation

2. “There are only two types of speakers in the world:

3. before the moment

4. Are any/ all of these symptoms
familiar to you…

5. Just before you are to deliver a presentation, your….

6. Know what?

7. really!

8. (*A physiological process
that the human brain developed to help us survive)

9. To understand this
concept better, we need to

10. The adventures of
(one of our dear ancestors)

11. Imagine one day, Red-Eye came face-
to-face with a lion

12. Any longer & our dear
Red- Eye would be lion food.

13. Consider a second scenario:
Red-Eye sees a lion about to
pounce on his child...

14. How much time would he
have to make a decision to
fight the lion?

15. Survival in the wild
Savannah required…

16. Our brain developed

17. It developed, what we now call the

18. Four – among many - physiological
changes that take place

19. When faced with danger, our body
This is to provide the muscles with extra
energy to fight or take to flight.
However…..

20. …the ability to think logically*,
Physiological change 1
* Being a time and energy consuming activity,

21. to pump more oxygen
to the muscles.
Physiological change 2

22. High doses of Adrenaline
are secreted, which causes
Physiological change 3

23. (it’s all that adrenaline).

24. our voice cracks
Physiological change 4

25. Our brain’s priming our body for a
Blank mind
Pounding heart
Trembling hands
Sweaty palms
Cracked voice

26. that you experience
before a presentation
Blank mind
Pounding heart
Trembling hands
Sweaty palms
Cracked voice

27. It’s our brain
triggering a

28. Your brain is perceiving

29. Your brain sees the audience as a

30. They could
They could
They could

31. Of course, these are all mostly
exaggerations…

32. Remember, in situations where
the brain perceives danger,

33. Blank mind
Pounding heart
Trembling hands
Sweaty palms
Cracked voice

34. So, if evolutionary or survival
instincts are causing your body to
behave like an out-of-control wild
horse, then...

35. It’s time to tame the wild horse…

36. .
Once the nerves settle down, we get
more comfortable.
Often, it’s in the first few moments of
a presentation that one feels intense
nervousness.

37. (Here’s what you can do)
(This will allow you a strong opening &
help you overcome nerves)

38. Prepare thoroughly;
This eliminates the fear of being left
stumped by difficult questions, thus
calming your nerves a bit more

39. This eliminates the fear that you
might forget key points, further
calming your nerves
Make notes in, and use

40. For more inputs on how to set-up and use Presenter View in
PowerPoint, please refer to Chapter 09 of our free e-book,
Business Presentation Superstar available at
www.citruslearningsystems.com
Download e-book
• Add a synopsis of all your talking points
to Presenter View
• Increase the size of your notes while
delivering your presentation by
zooming in to the ‘notes section’ in
Presenter View

41. delivering your
presentation
Practice makes perfect, no?
It also makes you more
confident.

42. Capture yourself
on video
Deliver to an
audience
Practice in front of
a mirror
Our suggestions for effective practice (in order of effectiveness):

43. with the place and the people you
will address
P.S. You’ll have to get to the venue early, for this

44. • the place is not alien to us
• we have ‘friends’ amidst
strangers
(This will calm nerves a bit more)

45. (in private, for two minutes)

46. as though you are a winner, supremely
confident and in control…

47. (our body is literally changing
our mind)
(Read more about this research, here)

48. We had seen earlier how oxygen is cut
off from the brain and redirected to the
muscles in stressful or dangerous
situations.

49. the brain through
*
* Draw in a deep breath.
Hold it for a while and then exhale gently. Do
this for three to five minutes.
Redirect oxygen back to

50. • ‘restore’ your ability to think logically
(your mind won’t be blank anymore)
• calm your nerves

51. All of these techniques

52. Script & memorize your first thirty seconds
Anticipate & prepare for questions
Use presenter notes or cue cards
Practice
Get familiar with the place & your audience
Practice power poses
Slow breathing

53. (yes, even the very
experienced ones)

54. But, using these techniques will
ensure that stage fear
does not derail your
presentation

55. For more resources on business presentation effectiveness, please visit
Mumbai, India

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