One of the biggest reasons people book themselves onto our public presentation skills courses is their fear of presenting – there are lots of techniques we cover on these days, but some of them need a build-up.
However, here’s a stand-alone, specific tip for anyone suffering from an attack of performance nerves – be it in relation to a presentation, a wedding speech, a job interview or even just being introduced to your new partner’s parents! It has the added advantage of being very simple and being something you can do unobtrusively, while you’re waiting to speak, for example.
- Breathe in slowly, for a count of four
- Hold it for four beats
- Breathe out slowly, for a count of eight
- Hold it for four beats once more before you breathe in again
It’s important you don’t let your shoulders rise as you’re doing this, so keep an eye on that.
How does it work? Well, there are two things going on here. The first is that your blood chemistry is being altered by the way you breathe, causing your body to release a rash of hormones to do with calmness and relaxation. The second is the somewhat more esoteric point that while you’re doing this you’re concentrating on yourself and not on the problem!
For best results, you should do it while you’re standing up, or at least sitting upright with your stomach not folded at all – no slouching. You should also make sure you don’t let your shoulders rise up as you do this: that just adds to the tension.
I hope that’s useful for you (and not just the two people who asked for it this week!).
