How To Not Be Nervous for a Presentation: 19 Tips To Calm Nerves
Got an interview coming up? Feeling a tad bit nervous? We get it! There’s definitely ways to ease your anxiety and feel more confident. In this video, our host Sinead will offer 5 ways for you to calm your interview nerves and be prepared!
Giving presentations is often a challenge for many professionals. While conversing one-on-one in the work setting is a common task, making a speech or a presentation can be an anxiety-inducing scenario for many. Luckily, there are several techniques you can use to calm your nerves before a presentation or public speech to ensure you do and feel your best. Here we explore why people get nervous before giving a presentation and 19 tips to stay calm while presenting information to others.
Why do people get nervous before a presentation?
, fear of public speaking is the most common phobia. This phobia is even more prevalent than fear of heights, death and spiders. So, if you’re feeling especially nervous before giving a presentation, it can be comforting to know you aren’t alone. In fact, the National Institute of Mental Health has estimated that around 73% of individuals have some fear of public speaking.
The primary contributing factor to this phobia is the fear of negative evaluation or judgment from others. Many people get in front of a group of people and freeze, or forget what they were going to talk about. This results in an increased level of stress that can actually shut down the frontal lobe of the brain, which is partly responsible for memory retrieval.
7 Effective Ways to Calm Down a Dog
Backed by Scientific Research
It has been observed that playing different kinds of music and sounds affects dogs in different ways. However, it was with classical music where the researchers saw that dogs were in a relaxed state much more than an active or agitated state. Here’s a short meta-review document (PDF) on everything related to dogs’ stress and music.
Whether it be the frequency, volume or tempo of the music, scientists could not precisely tell. To contrast, the researchers found that dogs would be pacing and vocalizing much more when heavy metal music was played.
Further research have shown that classical music indeed reduces the stress level in dogs. In this study, an animal shelter played “Four Seasons” and other classical tunes to kenneled canines and saw it as an effective technique to calm down the dogs every time.
Dogs often feel anxiety when they are left at home for prolonged periods of time. Most of us know this as the essential “going to work” time. This restlessness in dogs often leads to the development of unwanted destructive behavior, which results in anything from uncontrolled barking to destruction of our property.
Dogs will feed off of other dogs or a human’s energy, elevating their own energy output to the point where it becomes difficult to control or communicate with them. By using first classical music to decrease the energy, it becomes easier to communicate with them.
On a related subject, Samantha has also done a podcast with Amman Ahmed, creator of Relax My Dog YouTube channel that contains tons of music for calming down dogs. If classical music doesn’t work for your Fido, try some of these tunes instead.
2 Aromatherapy for Stressed Dogs
If a human’s olfactory (smell) receptors were the size of a pinhead, then a dogs olfactory receptors would be the size of a postage stamp. Dogs’ sense of smell goes beyond the current understanding of humans. It’s on a different level.
Several studies have shown that when dogs are exposed to lavender and chamomile they become less vocal, are more docile, more relaxed and are less active, as opposed to their behavior when exposed to peppermint or rosemary.
In a more binary example of scent sensitivity, dogs were observed in a controlled setting without any odor stimulants and then again when exposed to lavender. The results were polarizing as the dogs showed significantly less activity and vocalization when exposed to the scent.
To put it shortly, lavender (and to a certain extent chamomile) have proven to be effective methods to calm down a dog. Some of the essential oils for dogs may have similar effects on pets and reduce their levels of cortisol and, as a result, anxiety.
How to Recognize When You Need to Calm Yourself Down
The Anxiety and Depression Association of America (ADAA) defines a panic attack as, “the abrupt onset of intense fear or discomfort that reaches a peak within minutes and includes at least four of the following symptoms”:
- Move your body: Engage in regular exercise.
- Eat well: Nourish your body with a variety of healthy foods.
- Reach out to others: Connect with others. Talk to people you enjoy spending time with. Hug people (if you like hugging).
- Practice relaxation techniques: The techniques mentioned above, such as yoga, meditation, and progressive muscle relaxation, can be done on a regular basis as part of stress management.
- Get some shut-eye: Getting enough good quality sleep (try for 7 to 8 hours each night) is important to all areas of your health, including your mental health.
- Stimulate your senses: Listen to music. Stop and smell the roses. Eat something flavorful. There are many healthy ways to have sensory experiences.
- Write it out: A 2017 study of health workers showed that expressive writing can have a positive impact on adaptive coping strategies. Write in a journal. Write letters that you don’t send to people you’re feeling negative towards. Put your emotions on the page.
Summary
If you experience anxiety, anger, or overwhelm regularly, it’s best to talk with a healthcare professional. They can help you establish a treatment plan for long-term results. However, if you find yourself having an anxious moment, some techniques can help.
Stress is a fact of life. In some cases, it can even be healthy. But if you find yourself feeling anxious or overwhelmed, there are things you can try to help you calm down and help with long-term stress management.
If you’re feeling anxiety or stress regularly that doesn’t improve with these techniques, reach out to your healthcare provider or mental health professional. They can give you tools to feel calm and connected.
Frequently Asked Questions
The techniques used to help you calm down when you feel anxious can also help when you feel angry. These include exercises such as deep breathing, relaxation techniques, and exercise. If you find you have anger that’s difficult to control, see your healthcare provider for steps to manage your anger long-term.
Resource:
https://www.indeed.com/career-advice/career-development/how-to-not-be-nervous-for-a-presentation
https://topdogtips.com/calm-down-a-dog/
https://www.verywellhealth.com/how-to-calm-down-5204405