5 Easy Steps to Let Go Butterflies When Speaking To An Audience

Oh, that nervous energy can get the best of you if you allow it to. The sweaty palms, the lump in the throat, and oh how you wish you had a bottle of water.... but afraid if you did, then you will have to run to the bathroom every 5 minutes because you allowed the nervous energy to take control.

How to Let Go of the Butterflies

The nervous energy rises as you take that short walk to the podium to begin your speech in front of a small group of colleagues. Instinctively you begin to talk yourself out of ever signing up to give a speech or an assignment to present in this setting again. It is time to give your "icebreaker speech" and as you stand in front of the audience, you begin to feel the butterflies flutter. You feel nauseous, your knees feel weak and you are wondering "why is there a lump in my throat?" All of a sudden you realize your heart is racing. The BUTTERFLIES have arrived!

The butterflies can either work in your favor or against it. Whichever scenario you want to take place is up to you. Yes, it really is up to you. You are in control, not the butterflies. So let me give you some tips that have helped me to get over the butterflies over the years.

#1 BUTTERFLIES ARE BEAUTIFUL, SO DO YOUR RESEARCH

Don't get the wrong impression, I believe Butterflies are beautiful to look at and admire for their light body structure and beautiful blend of colors. They add so much beauty to a garden filled with brightly colored flowers and sweet pungent aromas. Butterflies are also very fragile and are in danger of being destroyed easily depending on how they are handled.

In public speaking, butterflies do not refer to a beautiful creature but often refer to a feeling associated with fear or anxiety. So what does this have to do with public speaking you may ask. The speech you present to the world can appear beautiful just like the butterfly. It can catapult you to present on great stages and massive platforms. By executing a speech with ease and confidence with a little injection of humor once in a while you are on the right path to "woo" the crowd. Your delivery coupled with your research and speech structure can also lead to danger if you fail to take the appropriate steps to make sure everything is in order. Similar to the fragility of the butterfly, your speech's delivery and execution are critical to your success. Depending on your actions or inactions and depth level of research or lack thereof will determine if you step up to the next level.

You've got to know what you are talking about when you are talking in front of an audience. What is the subject of your speech? Did you do your research? If not, what are you waiting for? Get to know more about what you will talk about. God's word says to study to show yourself approved unto God. Well, just like we are mandated to study the word of God, the principle is the same in other areas of your life (yes, even in giving a speech or speaking on camera about a subject). Take time out to know your subject details. Find facts, statistics, names, dates, etc. When you get up to talk, you will feel at ease when you KNOW that you KNOW what you are talking about. Sidebar: adding a personal story related to the subject matter makes you sound more relatable to your audience so keep this in mind. (Especially if it is funny or thoughtful and can potentially add sentimental value to the listener).

#2 WALK-IN AUTHORITY NOT CONFORMITY

It is up to you to choose which way you with direct the butterflies. I do everything in God's power to direct the nerves to work out for MY GOOD. What the enemy meant for evil God has already worked it out for your good. Stop sitting on the sidelines letting opportunity slip through your hands because of the butterflies. Perhaps you were meant to soar in the public speaking arena but if you don't even take the first step to try, you will never know and may feel stuck or stagnant. Never "give in" to the negative self-sabotaging inner talk that stops you and leads you to conform to self-defeating thoughts which lead to self-defeating actions.

When walking in authority when giving a speech you exude confidence and commandeer the room. You have everyone's undivided attention and they are anticipating what will come next. Now is your time to "deliver the goods" and do it effectively with poise and confidence.

One thing you can do to draw the audience's attention to you is overemphasizing a particular point you want your audience to remember. By adding vocal variety and hand gestures to stress a particular point you want your audience to remember, you will compel the audience to retain the point you want them to remember. It also helps if you repeat it at least 3 to 5 times within the speech. As you continue to practice your speech, you will become comfortable with the material to the point where you will develop the ability to give the speech without notes or a teleprompter to jog your memory.

#3 RELAX, RELATE, RELEASE

The "Relax, Relate, Release" phrase is one that I use to help me when the angst begins to creep in. The way I execute the 3 R's may be different from the way you do; however, I want to share these tips with you and hope they will help you find a system that suits you.

One thing that helps me a lot to relax, relate and release is to dance. Dancing gets me "hyped" and I believe it works for me because I love to dance! It gets the blood circulating, my heart rate rises, and I feel a burst of energy which gives me the extra pep in my step to be "camera or audience" ready. I may also scream into a pillow a few times or turn on some good ole' hand-clapping, foot-stomping gospel music to do the trick. Meditating on scriptures or positive affirmations also helps to refocus your thought pattern from "I don't think I can do this" to "I know I can do this because God gave me the ability and strength to get this done".

#4 VISUALIZE YOURSELF SPEAKING

Sometimes I would get so anxious before giving a speech in front of people that I would have dreams about the event. Have you ever done that? Well, in my dream, the speech was delivered flawless and I saw audience members smiling and after the speech, I received thunderous applause and people came up to me to congratulate me and gave me positive comments about what was shared with them. Now, it is your turn. Try using your imagination to visualize yourself giving a speech or being videotaped on a panel discussion or a show that you are hosting. Just imagine yourself, you sound clear, strong and you are filled with confidence and exuberance! Now, imagine the audience clapping and cheering you on. Can you see it? All the anxiety is melting away as the boost in your confidence increases. Go You! The mind is a terrible thing to waste, so find a great use for it by taking advantage of its vast creative ability to help you build up the positive thoughts and affirmations you need to encourage yourself in delivering your speech.

#5 GOD IS ON YOUR SIDE

Do you realize you have more people on your side than those against you? This reminds me of the song that states, "If God be for me, who can be against me, If God be for me, whom shall I fear". This is not a time to be shy. God will hear your cry and answer you by and by. Look for the cheerleaders in the crowd who are rooting for you. You will recognize them if you invited them to act as your backbone. If you didn't invite anyone to cheer you on, you can always "find" a few faces that are smiling or looking at you with anticipation. Let your eyes linger on the cheerleaders a little longer than the others. Begin nodding your head in an approval stance to indicate to everyone you are doing a good job and they will begin to do the same. It's amazing how we are conditioned to perform the call and response routine. Start the call and the audience will respond. If you clap, the audience will clap. If you nod your head in approval, the audience will respond by nodding their head as well. Give it a try, God is on your side (and so are the cheerleaders.

I have a free checklist you can download and use as a guide for the next time you prepare to give a speech or conduct an interview. Now, it is time to say "goodbye" to those butterflies.

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Don't Sit On The Sidelines,

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Denise Sutton 

Video Presence Consultant 

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