The trembling. The dry mouth. The dread. Anyone who has spoken in public knows what that feels like. But speaker nerves are more normal than you think. In fact, the only difference between pros and newcomers is that pros have learned to channel their nerves. You can defeat your speaker nerves. Here are six of their trade secrets:

1. Realize that your audience can detect only a fraction of the nerves you are feeling. Studies confirm that only about 10% of your nerves are detected by an audience. You look far better to them than you feel inside.
2. Of course, if you have a bad case, nerves can make you shake and stutter. That’s because your body has sensed a threat and has given you a shot of adrenaline to help fight it. So work off the adrenaline. Just before going on, go somewhere you can’t be seen and shadowbox or run in place or do some pushups. At the very least, grip the armrests of your chair as hard as you can. When you get up to speak you’ll still feel some anxiety, but your body will be still and your voice clear.
3. Keep hydrated. Cottonmouth is another physical outcome of nerves, and there are two ways of handling it: a) have a small bottle of water up there to swig if your tongue sticks to the roof of your mouth, or b) chew your tongue a little. That will make your mouth moister.
4. Don’t look from face to face when you get up to speak. Every time you do, you’ll get another twinge of anxiety as you gauge whether they like you or not. Instead, pick out one friendly face and talk into that person’s eyes, just as though you were the only two in the room. Then shift your gaze to another person for the next few sentences. Keep doing this. Soon you’ll be calmer.
5. Don’t try delivering your talk from memory. If you do, you’ll spend your entire talk afraid of losing your place, which can become a self-fulfilling prophecy. Instead, think of your message. A note or two on a 3 x 5 notecard will be all you need to conduct your talk.
6. Stop wondering, “What do those people think of me?” Instead, when you look at the audience, think, “What do those people need from me?” If you can do that, you’ll be in the right place as a speaker. You’ll be acting on them, not they on you.

 
Author Rob Norris is a Visiting Instructor at Butler University’s College of Communication. He is also a Principal at When You Leave The Room LLC, a business consultancy devoted to making people better in front of an audience. Visit http://www.whenyouleavetheroom.com to learn more and see a schedule of upcoming classes.