Amy Carroll » Speaking Tips » Managing Your Nerves–Part 1

Managing Your Nerves–Part 1

Here’s the first post in our “Managing Your Nerves” series by our own beloved Lysa TerKeurst.  Here are her wise words:

You have less than 5 seconds to make your first impression on an audience.  If those first 5 seconds are spend shuffling notes, grabbing the podium for dear life, and trying to catch your run away breath… your audience will start to feel as nervous as you do.

The best way I know to calm my nerves right away and set the audience at ease is to make the first words out of my mouth something I can say confidently and boldly without notes and without hesitation.  After just a few profound sentences that lead my audience to know the exact point of my message, I transition into a personal story that relates to my point. 

Personal stories are great because you don’t need notes, your personality can shine through, and people are captivated by stories.  When you feel you have your audience captivated, your nerves will dissipate!  It’s amazing what confidence this builds in you and what connection it creates with the audience.

My only word of caution is to remember your transition from the end of your story back to the point of your message.  You don’t want to make it all the way down the field only to fumble at the goal line.  I have no idea why I just used a sports analogy, but it worked.

Happy speaking sweet friends!

Blessings,

Lysa TerKeurst
www.LysaTerKeurst.com

www.Proverbs31.org

Thanks, Lysa, for sharing with us!  Next week I’ll share a practical tip for those of us who feel like we can’t breathe right before we speak.

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