Helping clients face their stage fright is a core communications coach capability. A brilliant Eng VP knows exactly what she needs to say, she has a great demo prepared, she has credibility with her audience. The only thing she doesn’t have is comfort standing on a stage with everyone staring at her.
I always tell clients that calm starts with the body, not the mind. Saying to yourself “Calm down! Calm down!” does nothing. But a slow, slightly audible exhale stimulates your vagus nerve, which can lay the foundation for settling your body. When your body feels calmer, you can better weather the storm of adrenaline that courses through you before you go on stage.
I’ve asked dozens of clients to practice that slow exhale with me. It always makes them feel calmer. Until, for the first time, I had a client whose heart pounded when she exhaled. She felt MORE stressed, not less. OK! Time to try something completely different.
For that client, it was movement that calmed her nervous system. New recipe! If breathing doesn’t work, jumping and wiggling out the stress is also a great pre-stage ritual.
The big lesson for me was a reminder that the nervous system is a fierce and mysterious force that acts differently in each person. The only way to find the tools that will work for any individual is to try them.
What are the jitter-reducing techniques that work for you? Breathing? Wiggling? Meditation? Keeping a talisman you can touch in your pocket or on your wrist?
Take the risk out of being in the spotlight! I can prepare you, your teams and your leaders to tell your company’s story with confidence, shape the industry and maybe even change the world.
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