For many of us (myself included), the thought of public speaking brings a familiar wave of nervousness, often accompanied by sweaty palms, shaky hands, and butterflies in the stomach.

It’s natural to think of these feelings as obstacles, something to be avoided and suppressed.

But what if nervousness was actually your secret weapon?

Nervousness is often misunderstood in the context of public speaking.

Far from being a purely negative force, it’s a physical and psychological response that can be harnessed to enhance your performance.

Here’s how nervousness can actually help you when speaking in front of an audience, and how to make the most out of it.

Nervousness Heightens Your Alertness

When you’re nervous, your body triggers the “fight or flight” response, releasing adrenaline and increasing your focus.

In a public speaking context, this boost in alertness can sharpen your mind, helping you to stay present and engaged with your audience.

Rather than trying to quash this feeling, recognise that it’s your body’s way of preparing you to perform at your best.

Embrace it as a mental boost that can help you think faster, respond more quickly, and project energy that keeps your audience engaged.

Tip: To channel this heightened state effectively, take a few deep breaths before starting. This allows you to channel the nervous energy into focused alertness, rather than letting it spin into anxiety.

In “Just Breathe: Towards Real-Time Intervention for Public Speaking Anxiety,” Kimani, Shamekhi, and Bickmore study the effectiveness of real-time interventions to ease public speaking anxiety.

They explore deep breathing, pausing, and other sensor-driven prompts, finding that “just-in-time” techniques like deep breathing, automatically triggered at specific points during a presentation, can help speakers reduce anxiety and maintain focus.

It Shows You Care

Nervousness can be a sign that you’re invested in what you’re doing. If you’re nervous, it often means you care about the topic and want your audience to feel the same passion.

This genuine investment in your message can be powerful and, ultimately, makes your presentation more authentic.

Audiences can sense when a speaker genuinely cares, and it can make your message resonate even more.

Tip: Reframe your nervousness as excitement for sharing something meaningful. Before stepping on stage, remind yourself why you care about your topic and how much you want to connect with your audience.

It Adds Energy to Your Delivery

Nervous energy can actually help bring life to your presentation. When channelled correctly, the adrenaline from the nerves gives your voice a dynamic range, making your speaking style more vibrant and engaging.

This energy, if you allow it, can be a powerful ally in creating a memorable presentation. Nervousness adds an intensity to your speech that helps emphasise key points, adds excitement, and builds a connection with your audience.

Tip: Use the physical symptoms of nervousness, like increased heart rate or quicker breathing, to energise your gestures and tone. Move with purpose to project your voice, letting the adrenaline guide you toward a more compelling delivery.

This study demonstrates how embodied strategies can channel and reduce the impact of anxiety during public speaking.

Nervousness Keeps You Humble and Authentic

Let’s advocate for nervousness to be a sign of authenticity rather than weakness. It helps keep you grounded, which may resonate well with your audience. Perfectly polishes presentations can sometimes feel scripted or over-rehearsed.

A hint of nervousness, on the other hand, reminds the audience that you’re human.

Audiences often connect with speakers who feel authentic and relatable, which can be easier to achieve if you embrace rather than resist your natural response.

Tip: If you stumble or lose your train of thought, it’s okay to pause and laugh it off. Showing a bit of vulnerability can make you more relatable, helping your audience to connect with you on a human level.

Nervousness Motivates You To Prepare Thoroughly

Knowing that you’ll be nervous before a talk or presentation can be the push you need to prepare and rehearse, making you a better speaker overall.

In anticipation of nerves, many people dedicate more time to practising, refining, and perfecting their presentations.

By thoroughly preparing you build confidence, which, in turn, helps ease some of the anxiety.

Tip: Use your nerves as a reminder to prepare diligently. Practise in front of friends, record yourself, or rehearse in front of a mirror. The more prepared you are, the more you can turn nervousness into a manageable, even productive, level of energy.

Nervousness Enhances Your Empathy and Awareness of the Audience

When you’re nervous, you’re likely more attuned to the reactions of your audience, which can help you adjust your presentation in real-time.

Nervousness can heighten your empathy, making you more aware of whether your message is resonating or if you need to switch the tactics.

Being attuned to audience feedback is a critical skill that great speakers develop over time.

Tip: Instead of fearing your audience’s reactions, use your sensitivity to gauge their engagement. Notice their expression, body language, and energy to see if they’re following along and use this awareness to shape your message as you go.

This study shows how increased anxiety or nervousness may translate to increased concern for how one’s actions might affect others, and therefore may be linked to increased empathy.

Transforming Nervousness into Positive Energy:

1. Acknowledge your Nerves: Trying to deny or hide nervousness actually makes it worse. Accept it, understand its purpose, and let it become part of your speaking style.

2. Breathe Deeply and Slowly: Deep breathing can help calm your body, reducing the intensity of the physical symptoms of nervousness. Slow, intentional breaths signal your body to relax, helping you regain control.

3. Practise Visualisation: Imagine yourself succeeding. Visualisation techniques can help you feel more at ease and reinforce your confidence in handling the situation.

4. Focus on Your Message, Not Yourself: Shift your focus away from how you’re coming across and toward the message you want to convey. This helps reduce self-consciousness, making you less likely to get tripped up by nerves.

It’s important to accept that nervousness is a natural part of public speaking, but it doesn’t have to be an obstacle.

By reframing nervousness as energy, empathy, and commitment, you can use it to elevate your presentation.

The next time you feel nervous before speaking, remember that it’s a sign of your passion and an asset to your performance.

Embrace it, and let your nervousness fuel your authenticity, connection, and enthusiasm.

With practice, you may come to see it as the very thing that makes your public speaking sparkle!

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I hope this article helps you to transform and leverage those pesky nerves ahead of your next speech or presentation!

For more articles on overcoming nervousness and a fear of public speaking click here.

Tilly x