Does Public Speaking Make You Nervous? Try This

Does public speaking make you nervous? I’m lucky. Public speaking doesn’t make me nervous. I’ve been trying cases in front of juries for 20 years, and now I am a keynote speaker, so speaking to large groups is second nature for me. In fact, when the time comes for me to stand up and speak, I start to get really excited. I can’t wait to share my tools and help the audience advocate for themselves and their big ideas.

But I have to be careful. Because excitement can sound like nervousness, and it can lead me to talk faster, and higher, than I want. Tone of voice is a huge piece of being a good advocate. In my work with my consulting and keynote clients, first we work on being sure they know their jury. Who are they and what do they want? Then we work on creating a message that speaks directly to that jury. Finally, we work on the messengers–the facial expressions, body language, energy and tone of voice they use to convey that message. And of all of these, tone of voice might be most important.

Your tone of voice has a huge impact on how your jury of clients, customers, team members or investors receives you. Did you know that voters prefer politicians whose voices have a deeper tone?   Speaking slowly, deliberately and in the appropriate tone will make a huge impact on how your message is received.

Many of my clients worry about this, as they think they can’t control their tone. But they do have some control. They can control their pace, their modulation, and their breath. All of these things impact tone. One good way to do this is to get present, and I use Jin Shin with my clients to make this happen. Jin Shin is an ancient Japanese healing art that uses holds on different parts of the body to impact certain energies.

I learned about Jin Shin at a spa, and when the practitioner told me that holding your thumb works to decrease worry and anxiety, I was sold. I sucked my thumb as a child, and I often find myself intuitively holding my thumb when I’m stressed. It just made sense. Since then, I’ve had the pleasure to work with Alexis Brink, the author of The Art of Jin Shin: The Japanese Practice of Healing With Your Fingertips. She can explain Jin Shin much better than I can, and did in a discussion we had on my podcast. For me, it slows my breathing, makes me aware, and gives me space between my excitement and my message.

When you want to advocate to win, you need to take every advantage available to you. Jin Shin is just one way you can hone the messenger and make sure your message hits home. Give it a try.

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