by Cam Barber
The intensity of the physical symptoms vary from person to person, and are influenced by things like:
• The importance of the situation to you.
• How much sleep you’ve had.
• What you’ve eaten (e.g., caffeine can add to the adrenaline rush).
• Your emotional state.
• Genetic differences.
Even with these variables, the stress response is pretty easy to understand.
Firstly, let’s look at the brain in a simplified way. Think of the brain as just having 2 parts - top and bottom. The ‘top’ is the neocortex (‘new’ brain) which is where all that conscious thinking takes place: reasoning and logic. This is what humans have over animals - a larger neocortex.
The ‘bottom’ part of the brain is more instinctive and emotional. This part of the brain doesn’t ‘think’ so much as ‘react’.
The stress response kicks in automatically
Guess which part of the brain controls the stress response? The part that can think, or the part that can’t think? The answer is the latter: The stress response is controlled by the part of our brain that can’t think. The instinctive part. The reptile part.
Now, you might be wondering if giving control of the stress response to the unconscious part of the brain was a bad idea. The physical symptoms of the stress response can seem overwhelming or even debilitating, so why have the reactionary part of the brain take responsibility for it?
One reason. Speed.
When we came across a sabre-tooth tiger at the time of cavemen, we didn’t waste precious seconds processing the potential threat and consciously deciding to prime our bodies to deal with the danger. Instead, the ‘fight-or-flight’ response kicked in so we were instantly ready to fight or flee.
So, whether you’re face-to-face with a sabre-tooth or the board of directors, the primitive part of your brain is attempting to prime you for your ‘important event’. You might see these symptoms as a distraction, but the stress response is simply trying to prepare you to deal with important events. And the symptoms can be easy to understand and manage. Let’s break it down. The stress response is built on 2 things:
1. Adrenaline release
The adrenal glands sit on top of the kidneys and are quite small. About the size of a walnut and weighing less than a grape, they pack a powerful punch when they release adrenaline to give you energy. However, since we’re not fighting or fleeing, the surplus adrenaline energy leads to physical symptoms like: increased heart rate, sweating, blushing, shaking, feeling sick to the stomach, dry mouth, and so on. It can also cause us to speed up our rate of speech. Do you recognise any of these symptoms from public speaking anxiety?
2. Muscle contraction
The second thing the stress response does is contract your muscles (so you’re ready to fight, or run away from, that tiger). The physical symptoms from this include tightness in the throat (have you noticed how a lot of people need to clear their throat or drink water at the start of a talk? Muscle tightness is the reason), and shallow breathing.
Try this now - flex your stomach and chest. Now take a deep breath while they’re flexed. How much air do you get? With contracted muscles, we tend to get only 10%-50% of the air in our lungs compared to normal breathing. As a result, most people are not breathing comfortably when they speak in public. And not getting the normal amount of oxygen can make us feel more out of control.
So the physical symptoms associated with public speaking anxiety can be understood. They’re not dark forces attacking you. They can be traced back to the 2 components of the stress response; adrenaline and contracting muscles.
Even though these symptoms are triggered automatically, when you understand them, it is possible to ‘release’ some of them simply by acknowledging their existence. At minimum, your increased awareness reduces their intensity.
In fact, the intensity of your anxiety can fit on a scale from 1 to 10. Anxiety at the level of 2, 3 or 4 on the scale is manageable. You feel it, but you’re able to think clearly enough to achieve your speaking goals.
But letting your mind run wild can take you up to 9 or 10 (11?) on the scale, and at that level, your mind and body are in a loop.
How you think about your symptoms, determines their intensity
Let’s take the example of your hand shaking. We now know why this happens. It’s the direct result of adrenaline. The reality is, your hand is shaking. We can’t get away from that fact. However, there are now 2 ways for you to think about that fact. The rational way goes something like this:
“Ok, my hand is shaking. But I know why. The adrenaline released by my brain is giving me more energy. Thanks brain! It’s a little distracting, but it’s natural and it doesn’t stop me getting my message across. I’ll focus my attention on something more important.”
From here, the shaking settles down, or at least doesn’t get worse. It might stay at a 3 or 4 out of 10 intensity, but now that there’s no drama associated with it, it doesn’t stop you getting your message across and engaging your audience.
Here’s how the mind will think about it when it’s full of uncertainty and unaware why the symptoms occur:
“Oh God, my hand is shaking, and I’m about to speak to the Board of Directors. I’m losing control of my body! That can’t be good!!”
Now you hear the echo of uncertain thoughts like, ‘I’m losing control’ and ‘What’s happening to me!’or ‘What if the shaking gets worse?’. This high-drama thinking increases uncertainty which is the fundamental cause of anxiety. So what happens next? Your hand shakes even more and before long you’re in a mental loop that can overwhelm your senses.
The mental loop goes something like this: Your heart pounds and you think, ‘Crikey, my heart’s pounding, that’s not good!’ Your panic adds more fear and uncertainty. So your heart pounds more and you think, ‘Crikey, my heart’s pounding more, that’s really not good!!’. And so on. A mental loop.
