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© by Bonnie Budzowski, President of InCredible Messages, LP. 
Visit  www.IncredibleMessages.com or contact Bonnie at info@IncredibleMessages.com. 

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Facing an Audience? Be Grateful for Your Jitters

By Bonnie Budzowski
President, InCredible Messages, LP

Chances are you have approached a podium with worries like these: Will my voice crack? Will the audience see my knees shake? Will I look like an absolute fool?

Fortunately, the amount of nervousness you feel and the amount an audience detects rarely match. You can be extremely nervous and still appear competent and confident. The audience can’t see how you feel, and most audiences are gracious anyway. Still, you might still wish you could get rid of those jitters.

Oddly, outstanding speakers worry when they don’t have at least a small case of the jitters. These presenters realize that butterflies in the stomach come from adrenaline—nature’s power source to get the body through stressful situations.

The most consummate speakers perceive a surge of adrenaline as nature’s gift, perhaps the way a mother would feel about an adrenaline surge if her toddler were stuck under a car. Outstanding presenters channel adrenaline into the power they need to excel. They turn adrenaline into dynamism.

The difference shows in a speaker’s eyes, hands, feet, and mental clarity.

Eyes

Many nervous speakers focus on their notes and glance occasionally at the audience, as if coming up for a quick gulp of air. Others use a triangular pattern of eye contact, vaguely connecting with one third of the audience at a time.

Dynamics speakers have practiced until they can channel their adrenaline to command attention with eye contact. These speakers look at individuals, making a connection that lasts about 5 seconds—roughly the time it takes to complete a thought. Through eye contact, dynamic speakers can register the individual and collective pulse. They know if people are confused, bored, or enthusiastic about what they are saying. They can adjust to what they see.

Hands

You’ve seen speakers clutch the podium or deliver messages with hands clenched in front or back. You’ve also seen speakers stuff their hands, and their energy, into their pockets. These presenters are safe from awkward hand gestures, but they are also unable to deliver anything more than a mediocre presentation. Passion, wit, and drama require energy, and these speakers have locked their energy up.

Dynamic speakers use adrenaline to gesture naturally and then some. Knowing that they control the energy for the entire room, dramatic speakers practice channeling their adrenaline into gestures a bit more dramatic than those they would make in a typical conversation. These gestures keep the audience engaged, and they help the speaker to emphasize keys points.

Feet

If nervousness is going to show, it often happens in a speaker’s feet. Many presenters unconsciously rock, sway, or pace. This is because adrenaline is going to move, whether you like it or not. Dynamic speakers use adrenaline to move with power and purpose. They plant their feet in one spot to make a point and then walk across the room to make another. They venture into the audience to make a strong connection with both feet and eyes. The audience can be mesmerized by purposeful movement.

Voice

A large portion of the impact of a presentation comes from the speaker’s vocal delivery, but not necessarily in the ways you’d think. While nervous speakers worry they will stammer or their voices will crack, audience members rarely notice these flaws. What they do notice is a monotone, and their interest instantly flags at a lack of inflection and enthusiasm in a speaker’s voice.

Vocal variety is a powerful tool to capture and keep an audience’s attention. Audience members tune in when a speaker channels energy to fill the room with her voice. They stretch to hear when she pulls back into a whisper. They still at a dramatic pause. Then they hang on every word.

Mental Clarity

Adrenaline can impact a speaker’s concentration in a number of ways. Unfocused adrenaline can bring on a speaker fog, causing the speaker to lose her place or to drone on even when audience members signal confusion or hostility. Focused adrenaline brings exceptional mental clarity, allowing the speaker to read the audience’s pulse and adjust accordingly. In this state, the speaker can inject humor and respond to questions with insight. Adrenaline is involved in either case; the difference is in how the adrenaline is channeled.

It takes practice, but you can learn to channel adrenaline, to use the energy it provides as a gift. Focused adrenaline is a power supply—to help you use your eyes to genuinely connect with the audience, your hands to gesture powerfully, your feet to move with purpose, and your voice to command attention. Focused adrenaline can give you the mental clarity to respond to any speaking situation.

Facing an audience? Welcome your jitters. Work with them, not against them. With practice and patience, you can channel your adrenaline into dynamism. Adrenaline is a gift.
 

Permission is granted to reprint this article when the following contact information is included: © 2008 by Bonnie Budzowski, President of InCredible Messages, LP. For more free articles, go to www.IncredibleMessages.com or contact Bonnie at info@IncredibleMessages.com.

Imagine yourself in a situation in which one professional shows you how to incorporate the insights of three perspectives into your business communication:  marketing, persuasion, and visual design. 

Imagine an interactive session with an entertaining and inspiring speaker.  Do you like what you see?  You’ve just envisioned working with Bonnie Budzowski, President of inCredible Messages, LP.

Contact Bonnie to learn more about how she can guide you and your team to create compelling business messages or call 412-828-1629 . 

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