Eugene Moreau

When we say ‘speech anxiety’ what we are saying is having a sense of fear or panic that overtakes a person they are called upon to speak or otherwise perform in public.

You will often hear it referred to as: anxiousness, nervousness, "the jitters," stage fright, fear of public speaking, performance anxiety, etc.

Speech anxiety usually strikes when someone has to deliver a presentation before a group of people and it makes little difference whether the audience is large or small, composed of familiar or unfamiliar faces.

Our nervous system is powerful but stupid. What I mean by this is your nervous system is able to upset the stomach or confuse thought processes, but it’s usually too dumb to do both things at the same time.  Your nervous system cannot tie the stomach in knots and produce disorderly thoughts as well as do something you insist it perform. You can control it.

Let me give you one of the best tips you will ever hear when it comes to getting in control of your nerves.

Put a name to the fear. As long the fear remains anonymous it will have control.

That’s right. I said call it a name! Don’t ever leave the anxiety nameless. This might seem silly or childish to some BUT THIS REALLY WORKS!

Let me tell you a short story to demonstrate what I mean.

Joanne (not her real name) came to me several years ago saying she wanted help in overcoming a problem she had every time she gave a presentation. She experienced an anxiety attack every time she had to stand and present in her business and it always showed itself in the form of a growling stomach.

Our conversation went like this:

I said, “What’s the name you’ve given it?” She said, “To what?” I said, “Your growling stomach.” “My what?“ she asked. I could only imagine what was running through her mind about that time. “Trust me. Have you ever given it a name? It will help. Try it," I urged."But what should I name it?" "Well, it’s your stomach...that's for you to decide. It should be a name that gives you a sense of control." "I can't think of a name. What would you do?" "Well, If my stomach growled every time I stood up to speak to an audience I think I’d name it Chester." Joanne paused for a wee bit and then, naturally, replied, "Why Chester?" "Well," I said, "Chester is our dog. He makes a noise that sometimes sounds like  my stomach growling when he’s wanting our attention. It is very distracting and irritating. Sometimes we have to stop what we’re doing and pay attention to him just to shut him up.  So, to me, Chester is like this anxiety. Making noise and distracting me from getting on with my business of preparing and delivering a brilliant speech. So, I simply tell Chester to ‘settle down'. I’m in control of this situation!”

Joanne looked doubtful but agreed to try it out.

I got a phone call from her about a week later and she said, “I just gave the most amazing presentation I’ve ever given. When I felt my anxiety starting to growl I simply told Chester to settle down and that I was in control of this situation. I visualized Chester trying to dominate the situation so I ordered him to stop, and he obeyed. My stomach settled right down. It was amazing! Now, I name everything.”

There you have it. Name it and control it!

The next time you find yourself with the opportunity to stand and deliver...and you experience anxiety...give it a name. Don't let it conrol you.

Let me know how it goes.

Eugene