Do you still get nervous, Cam?
Public speaking anxiety is often ranked as the ‘number 1 fear’ on the List of Lists, yet many of us think that we are the only ones who get so nervous. I’ve worked with sportspeople, actors, musicians, politicians, CEOs, writers, TV hosts and more. All feel nervous ahead of ‘doing their thing’ on an important ‘stage’.
I’m often asked if I still get nervous in front of an audience. The short answer is, not really, but geez I used to suffer badly. That’s one of the reasons I teach this stuff. I needed to learn it myself.
The full answer is that I get nervous a bit, sometimes. It depends on the amount of uncertainty associated with an event. Trying new things still triggers the stress response. When I did my first 5-minute standup comedy routine I was nervous. It was new to me. The crowd was more aggressive than a corporate conference. And I wasn’t used to the dark room and the blinding lights in my eyes. But I felt prepared, committed to my jokes and it went ok.
The last time I felt my heart pumping out of my chest and my face blushing hot was when I didn’t follow my own advice. I walked into a difficult room with layer upon layer of uncertainty leading up to the event.
Here’s what happened. A few years ago I was asked to speak at a Canberra conference for government economists, however I was unable to get a clear brief of what was expected or what the theme of the conference was. It was booked at the last minute by someone’s assistant who said, ‘All I know is they want you to speak from 2pm-3pm’. Normally I would find the person who put the conference together, ask about the audience, the other speakers, the outcomes they were trying to achieve, and so on. But in this case I wasn’t able to get that background information.
Layers of uncertainty
This was the first layer of uncertainty.
The largest amount of uncertainty was generated from the fact that I made the mistake of thinking that I had to be different to my normal self. The audience was filled with government ministers and senior economists. I imagined that I needed to
be more serious than usual - more intellectual, more sombre. (I was wrong by the way. It turned out they were just people - who had the same public speaking challenges as the rest of us.)
There was more. My flight, on the morning of the event, was delayed twice. Normally I fly in the day before an event to ensure this doesn’t happen. But this gig was full of last minute decisions. For 3 hours leading up to my presentation, I wasn’t sure I would get there on time.
This was another layer of uncertainty.
I arrived with a few minutes to spare. Phew! The person who was supposed to meet me wasn’t there. No big deal. That happens. I found another organiser-person and asked if I could get into the room to set up and test the equipment.
“Oh no. They’re still finishing off a session”, she said. “And there is no break, you need to start as soon as he finishes, but you’re not allowed to go in until he comes out.” “Really?!” I said.
When they finally let me in, I walked in from the back of the room, past 80 bored-looking faces and spent 10 minutes fighting computer equipment that didn’t work. My mind was screaming unresolved thoughts like: ‘Should I chat to them now, while I’m setting up? Or just smile and focus on what I’m doing. Crikey, they look so bored. And so serious! Hey, I’ll blame the organisers for the disorganisation. Nah, that will probably make me look worse…’. And so on.
I was hot, my cheeks were red, my heart was pounding and I felt acid-like anxiety throughout my body. But even though it was uncomfortable, after 10 minutes, we got the technology working. I apologised for the delay and got on with the presentation. From that point on, it went as planned and the anxiety subsided after a few minutes. I even got a smile out of the audience.
Even with these physical symptoms, I was able to think reasonably clearly, not placing too much emphasis on the mental chatter. I focused on that which I could control. So it didn’t have the drama, shame or pain I used to experience.
It drained my energy at the time, but I saw the stress as temporary. It happened. I did my best (which was received well). I learned something from the experience and moved onto the next thing. Some people hold on to the emotion of presentation disasters for years. The trick is to release the emotion of unpleasant speaking events and focus on what we can learn from them for next time.
So there’s my story. Hope it helps.
The solution: Redirect your attention
Now, you might be thinking; ‘Cam, it’s easy to say ‘don’t panic’ but harder to do in real life’. Sure, that’s true. But it’s really just a matter of awareness and a bit of practice. The secret is to flip your thinking from unconscious reactions, to conscious management of the situation. How? First, become aware of what’s happening, and second redirect your attention to escape the mental loop.
Redirecting your attention won’t magically eliminate all your anxiety. But it will stop you from getting caught in a loop that’s out of your control.
So where do you redirect your attention? It can be something physical, like breathing, grounding your feet on the earth, pausing or releasing the tension in your shoulders. Or you can focus your attention on an idea, such as ‘All I need to do is help them understand this subject”, or ‘They want me to succeed because it will help them’, or ‘I can only do my best so there’s no point worrying about anything now that I’m here’.
I encourage my clients to find their own area to direct their attention because everybody’s different. However, I’ve found that the most universally effective place to direct your attention is your breathing.
Are you breathing comfortably when you speak? Most people are not.
Breathing comfortably can regulate both your mind and body. So if you’re not sure where to redirect your attention, this is the place to start. However, be careful about listening to that annoying voice in your head that says,
‘You haven’t got time to slow down and breathe comfortably! They’re all looking at you. Hurry up!’
