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Controlling Nerves
Why do we get nervous?
What's your perception of anxiety?
The benefits of clarity
Why do we get nervous?
Basically, we are nervous because we have an emotional investment in the (uncertain) outcome of an event - such as a business presentation.
Speaking in public can be described as the 'mother of all fears' because it encompasses the fear of failure, embarrassment, losing control, being judged, showing weakness, exposing ignorance and disappointing others or ourselves. Gee, it's exhausting just writing these fears down.
The resulting physical anxiety can take many forms - feeling sick, shaking, a quivering voice, sleepless nights, a dry mouth, blushing, and more - but they all come from the same source:
Anxiety is directly linked to the amount of uncertainty we feel.
It occurs when we feel we have an 'incomplete knowledge of the situation' and is made worse when we don't know when it will end. Our mind can pose dozens of questions that can't be answered simply, such as;
Added to the problem of uncertainty is the body's variation on the primitive 'flight or fight' survival mechanism. Whenever we feel threatened or exposed (as in presentation situations), the body releases adrenaline in order to give us energy. Unfortunately, this primitive part of our brain can give us more energy than we need - energy that is channelled into the symptoms of anxiety highlighted above. 
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What's your perception of anxiety?
Even the best presenters get the shakes. Sportspeople, singers, actors and professional speakers admit to being nervous. Try to remember that your nervous responses are;
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normal, and
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mild.
"Fine", you might be thinking, "It's normal... but it's definitely not mild!" Well, consider this; we often mislabel a small change in our bodily reactions (such as dry mouth or sweaty palms) as dramatic because they feel uncomfortable. But the very fact that we label it as a problem makes it worse!
Many people have had great success in labelling their symptoms differently.
Sound strange? Well, psychologist Stanley Schacter conducted experiments on changing the way people label the physical symptoms of anxiety. Using many inputs, including a drug similar to adrenaline, he set up two different scenarios.
Half the group were told to expect good feelings and the other half were told to expect bad feelings. The inputs were the same, only the way the participants labelled the experience was different. Those who expected good feelings enjoyed the rush of adrenaline and described it as excitement. Those who saw the feelings as negative labelled it anxiety.
It is possible to alter your experience of a situation by changing the way you think. Keep this in mind next time you feel nervous; then pause and choose to focus on the productive aspects of your talk (like your message, examples, etc) and see how that affects how you feel .
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The benefits of clarity
Probably the single best way to reduce nervousness is to gain certainty about your purpose and/or your message for the event. The feeling of confidence this creates is the strongest foundation you can create for yourself. Think objectively about how you could feel prepared and then work on those elements.
When you clarify the message you want to transfer to your listeners, your entire experience changes. A feeling of purpose develops. You can relax knowing you don't need to memorise an entire speech, as there are many combinations of words that will communicate the meaning of your message.
In addition, delivery elements such as the tone, inflection and emphasis of your voice start to flow naturally from your clarity of mind. Effectively sorting the information in your head reduces nervousness and helps create a natural delivery style.
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