318 - Do you get nervous before a presentation?

When I was young and taking auditions for an orchestra I would get incredibly nervous.

One of the tips my professor gave me was to get away from the crowd.

Usually, at auditions, everyone is crowded into one room.

There would be 30-40 people in a room and there were several rooms.

My professor also taught me that if you aren't ready the day of the audition, it won't help to "cram" before going on stage.

📯 I learned to warm up, lay my French horn down, and go find a quiet place to breathe and remain calm. 📯

Inevitably, there would be one other person doing the same thing.

I always knew that person was my only competition.

It was true every time.

That other person and I would be in the final round.

Sometimes they won and other times I won.

It always fascinated me that other musicians thought I had no issue with nerves. I appeared to be calm and collected.

If they only knew what was going on inside my stomach!! 🦋 🦋 🦋

I felt as though I could hardly breathe at times.

Now that I am in business and presenting to employee groups at their open enrollments, I find that I love it.

Nothing could terrify me as much as playing in front of an entire orchestra of trained professionals.

I love speaking to an audience, whether it's about employee benefits or to a service club, like Rotary or Lions, about identity theft.

There are a few simple steps you can take to calm yourself down before giving a presentation.

The 2 most important things you can do are BE PREPARED (without notes) and Take a few deep breathes before getting in front of the room.

Do you get nervous before a presentation?