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The fear of public speaking is one of the most common phobias in the world. Yet the ability to be confident and inspiring in front of our peers is a crucial way of getting the recognition that leads to more users, partnership opportunities, sales, press coverage, and investor inquiries. So, if you’re a startup founder who shies away from pitch opportunities because you’re scared of messing up, or even a seasoned presenter who’s just not sure whether or not your pitch is hitting the mark, read on. The future of your company may depend on it.
Here are four tips to help manage your public speaking nerves so you and your business can step confidently into the spotlight:
1. Realize your fear is utterly ridiculous
Let me clarify – you’re not ridiculous for having the fear, but the fear itself is ridiculous. Think about it. We go around yapping endlessly to friends, coworkers, even strangers as part of our daily lives. Yet the moment we have to speak to more than a few of them at once, we freeze up and get those not-so-cute little butterflies in our stomachs. How irrational is that? It’s just talking – something we’ve been doing our entire lives.
We get nervous because we’re afraid of messing up or being judged. But here’s the kicker: everyone wants you to crush it. No one walks into the room saying, “Man, I really hope Mike bombs this thing and bores me to tears.” Everyone in the audience wants you to do well. They’re on your side. They’ve got your back. Unless you're awesome at making enemies, nobody's judging you.
2. Shift your presentation mindset
One of the biggest problems with public speaking is that people have already assigned a negative emotion to it long before they get on stage. They view it as a chore – something they HAVE to do. They’ll say, “Oh my God, I have to give a presentation in front of 100 people tomorrow. What if I mess up?” Whereas they should be saying, “Oh my God, I get to give a presentation in front of 100 people tomorrow. How can I make it awesome?” You need to shift the way you view presenting – from obstacle to opportunity.
Also, don’t hype it up. It’s not that big of a deal. It’s never the biggest presentation of your life. It’s always just another opportunity to share your ideas with some cool people who might even be able to help you execute them. It’s that simple.
3. Don’t memorize your pitch
What happens when you memorize something? You worry about forgetting a line. What happens when you’re worrying about forgetting a line? Your mind is so focused on the odds of that negative act happening that it almost certainly comes to fruition. Then you end up scarred by the experience and swear you’ll never speak in public again. Believe me, you don’t need the extra pressure of trying to memorize stuff.
Here’s what to do instead: memorize your 3 or 4 key points, but never the whole thing. You know your stuff. You know your business. When your mind moves on to the next key point, the supporting commentary will come to you naturally. The key point itself serves as a trigger that reminds you of all the things you want to say about that point. It’s so much easier, and more natural, than trying to memorize your entire pitch.
4. Have fun with it
Have you ever sat through a presentation wishing you were drunk or dead? Yea, so have I. Take a bit of extra time to get creative with your pitch. Why? Well, there are a couple of great reasons. Firstly, audiences appreciate something that’s unique. They’ve sat through so many bad presentations before that any amount of effort to separate yours from the norm will be noticed and appreciated.
Secondly, when you know you have a fun pitch prepared, you’re more excited about giving it. You’ll be eager to see how the audience reacts, and you’ll derive more confidence from their laughter or applause. Creating a fun experience alleviates the tension from everyone in the room and makes you more relaxed and memorable.
Don’t let your fear of public speaking keep your startup in the shadows. Once you’re comfortable with the above tips, the next thing to do is practice, practice, practice. Seek out opportunities to speak, and crave feedback from people who won’t sugarcoat it. If you find yourself still needing help, I put on workshops and pitch nights that prepare entrepreneurs to nail their pitches when there’s money on the line. However you decide to move forward, remember that simply having the courage to stand on that stage in the first place is a solid achievement. It only gets easier from there.
Siôn Owen is Founder and Ringmaster at Pitch Circus (@PitchCircus), a presentation skills training outfit in Chicago. Siôn’s mission is to kill boring presentations before they kill us first.
