***A Pill for Nervousness in Public Speaking?

Recently, I read about a pill you can take to eliminate your nervousness in public speaking. I was floored! Why would you take a pill to get rid of that which is so beneficial when delivering a speech or presentation? The problem for many people is that they are intent on ridding themselves of that blessed adrenaline rush instead of putting it to good use. When your body goes into flight or fight mode from the increase of the chemicals – adrenaline, noradrenaline, and cortisol – your senses are sharpened, you become more alert and you are able to better focus. The heightening of your senses is exactly what makes for dynamic public speaking. While I have not tried the pill for nervousness, what it would entail would be the exact opposite of what I want you to experience. The difference is that I want you to take your nervousness and let it work for you. Take that rush and use it to your benefit. The secret is learning how to control it. When I work with a client in voice improvement, I teach them how to breathe with the support of their diaphragm in order to find their optimum or ‘real’ voice. In doing so, the client discovers the best means of controlling nervousness in any form of public speaking because diaphragmatic breathing allows for the elimination of the toxins in the blood. Shallow or lazy breathing, which is common and considered ‘normal,’ has the opposite effect.

If you approach the lecte and you are nervous, your shallow or lazy breathing is increasing your stress. Years ago, one of my clients, a ‘professional’ speaker, disagreed with me and told me that she was never nervous. Maybe her lack of nervousness was one of the reasons her agenda was not filled with guest speaking engagements! So much is written on eliminating nervousness, hypnosis for nervousness, and now a pill for nervousness. Everyone, be it in the arts or in sports, is nervous in a live venue. It is normal; it is natural. But the greats in music, theater, and the sports arena, use their nervousness to their advantage. That is one of the reasons they are professionals. I love nervousness. It is good; it is a bonus; and, it is not something you should try to eliminate. Learn to breathe with support and embrace those nervous jitters. In doing so, you will experience the tremendous reward of those chemicals. They can help take your presentation to unknown heights.