Ignore this voice if it shows up. You have plenty of time. You could probably speak at half the pace you currently do and it would not seem strange to the audience if you were speaking with certainty.
Some people ask, ‘What’s the optimum pace to speak? How many words per minute?’ There is no universal answer to this question. Everybody is different. But I know one thing. The right pace for you is the pace where you’re able to breathe comfortably.
Redirect your attention to finding the pace that works for you and you’ll find that a lot of your anxiety just dissolves (in combination with the other suggestions in this book).
Key points
Nerves are normal. The stress response is not only normal, but healthy. It focuses our attention and gives us the energy needed to do a good job. Peace of mind comes from 1) turning down the volume of the unconscious chatter by understanding what’s happening, and 2) thinking clearly about your situation.
This includes getting clear on your message and structure. Hey! That’s what we’re going to cover next.
VIVID METHOD PART TWO: CREATE A SPEECH OUTLINE
“If you want to teach people a new way of thinking, don’t bother trying to teach them. Instead, give them a tool, the use of which will lead to new ways of thinking.”
- Buckminster Fuller
WHAT IS A SPEECH OUTLINE?
A Vivid Speech Outline guides you through the refinement of 2 things:
1. Message
2. Structure
You clarify your message first, which then guides your thinking as you structure your ideas. But before we go into the step-by-step creation of a speech outline, let’s look at the experiences some people have during the planning stage of a speech or presentation.
Do you have a preferred procrastination schedule?
Can you relate to the following story? You get an email from your boss asking you to deliver a 30-minute speech in a fortnight? No worries, you reply. 2 weeks. That’s plenty of time. You add the speech to your to do list and forget about it for a while.
A week goes by. You feel a faint pang of anxiety – or is it guilt? – as you realise you probably should have made a start already. I’ll get to it today. But it was a busy day! You put it off until tomorrow.
This continues until it’s 1 day to go and adrenaline is driving you. You work on your presentation all day, but without a method or structure to guide you, it’s difficult to feel certain that your preparation is complete.
Time is up.
Here is the crucial question as you finish your preparation: Which of these 2 thoughts goes through your mind?
‘Great. That’s clear. I feel ready!’
Or…
‘Agh. That will have to do. I’m out of time.’
Unfortunately, the thought, ‘that will have to do, I’m out of time’ can leave you with a feeling of incompletion and uncertainty. This, in turn, can have a diabolical impact on physical and mental energy levels during your talk. When you stand in front of your audience, do you experience the residue of uncertainty about your preparation, or do you have a feeling of completeness and clarity that takes you by the hand and effortlessly guides you through the presentation?
Typical procrastination schedule
6 days to go:
Not sure where to start. No reliable method to prepare. Put it off until tomorrow. (Anxiety level: happily avoiding.)
5 days to go:
Gather some info. Create/copy a few PowerPoint slides. Can finish them later. You wake in the early hours with a mixture of good ideas for your talk, and self-criticism for not being ready yet. A little progress. (Anxiety level: a slight hum.)
4 days to go:
Busy day! No time. For a moment you wonder whether you allowed yourself to be lost in busy-work as a way of avoiding the speech. Nah, you’re just a busy person. (Anxiety level: Starting to build.)
3 days to go:
You think; ‘I should have prepared yesterday’. Guilt now added to the mix. Spend some time arranging slides and formatt
ing. The voice in your head is giving you a hard time. ‘Am I really up to this? Will I come across as an impostor when I’m supposed to be the expert? Can I get someone else to do it?’ (Anxiety level: What’s that strange feeling in your gut?)
2 days to go:
A few hours preparing, but you’re tired from the sleepless nights and your shoulders are heavy with the burden of incompletion. Feeling somewhat drained and frustrated. (Anxiety level: Difficult to get to sleep.)
1 day to go:
Rehearsing while physically and mentally exhausted. Finish preparing with the thought ‘That will have to do, I’m out of time’. (Anxiety level: Why does my skin hurt?!)
Day of the presentation:
As you speak, you feel slightly depleted, with a week of mental anguish festering in your gut. (Anxiety level: High. Energy level: Drained).
Is this preparation problem simply due to a lack of discipline? Probably not. One reason people find public speaking daunting is they don’t have a simple, method to sort their thoughts. Discipline without direction is a recipe for wasted effort and fatigue.
Without a method to focus your preparation, it’s difficult to get clear about what you’re going to say. No matter how much time and effort you put into it, you finish your preparation feeling uncertain.
So, what about you?
Do you have a method to prepare that you can rely on? If so, fantastic. Use it. If not, consider the Vivid Speech Outline. Over the years we examined dozens of preparation methods. We’ve tested and refined this one in thousands of training courses, workshops and executive coaching sessions. The Vivid Speech Outline is a way of directing your attention while preparing. It harnesses the ClarityFirst principles and steers them to your advantage. It saves time, reduces effort and leverages your knowledge and talent, instead of diffusing them in clutter and confusion.