A bit over a year ago I told a story in front of an audience at Wahre Geschichten. I was anxious and nervous before hand. So in the last year I compiled a few tips and tricks on how to be less anxious when speaking in public.
If you have a problem with breathing it helps to sing a song you’re familiar with. Because when singing you have to breath the right way and this will help you calm down.
My favorite for this is “Don’t stop me now” by Queen.
Do power poses for 5 minutes in the bathroom before giving your speech and you’ll be much more confident.
If you don’t know what power poses are, watch this TED talk from Amy Cuddy:
Starting a presentation or talk is hard, so it’s important to get it right. My trick to get less nervous is to learn the first sentence by heart. I won’t change it even if I have a better idea 5 minutes before the start.
The rest of the presentation I try to talk without having a written out script. With this I can improvise anecdotes and change it up depending on the audience.
For myself if I have to give a presentation in the evening I can’t eat anything all day. Something light like a salad for lunch but not much more. But as soon as I am finished with my presentation I can eat again.
What helps with feeling nervous is drinking waters in small sips.
But the magic trick I’ve found that works for me is drinking ginger tea. It helps to calm me down and prevents my stomach from getting upset.
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