When it comes to reducing nerves for a presentation, nothing quite beats preparation.

Preparation–if done properly––will go a long way towards getting rid of the heebie-jeebie
knee-knocking nerves that can overtake you before an event.

Even
when you’ve prepared, however, there’s that moment just before you go on when your insides are whipping around like a Cuisinart blender on high speed. You sit with the host nodding politely and smiling or you stand backstage trying to listen to the speaker before you, but you can hardly concentrate. You feel yourself tipping into a tailspin of terror.

So what do you do? Reconnect with your Through Line. 

A few days ago, I was working with a young insurance executive (Ian) who has a big presentation coming up. He mentioned that he’s had a history of suffering extreme nerves before an event. We took some time out to talk about the causes that led to this blender of panic. We discussed his belief system and his “internal monologue”. Ian’s concerns ranged from the audience noticing his symptoms (sweating forehead, shaky voice) to the audience thinking he was a fraud and that his information was either inaccurate or unnecessary.

In anticipation of this judgement, Ian’s tone was meek, his pace halting. After some discussion about his current Through Line, we both agreed that it was (at the moment) “to apologize.”  He laughed when he realized that this is exactly what he was doing.

Imagine presenting if your approach is based around an apology? 

Ian is not alone. Many people do this. You hear it when they start their presentation: “Uhhh. This is going to be brief. Don’t worry…” or “Sorry to have to give these announcements. I know you’re all waiting to hear Ms. Amazing who I promise to bring on in just a few minutes.”

We focused instead on why what Ian had to say was important, why he cared, and why it was important that the audience care; in other words, what was at stake if people didn’t hear and act on his message.

Once we got clear on the Through Line, we then looked at alternative “verbs” to replace “to apologize”.

After some brainstorming, Ian landed on this one: “to share.”

The moment he came up with this, Ian relaxed. His shoulders dropped. His body shifted backwards in his chair in visible relief. You could detect the smallest smile on his face. Even in the simple conversation we were having, his vocal tone shifted and suddenly had resonance. He developed like a Polaroid in a nanosecond.

And when he finally delivered a section of his presentation as a practice run, his voice was steady, and it was strong. He was focused, he was at peace, and he was powerful. His words no longer sounded hollow. They were imbued with meaning and they commanded attention.

This is the power of a Through Line.  (In The Prism Effect paradigm, it is the white beam of light that goes into–or out of–the prism. It fuses the full spectrum of your message into a beacon of light.)

Whenever we worry about being judged,
we are putting the focus on ourselves.

When we reconnect with our Through Line, however, on helping our client/audience/team/company/guests, we swivel the spotlight. It’s no longer about how good we are but rather, about how much we can help.

A properly focused Through Line can turn your presentation into light saber.

A properly focused Through Line….. is like the Force.

(c) Victoria Labalme Communications, LLC. All Rights Reserved.