How to Minimize Anxiety When Presenting Online (Part Two)
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On our previous blog post, we began our discussion about anxiety and nerves related to presenting in front of others, and presented 25 suggestions for ways to minimize those feelings. But in case you’re joining us in part 2 of the series, we want to be sure you’re filled in! The paragraphs below contain the same introductory information as part 1 of the post series. So if you read that previous post, you can skim ahead to the list. If you did not, read on!
On a scale of 1 to 10 (with 1 being “I LOVE presenting” to 10 being “Seriously, please don’t make me do this”), how would you rate your comfort level with presenting in general? Now, how would you rate your comfort level with presenting online? We’re willing to bet that the number for presenting online might be higher, for a couple of reasons: worries about technology failing or not working correctly, the inability to see all of your audience members at once, concerns about lack of engagement, and so on. If you have anxiety about presenting (whether in general or online), you’re not alone—and the good news is, we are here to help.
Most interventions that have a goal of minimizing public speaking anxiety are behavioral (e.g., they focus on the psychology of the individual) or pedagogic (e.g., they focus on skill development). (1) While some people can address the issue of nerves on their own, others might benefit from working with a professional to get to the source of the nerves in order to make lasting change. A cognitive-behavioral therapist can help you better understand the psychological and physiological reactions you have either before or when presenting.
We plan to divide this topic into 4 posts (click here for part one), with 25 suggestions in each. In total, we will list 100 techniques for navigating nerves. However, the reality is that for each of you reading this blog post, it will be a different combination that works (and hey, you may find that something not on this list is what works for you. If that’s the case, we encourage you to share your methods with us!). For some, positive self-talk combined with double-checking your technology just might do the trick. For others, not so much. For Scott, deep breathing and visualizing never really made a distinct difference, but touchstones, letting go of perfection, early audience engagement, and playing the right music ahead of time really helped him manage nerves. For Maria, a lengthy planning process, handwritten notes to help with memorization, and rehearsing beforehand are helpful strategies. We suggest picking one or some combination of techniques and running some experiments.
We also want to remind you to be patient with yourself; the fact that you are even reading this post says a lot about you! You are actively working to improve. As you read the list of strategies below, we encourage you to identify and write down 1–3 that sound realistic and then experiment! And if you don’t find anything that works this time, then you’re in luck, because there are 3 more posts with ideas for you to try (1 last time, and 2 more to come).
Did any strategies from part 1 make a difference? If so, we’d love to hear it! If not, we hope that part 2 will contain something that resonates with you.
Strategy list, part 2:
26. Give yourself the credit you deserve for taking the spotlight and giving this presentation. This is a win in and of itself.
27. Say “who cares”—do not let the presentation get bigger in your head than it deserves to be.
28. Remain focused on the audience experience and be confident that you add value.
29. Build a slide deck that you are excited to share.
30. Avoid caffeine, or drink caffeine! It all depends on you.
31. Celebrate and honor your wins, no matter how small. This is a process and will take time.
32. Explore EMDR Therapy, (1) Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, (2) or Emotional Freedom Technique (3) as techniques to relieve anxiety.
33. Talk with loved ones before the presentation.
34. Be sure you are hydrated, and have a glass of water nearby, even if you don’t need it. That glass of water could become a good excuse for a pause.
35. Get plenty of sleep.
36. Scenario-plan. Have a “Plan B” if you experience issues with Wi-Fi, and so forth.
37. Visualize success and imagine how proud you will be when the presentation is complete.
38. Design your presentations in a way that gives you a few breaks. Use the chat, a poll, or a video as an opportunity for a breather.
39. Unless it’s a requirement, do not memorize your talk. Doing so places a large cognitive burden on yourself. Know the outline and then speak to the outline.
40. Do not put too much text on the slide. The slides will be easier to deliver well.
41. Do not have too much content on slides (e.g., multiple images, multiple graphs). If you can’t figure out how you are going to get through a slide, that’s an indicator that there is too much on there.
42. Authentically tap into your emotions around the importance of your topic.
43. Avoid throwaway comments like “I am so nervous.”
44. For some, it’s best to not “over-practice” or fixate on the talk.
45. Plant some allies in the audience who are on your side.
46. Scenario-plan for questions you may receive.
47. Scenario-plan for the detractors and build it into your presentation.
48. Don’t overly focus on who’s online, or who is not visible on video.
49. Take a deep breath and begin strong.
50. Imagine yourself playing the lead role in the (fictitious) award-winning film The Confident Presenter (bonus if you give yourself an Oscar afterward!).
Remember, you probably will not overcome your anxiety quickly. But as you practice and experiment with anxiety reduction strategies, we hope you will feel more balanced and at ease. Stay tuned for our next post for even more ideas!
References
1. Barker, R. T., & Barker, S. B. (2007). The use of EMDR in reducing presentation anxiety. Journal of EMDR Practice and Research, 1(2), 100–108.
2. Bubel, M., Jiang, R., Lee, C. H., Shi, W., & Tse, A. (2016, May). AwareMe: Addressing fear of public speech through awareness. In Proceedings of the 2016 CHI Conference Extended Abstracts on Human Factors in Computing Systems, 68–73.
3. Boath, L. (2012). Tapping for PEAS: Emotional freedom technique (EFT) in reducing presentation expression anxiety syndrome (PEAS) in university students. Innovative Practice in Higher Education, 1(2).
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